Falling in Love with the Lost

1. There is no greater motivating power than the power of love. Love is more than words – it is words in action. If we fall in love with the lost, our accomplishment can be greater. Love for the lost will grow churches. Why did the church grow so rapidly in the 1st century and during the restoration movement? There were two basic reasons: 1) They were in love with the truth; 2) They were in love with the lost. That inescapable motivating power of love!!
2. We need to ask ourselves these questions:
   1. Why do we exist as a church?
   2. What is our purpose?
   3. What are our goals?
   4. In short, we exist for three basic purposes:
      1. Seek and save that which is lost.
      2. Edify (build up) each other.
      3. Tend to needs and heal the hurts.
   5. If we aren’t doing these three we need to reevaluate and re-align our priorities.
3. How should we love the lost?
   1. Love in heavenly fashion.
      1. God is love – 1 John 4:7-8, 16 – He that dwells in love dwells in God and God in Him.
      2. God so loved the world – John 3:16.
      3. God commends His love – Romans 5:8.
      4. Greater love hath no man than this – John 15:13
      5. Philippians 2:5 – Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Luke 19:10 – For the Son of Man is come to seek and save that which is lost.
   2. Love as first century-church loved:
      1. Acts 2 – 3,000 added
      2. Acts 8:4 – Every Christian is a missionary
         1. They fulfilled the three aspects of Christianity.
            1. Carried the gospel – Acts 8:4
            2. Cared for the needy – Acts 2:45
            3. Edified each other – Acts 2:42, 46; continued steadfastly; continued daily
   3. Love as Paul loved:
      1. Made three missionary journeys because he loved the lost.
      2. 1 Corinthians 9:22 – Made all things to all men that I might by all means save some; And this I do for the gospel’s sake.
      3. Romans 10:1 – Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
      4. Romans 9:3 – For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
4. Our slogan should be: “Salvation for the lost regardless of the cost.”
   1. Question is not how much will it cost, but the saving of the lost. The church as a whole has enough money to do most anything it wants.
   2. We need to have the indwelling idea that “God is not interested in money; he’s interested in men.”
   3. “Little is much if God is in it.” There’s no limit to what can be done if it doesn’t matter who gets the credit. Only God deserves the credit.
   4. Probably, the greatest thing that Andrew ever did was to bring his brother Peter to Jesus. John 1:41-42 – Andrew never became a great gospel preacher, but every time Peter baptized a soul, I believe Andrew got a little credit.
   5. Salvation Army’s slogan is: “Saved to Serve.”
5. The message is urgent:
   1. Jesus said in John 4:35: “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields for they are white already to harvest.”
      1. The world needs the gospel. Every 30 minutes, 5,400 people die unprepared to meet God. 33,000+ serious crimes are committed a day.
   2. What we need is some “Old Fashioned Compassion.”
      1. Matthew 9:36-38 – “But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith He unto His disciples, ‘The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His harvest.”
      2. Matthew 14:14 – He healed their hurts (sick).
      3. Yes, Jesus has compassion – Phil. 2:5…
   3. We cannot have compassion like the brother of the prodigal son.
      1. Why did Jesus tell the story of the elder brother? I like stories that end in “they lived happily ever after…,” don’t you?
      2. Ugliest story in the Bible? Luke 15. Jesus ended the way He did because the people of His day didn’t love the lost. They had no compassion and were looking down their noses at Jesus…

the late Wayne Holland

from a sermon preached at:

Hayesville, NC (4/12/1981) – this was the sermon Dad preached when I responded to the gospel

Lafayette, LA (4/22/1981)

Leesville, LA (3/27/1983)

Florence, SC (4/10/1983)

El Dorado Springs, MO (8/14/1983)

Gainesville, GA (12/09/1984)

Blairsville, GA (11/30/1986)

Roxboro, NC (8/30/1987)

Reidsville, NC (4/28/1991)

South Boston, VA (05/05/1991)

Roxboro, NC (05/21/2000)