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As we look around us, we are surrounded by the needy faces of those Jesus called 'sheep without a shepherd'. The lives of many of these people are far from the desires of God, or even the desires of society. Religious pluralism, sexual immorality, drug and alcohol abuse and violence, just to name a few are present in all forms of media and in the hearts and lives of 'secular' people. That is definitely not to say that all non-Christians are immoral people (in fact I am sure there is a thing or two many Christians may learn about morality and Christian living from non-believers), I am simply stating that any deviation from the Christian norm is seen by many Christians as ungodly living. These things are all sin , as is anything that stands between God and His creation, but due to the destructive and excessive outcomes of such actions, are considered more sinful than a simple lie or disrespect of ones parents. Needless to say these ways of life stir up the emotions of all Christians, but the question stands, is this emotion one of aggravation or of motivation. A purely missional outlook would say the latter. It is obvious to any believer that the foundation for mission lies in the incarnation of Christ. Our missional outlook should follow Jesus' actions, words and teachings and be based on His mission. Jesus' missional outlook answers the question of our emotional reaction to the sins of what some may call the unreachable in our society. Our answer lies simply in our Lord's emotional reaction to the 'sheep without a shepherd'. The NIV translates Christ's reaction like this "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Mt 9:36). For Jesus this compassion was a motivation for the spreading of His message, not an aggravation. How can we learn to do the same? Learning How to Love. Our cheif motivation for evangelism should be love. After all the Gospel message is the message of God's great love for His rebellious creation. I know it may seem a cliche--- but Romans 5:8 shows God's motivation for salvation and therefore our motivation for evangelism. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.". We, like our God should love all people... regardless of their sinful state. Our love, like Christ's love should motivate us to share the Gospel, so that these sheep without a shepherd may no longer be lost, but may be saved from their sinful and destructive ways and be brought into a relationship with a God who went to extraordinary lengths to bring them to himself. Compassion cannot be present without love, therefore to genuinely hope for their salvation, to genuinely feel the pain of seeing these children of God wandering lost we need to genuinely love them. Let their sin be a motivation for compassion and love, a motivation to see their lives renewed and their sin washed clean by the cleansing blood of Christ. Feel the pain in God's heart for these lost sheep and compassion will reign. Jesus tells us in John 13 that love is our defining charecteristic as a Christian 'by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.' This love should be evident in our relationships with fellow Christians but also in relationships with our fellow man. But this love is not a feeling, not an alouf emotion that leads us to feel sorry for the lost as we sit back and mourn. No. It is a love that calls us to compassion and action. A love which Paul defines in 1 Corinthians 13, patient, kind, giving, selfless and unending. Our love must be shown physically. A woman told me a story about her husband who was sharing his faith with a friend. He had tried for years with no success but just kept on going. His friend was then tragically diagnosed with a degenerating disease which left him weak to the point of death. This man could no longer do anything for himself. However every week the ladies husband would continue to meet with his friend. He would pick him up and take him to the pub where the sick bloke loved to go. He would physically carry him in and prop him up in a chair, cut up his $7 roast and feed it to him, put a straw in his beer and hold it up to his lips. There was no conversation, this man offered him nothing in return - he couldn't. Why did this ladies husband continue. Because he was filled with love for his friend, the same love Jesus had that led to the great compassion for the lost sheep. A love that crosses boundaries, a love beyond definition, a love that sent the sinless Son of God to the cross. Do you love like that, or are you just angered by the decay in the world. Wake up, Jesus could have sat on his throne whinging and complaining about the state of the world, he had every right to. But he loved us, and love doesn't sit on its backside. Love acts. So let this sinful decaying world not lead to aggravation, let it spark compassion which comes from a selfless sacrificial love. Its a simple command.
Article Source: http://youth-ministry-resources.com
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