Reaching the lost PT 2

 Reaching the Lost

2: The Power of Truth

The church that Christ established has one purpose: to seek and save the lost.  Seeking the lost, reaching out to those who do not know or those who have refused Christ, is often a challenge.  As disciples of Christ we must endure a great deal of adversity, hardship, and disappointment in our labor.  However, scripture makes it clear that the challenges of reaching the lost are expected if we’re truly fulfilling our purpose as the body of Christ.  Not only that, but when we do suffer hardship for the cause of Christ, we are to rejoice in them! (Col. 1:24, I Pet. 4:13)

As a result of these frequent challenges, we often find ourselves discouraged.  Individuals and congregations may labor for months reaching out to the world and not bring in a single lost sheep.  Unfortunately, it leads many disciples of Christ to doubt the source and power of our doctrine and faith.  Often, disciples of Christ give up on actively and consistently reaching out to the lost, and convince themselves that attending worship services is enough to please God.  It has already been submitted that if we are not reaching out to save the lost we are not fulfilling our purpose and therefore not pleasing God.  It is, perhaps, an even greater offence when we give up on our doctrine, and deny the power of the Word itself.

Paul declares in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”  He says the gospel contains THE power of God that leads ALL who believe to salvation.  God provided no other means of salvation than Christ.  All of the power to save men from their sins is in Christ, and the only place one can learn about Christ is through His gospel.  The gospel of Christ and the inspired scriptures which point to it, contain the Truth, and that Truth is full of power, “quick, powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb. 4:12).  Despite our difficulties in teaching it, we must continually have faith in that Truth.  Paul says in I Thessalonians 1:5 that the gospel is delivered by word and also in power.  Again, if the church loses faith in the gospel Truth and keeps it hidden, then the power thereof is also hidden from the lost (II Cor. 4:3).

Truth is powerful because it never changes (I Pet. 1:25).  Consider the doctrines and creeds of men, how the words of men are always changing with the times.  Even though we may have a remembrance of things men said long ago, and though we may see truth in men’s sayings, the word of man certainly does not endure forever.  Also, most of the enduring “truth” we see in the words of men is actually the result of the fact that men throughout history have borrowed truth from the Word of God in their writings. 

But the Truth as delivered from God and as revealed in scripture is eternal in nature.  This means the Truth we have to deliver to the lost was true, is true, and will always be true!  I Thessalonians 2:13 says that Paul was thankful that the church at Thessalonica had received the word of God, “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually works also in you that believe.”

The church at Thessalonica recognized that they were in possession of tremendous power, of eternal power, the Truth as given to them from God.  As disciples of Christ today, we need to recognize this blessing as well and do what we are purposed to do with it: deliver the Truth to the lost.  What an awesome responsibility we have as disciples of Christ, wielding the power of God’s eternal purpose (Eph. 3:11).  Let us act faithfully and consistently in sharing this Truth, this power, with our fellow men.

Jeremy Koontz