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One of our principle tasks as believers is to become more like Christ. Paul tells us we are to have the mind of Christ (Phil 2:5). As we grow in Him, we see the world and our responsibility to it as He sees it. We need Christ’s perspective on ourselves and everything around us. When we see the world as He does, our actions reflect His attitudes and desires. Old habits and former sins are less attractive, and new tasks and responsibilities as His disciples are more attractive to us. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son for it (John 3:16). When we were lost and ungodly, Christ died for us (Rom 5:6). In turn, Jesus has given us the commission (Matt 28:19) to be witnesses to a lost and dying world. Many in that world are unsavory like we were and not pleasant to be around. It is easy for us to fall into the habit of going to church and worshipping with those who think and act as we do and avoid those who are different and make us uncomfortable. As a result, many of us do not have the mind of Christ toward the lost. Oh, we support missionaries who have gone to rub shoulders with the lost, Christian radio, evangelists and leave a tract now and then, but to confront the lost directly or invite them to our services is too much.
Sometimes Christ dealt with the prideful Pharisees in the synagogue, but he dealt with the infectious, blind, poor, and demon possessed one to one. He touched them personally. If we are physicians, we must deal with sick and often difficult patients. If we are teachers, we must deal with ignorant and frequently contrary students. If we are disciple makers, we must deal with lost and sinful people who are ever more frequently hostile to our message. There are no other choices. We cannot do that from the comfort of our church buildings and homes or without being face to face with those who need our touch.
How can we have the mind of Christ for the lost?
1. We need to have His compassion for the lost. Our natural minds follow their own selfish ends and will destroy any semblance of the Lord’s compassion for the lost. We must renew our minds (Rom 12:1) with God’s word and let His Spirit build compassion in us. We need to be reminded anew of what Christ did for us and realize that the commandment he gave to make disciples is not optional. Where would we be today but for God’s grace? Would we deny that reality to others?
2. We must rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. We must ask Him for a renewed Christ-like mind. We must believe God’s Spirit will change those who trust in Him, and we must live in and share that belief.
3. We must overcome our fears: fear of ridicule and fear of the possible negative influence of the lost on our families. We need to be cautious about exposing our families to worldly influence, but we cannot let fear trap us in inaction.
4. We must catch the vision of what Christ could do if many of the lost in our land turned to Him and lived in His power.
5. Start small today where you are at work or in your neighborhood and expand your witness until your reach extends to all the world (Acts 1:8).
I challenge us all to seek the mind of Christ, capture His compassion for the lost and live as though He is coming today, for He may be.
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