Bringing In The Lost (Part 1) by The Carpenter's Church

GOG - 14 - 135 - Bringing In The Lost (Part 1)

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BRINGING IN THE LOST (Part 1)

Pastor Nkechi Ene (Mrs.)

36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved

or to have knowledge of. It expresses the fact that the

happy but Jesus saw through their masks and knew

with compassion for them, because they were weary

object can simply come within the scope of the

they were lost. If you are going to bring in the lost, you

and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

knower’s perception. That expression, “He saw the

have to see them the way Jesus saw them. Every

37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly

multitudes” reveals that what is seen is in the scope of

hour of everyday, you interact with these multitudes

is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

perception of the one seeing. If I look in a direction,

either in your home, in your extended family or in your

38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send

my scope of perception is from where I am to where

office.

out laborers into His harvest.”

that thing is, but I may not see anything beyond that

Matthew 9:36-38

point. I am not talking about seeing with the physical

What do you see when you are interacting with that

eyes now. You’ve got to be able to see or identify the

French man? Do you only see a white skinned French

Bringing in the lost or increasing the number of souls

lost with “x-ray” eyes. Jesus saw that they were weary

man who looks very confident? Or do you see

we reach for the kingdom refers to evangelism. This

and tattered, which means He saw that they were

somebody that is lost who needs Jesus. When the

does not involve moving from church to church and

troubled and He saw that they were in need of care.

landlord comes to greet you in the morning, what do

stealing their sheep or members; rather it means going out there and getting the lost ones saved.

you see? Do you see a landlord whom you are afraid Physically, one may not look troubled and in need of

could get angry and throw you out of his house and so

care, but do you know they may be in trouble and in

you are extra nice to him? Many times, you can’t even

I will share with you how to bring in the lost by

need of care? You may see an unbeliever looking

see that he is someone who is lost and in need of

showing you five things you need to know if you would

good but according to the Scripture, that person is

Jesus. You have to let the unbelievers come within

be effective in bringing in the lost. We will look at two

weary and scattered and like a sheep without a

your scope of perception and not only see them with

in this article and the rest in the next.

shepherd. You can see someone who is very wealthy,

pity, sympathy or sorrow. Jesus saw through the

well dressed, they may even come to you with so

multitude, He saw through the rich and the content

Recognize The Lost With The Eyes Of Compassion

much aggression and an attitude, but you are

looking ones. He saw that they were troubled and in

The first thing to know is that you must see the lost

expected to see them the way Jesus did: With the

need of care and He was moved with compassion.

with the eyes of compassion. Matthew 9:36 tells us

eyes of compassion. A multitude means a great

that “when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with

number of people and I am sure there would have

When you see the lost you must see them through the

compassion for them.” There are various words that

been those who were bad, sick, well fed and even the

eyes of compassion. Compassion allows you to see

are translated “see” or “behold,” but the one that was

rich in that gathering. There would have been people

the enormity of the problem, as well as the enormity of

used in this verse means to see or perceive, to know

who may have walked in smiling and looking very

your ability to solve the problem. Sympathy and pity

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GOG - 14 - 135 - Bringing In The Lost (Part 1)

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will make you see a Satanist and decide that you can’t

those who are troubled and in need of care. That is

Then what if the tenant dies the month before? Prayer

talk to that person about Jesus. Sympathy and pity will

compassion! So compassion is the ability you have to

will give you courage because when you pray, you are

also make you see an atheist and judge his destination in

solve the problem of the lost which is showing them the

standing in the gap for the person and God equips you

the afterlife. On the contrary, compassion will make you

way home to their Lord and Saviour.

with the ability to go out there and meet the person.

the words that will change that person’s destiny for

Respect The Role Of Prayer

Secondly, prayer will give you ideas because you

eternity.

The second thing you need to know if you are going to

need ideas to bring in the lost.

bring in the lost is found in Matthew 9:38: “Therefore pray

God-given ideas are a product of spending time with

I pray that after reading this article, whenever you

the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His

Him. It might just be a word you will say that will connect

interact with the lost, you will see them like an x-ray sees

harvest.” You must respect the role of prayer. The

with the person. However, if you haven’t been in the

through your body, with the eyes of compassion. You

compassion within you will cause you to become an

place of prayer or you don’t even know the Father you

know so many people come to you with an attitude. They

intercessor for that one that you have compassion

are trying to take that lost child to, He won’t tell you.

come to intimidate you but it’s a cover-up because they

towards.

Imagine if it’s the father this time who goes to the help

see that it stinks to be an atheist, but that on your lips are

are afraid. Pause for a minute and think about that word

desk to say he’s looking for his child, but that child does

“lost.” It means there is somewhere you are supposed to

not know his name and the father says there is a song he

be that you are not. There is never a feeling of calmness

always sings and when that child hears that song, the

when you are lost.

child will know he’s calling him or her. So the father goes to the microphone and begins to sing the song. The child

I remember when my younger brother and I went to a

in most cases will respond by blabbing or trying to notify

departmental store with our parents and we got lost. We

you that it can recognize that voice because it can

wandered around until we got to a place where we were asked our names and it was announced so that our parents can find us. By the time our parents came, we had been given a drink and a snack, but when you are lost, no matter the cake and ice cream or soft drinks they give to you, you are never quite settled until you see your mummy and daddy. The same is true with an unbeliever; any human being created by the Creator but without Christ is like a child wandering in a departmental store looking for daddy or mummy. That’s just the way they are! Don’t get deceived by their bravado, aggression or the money they throw around and the big words they use; they are lost; and like a little child, they are crying on the inside and are afraid because they don’t know if they would ever find peace. There is somewhere they were created to be and they are not in that place because they are lost, and you are the one that God needs and has sent to find them. All around you are the lost. Think about the number of people in the environment where you live or on your street. In spite of the number of people who are attending Word churches, you will be shocked at number of people who aren’t saved – even on your own street. I want you to see with x-ray eyes that all around you there are many people who are lost and you have to bring them in. After Jesus saw the lost and He was moved with compassion, He acted immediately. He sent out His disciples to go out. He empowered them to look for and reach out to all

Compassion will cause you to stand in the gap for that one whom you have compassion towards. If you meet a little child wandering around in a departmental store crying, looking for their daddy or mummy, you could choose to just go or do something. However, when you have compassion, you will stand take the child’s hand saying, “Come, I will show you where your daddy is.” You may ask the child, “There is a help desk, when you go there tell that lady your name and she will announce your name and your daddy will come for you.” That is standing in or bridging the gap between the one who is lost and where he is trying to get to. That is what compassion does. It causes you to become an intercessor. You cannot over emphasize the role of prayer when you are talking about reaching the lost. You must respect the role of prayer. Let me give you a list of things prayer will do for you. Firstly, prayer will give you courage to reach out to the lost. It takes courage to talk to somebody. You may be pressed to talk to an unbeliever and all that you can hear in your heart is, “What if they laugh at me? What if they don’t give their lives to Christ? What if they insult me?” Or if you’re a landlord you may say, “What if I talk to my tenant and he doesn’t renew his rent? Let me wait for my rent to be renewed, just when my rent is renewed and I have two years on my rent then I will preach to him.”

connect with the song. You could be talking to an unbeliever through your strength and through your energy and you can preach a message but the person remains disconnected to what you are saying or passing across. You can talk for three hours but you could connect with somebody in two minutes. It could just be a word, an analogy, a story; you may not even quote a verse from the Bible, but what you have said will connect with that person’s void and the person will fall on his knees crying. When I got saved, all the person said to me was, “Do you know you are beautiful?” I said yes. Then he asked, “But do you feel as beautiful on the inside?” That was all! I cried and asked him what I should do and he led me to Christ. He did not quote anything from the Bible or preach to me, and I got saved. So prayer will give you ideas on how to reach the lost. When you see them through your x-ray eye, and see them with compassion, you will receive ideas on how to reach them. If you hang all the banners in the world on the walls and in the streets, it won’t do because crooks do that too! There are some things that you just can’t do because everybody is doing them, and even if yours are genuine, it would look like yet another of the kind. So you need godly ideas to go out and get the lost because the Father is more eager to find the lost child than that child wants to be saved. Prayer will position you to receive these godly ideas from God.