What does it mean to be lost?
If you’ve been in or around church for any length of time it’s likely that you’ve heard the phrase, “the lost.” Sometimes people within the church can use the phrase to explain the poor behavior of people, sometimes the phrase is used to identify the type of person a Christian should share the Gospel with, and sometimes the phrase, unfortunately, can be used to speak poorly about people.
None of that is what we’re going to do here. We’re simply going to answer the question, “What does it mean to be lost?” using a few passages from the Bible.
This will help us explain more in-depth who our target is at Sharpening Ministries and it will allow us to fully understand the depth of what it means to not have a relationship with Jesus.
At Sharpening Ministries, we’re going after those who are lost, wandering, and disenfranchised. Let’s look at three verses to explain what we mean there.
Lost.
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
— Ephesians 2:1-3
A lost person is dead in their sins, disobedient to God, and doomed to the wrath of God. This is serious stuff. It’s important to note that our sins aren’t simply bad decisions or knocks on our otherwise high morals. No, our sins deserve the wrath of God poured out on them.
When we’re lost, we’re not just floating in neutral. According to Ephesians 2, we’re following the prince of the power of the air, which is referring to Satan.
A lost person can’t find God on their own, because they are following an entirely different power. A lost person needs God to step in and save them. The rest of the verse lays out what it means to have a relationship with God and be forgiven of your sins.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
— Ephesians 2:4-10
A lost person can be found, but it’s by putting their faith in Jesus, who took the “wrath” the lost person deserved.
Wandering.
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
— Matthew 9:36
One of the most noticeable factors of someone who is lost is their lack of direction or aim in life. People are simply floating - going from one experience to the next - hoping that they’ll find something to satisfy them.
The way Jesus would describe those people is like sheep without a shepherd. As outlined in Ephesians 2, we’re going to follow something. It will either be Satan, or it will be Jesus. The one who is lost is walking aimless and doesn’t have the Good Shepherd, Jesus, leading them in the abundant life. (John 10:10, 14)
Disenfranchised.
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”— Psalm 82:3-4
Let’s just be honest, sometimes it’s hard to love the needy person. The lost person is a needy person. They’re the person who have been afflicted, they’re destitute, they’re weak, and they’re needy.
They need help and oftentimes they don’t feel like they can walk into the church building because they’re scared they’ll be seen as a burden, rather than someone to be loved.
This is a quick summary of what it means to be living a life apart from a relationship with God. The Bible goes into so many more details, but this is a summary of someone who does not know Jesus, and someone that Sharpening Ministries is going after.
We have a team of men and women who are skilled laborers that pray for opportunities to share the Gospel with people who fall into this category of lost. If you’re interested in being equipped to be someone who shares the Gospel faithfully, email Larry.
