Passion for the Lost

I am doing a series of podcasts regarding the Pastor Tony Spell and Luke Sherwin incident that is throughout the news. Having a Passion for the Lost will affect how you relate to the lost.

Sinners Sin

Here is a truth rather we like it or not. Sinners sin, Saints, the set apart, should not live a life that looks more like the lost than the saved.

Sinners sin. Let that sink in. All of us fall short and miss the mark but someone without Christ is going to be bound with sin. For some sinners they have learned how to handle/control much of the public sin in their life. Many times they are the self-righteous ones. For others they are totally bound up in sin. They are unwilling or find it impossible to control their sin. They can do very evil things.

No Excuses

Because sinners sin, it does mean we give them a free pass and just ignore their sin. Because sinners sin, it explains why they do what they do (they are controlled by sin) but it does not excuse their sin. Sinners, all of us as people need to be held accountable for our actions, for the sins we do. But the difference between a lost sinner and a born again Christian is that as Christians we have the Holy Spirit living within us and He gives us the grace to be able to say no to sin. A lost person does not have the power of the Holy Spirit within them.

Love for the Lost

If we as Christians understand the condition of the lost, understand that we were in the same condition as them, we should have a compassion for the lost understanding the bondage of sin. When we fully understand God’s love for us while yet sinners, while we were in blatant sin, we should want to share God’s love with others. That actually is part of the problem for many Christians, they are willing to share about the Gospel and the love of Christ, but not manifest His love, not walk out His love for sinners. Instead many of us get frustrated, irritated, angry with sinners and forget where we came from.

Passion for the Lost

All may not have a passion for the lost, but if someone is called to be a minister, a shepherd, a pastor they certainly should have a passion for the lost. A passion for all-whomsoevers. We may absolutely abhor the sin of sinners, but if we are called to ministry, especially as a pastor, God will give us the grace to love the unlovely, to have a passion for them to come to Christ. God will give us the passion Christ had for the lost.

Jesus’ Passion

Jesus is our example. Look at His passion. He was willing to suffer for the sake of the lost. He was willing to be mocked, falsely accused, suffer physical harm, die on the cross.
1 Peter 2:21
For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps,

Peter and the Apostles followed the steps of Christ. They were willing to be martyrs for the Gospel. They clearly did not live the false prosperity message. They sacrificed for the sake of the Gospel. They had a passion for the lost.

John 13:15
For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you.

What was the example Jesus gave? He washed the feet of the disciples, even Judas who would betray Him. He not only washed Judas’ feet but had communion with Judas, just before taking on the sins of Judas and all of humanity.

Philippians 2:5-8
⁵ Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.

As Christians, especially Christian leaders, we should have the mindset that we are nobodies trying to reach somebody. With this mindset we will look at sinners differently.

Matthew 11:28
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

If we will walk in gentleness, meekness (strength under power), in humility, there are things people will do that will not affect us the same way as when we are walking in pride and expect sinners to respect us. Listen, if you are a Christian leader, there are going to be sinners that have no respect for you at all, get use to it. They may be the very thorn God sends your way to bring humbleness.

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Are we to be kind to only our friends? Are we to be compassionate to only our friends? Are we to be forgiving to only our friends? Of course, the answer is no. In fact we are told to:

Matthew 5:44
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

There is no time limit on how long you are to love and pray for your enemies.

If you have a Passion for the lost that Jesus does you can humble yourself, not demand respect, be gentle, walk in meekness (power under control), forgive 70×7, love your enemies, and pray for them, you will sacrifice for the lost. Are you lacking these traits? Then ask Jesus to give you more love and passion for the lost and these traits will come with the love.

Pastor Tony Spells

Based upon the narrative in the news Pastor Spells had put up with the Sherwin family and Luke Sherwin for several years. It appears he got extremely frustrated, had finally had enough. Many can relate or understand his dilemma. I certainly can. The question is was it wise what he did? Was it the right thing for him to do? Could he have handled things differently? Should he have gotten close enough to be struck at? But the biggest question is not how he should have handled things. The biggest question is what about his attitude afterwards. Many of us do not hear a humble man. We do not hear a man with a passion for what appears a very lost family. We do not hear a man reflecting the character of Christ. We do not hear a man saying “As a pastor I should have handled this differently. I knew it was a volatile situation I should have…” But again, 95% of us do not know the backstory. Did Pastor Spells church doing everything they could to minister to this family. Did they have private meetings with them. Did they address their concerns. (Yes, I know it sounds like the family may be very evil people. Yes, maybe there was no talking to them.) Maybe this was the last straw. But is the solution getting into a fist fight. Pastor Spell had to know how volatile Luke Sherwin was when he approached him. Did Pastor Spell just protect himself or went further than that?

My Story

In the next podcast I will be sharing my story how Jesus put a burden in me for the lost, a love for the lost, a willingness to sacrifice for the lost, which transformed my character. I will share when I start to lose that passion my mindset and my character starts to change. I will be sharing the good, bad, and ugly, and the boundaries I must PUT ON MYSELF.

In future posts I will be addressing the wisdom of self-defense, how to handle being mocked and harassed, being bold, taking a stand without being physical.

Series on Pastor Tony Spell and Luke Sherwin Incident
Handling Personal Physical Threats Podcast
Missing the Mark-My Story Podcast
Passion for the Lost Podcast

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#missingthemark #passionforthelost