So where do you stand?

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would strongly be tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.”

– “The Weight of Glory” by C.S. Lewis

Today read Luke 15, it will not take that long.  No seriously do it now and then finish the post… I’ll wait….

What is so unique about this chapter is that it is the only time in the Scriptures that Jesus told three (3) parables simultaneously about the same exact subject.  Here are some similarities in all three stories, lets see if you caught them

1. Something was lost.  As a matter of fact we live in a world that is lost and without hope because they do not know Christ.  This should cause us as much if not more concern that the characters at the center of each of the parables.
2. A passive attitude was NOT taken towards what was lost.  In fact, in two of the three stories an all out search took place, and in the third the father was watching for his lost son to come home which in the original language is not passive but an active looking.   As followers of Jesus what is important to Him must be important to us, yet the exact opposite seems to be true.  We are content to be passive towards people who are far from God yet happy to celebrate our Fathers apparent active searching and beckoning for our souls.  Many days it makes me wonder to what kingdom may of us are called given the passivity in our lives.
3. When what was lost was found a party/celebration took place.  When people receive Christ the church should absolutely lose their minds!  It bothers me to no end that someone can walk down the aisle in a church with soft music playing in the background like funeral parlor.  They are submitting there life to Christ, let’s CELEBRATE!!!!  Someone literally crossed over from death to life!  If heaven rejoices when someone meets Jesus then we, as His followers, must learn to do the same.

If we are truly found people then we will find people.  There really is a Heaven and there really is a Hell and people really do go to one or the other! We can’t make excuses any longer, we have to be willing to do whatever it takes to reach these people and tell them about Jesus.  If you choose not to say anything about the message you have been given then you are passively saying, “Go to Hell!”  It would much more honest if you went all Westboro on them and told them to there face.  I know it seems harsh but it’s the truth and I think we should face it.

So where do you stand?

Passively watching the world sink into Hell or actively seeking [along with the Father] those who would come to Him?