The world is not wrong as much as it is lost, and “lost” is the operative word here.

For some time now, it seems to have been very important to many people in the church and in Christian circles that the world is wrong. As a result, a good deal of effort has been put into trying to fight the wrong in order to overcome it and make right prevail. This has been unfortunate in some ways for our mission in the world, which is to spread the Good News of Christ’s forgiveness to all because of the cross, and invite people to become followers of Christ. As a result, a confusing mixed message has gone out. Something like: We love you and want to let you know that Christ died for your sins; we really don’t like you unless you see things the way we do.

Unfortunately, I’m afraid the second message has been much louder than the first. It’s become more important to make society Christian than to make Christians in society.

There’s one way to a quick attitude change that will help us get back on track with our mission. Think of the world as being not wrong as much as it is lost, and “lost” is the operative word.

When someone is wrong, the other’s job is to set that person right. Do you have anybody like this in your life – someone who is out to set you straight in some area? How happy are you to see this person as a general rule? This attitude creates a very conditional relationship and one in which the person who is “right” is always better. In contrast, when someone is lost, the other’s job is to find that person, and believe me, someone coming to my rescue is a much more welcome sight than someone coming as my judge.

Jesus stated his mission was as one coming to seek and to save what was lost. He loved the lost. He told lots of stories about lost things: a coin, a pearl in a field, one sheep among a hundred, and one son who was lost – who when he came home, was not criticized for being wrong, but was celebrated for having been found!

God’s heart is really big. He’s already dealt with the right versus wrong thing on the cross. No need to spend a lot of time proving what we already know about everyone, including ourselves: We’re all wrong. Let’s get back to finding people who are lost and the joy of being found ourselves (because we were lost, too).

The Catch, © John Fischer