“… It’s easy to get lost.”
Those were the heartbreaking words of the sheriff in Washington County, New York as he recounted at a news conference how being lost and mistakenly turning down the wrong driveway in a rural New York town while trying to find a friend’s house abruptly and tragically ended the life of a young lady this week.
One day it’s a school. The next day it’s a bank. The following day a party. And the next, a church.
Whether it’s mistaking the car to be yours and opening the door only to be shot being shot for ringing a doorbell at the wrong address to pick up siblings, it’s evident we’ve truly lost our way as a nation.
So, what does it truly mean to be lost, and what is the cost of lostness?
Our nation, as is the world, is not only a place where we can be physically lost, but also a place where humanity is daily navigating a sea of spiritual lostness in sin, as we live, work, and play.
More concerning is the fact that humanity’s state of lostness is increasingly becoming lost with each passing day.
As I welcome my neighbors to our community by leaving jars of brownie mix at their doors, I can’t help but ponder these questions as these widespread mass shootings are not lost on me.
Again, what does it truly mean to be lost, and what is the cost of lostness?
From one person to the next, everyone attempts to find their own way, often at the expense or cost of the next person’s life and/or well-being.
Both sides yell and point across the aisle to one another, completely absorbed and lost in their own thoughts while expressed thoughts are lost in translation, falling to the ground as quickly as the lives of the innocent.
One person to the next, incident after incident, the spiritual lostness persists and grows. And that’s not the only thing growing. Every day, as many people drift further away from being made in the image of God, we face the true cost of lostness: the insurmountable loss of invaluable lives.
There is hope, and that hope lies in Jesus. He is the only way to find our way back from being lost. He is the only hope for us to avoid being lost in the end. Jesus is the answer, the only answer.
And as believers in Jesus, we must stand firm in Him as the answer and our hope, relying on the power of prayer and the Holy Spirit to be a light that dispels spiritual darkness.
Reading and reflecting on 2 Thessalonians 3:1-5 over the last few days, Paul’s words encourage us to continually love God who is faithful, love ourselves, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We must not grow weary in doing good towards the spiritually lost as we confidently stand against those in opposition. And all the more, we must never cease to pray for the making of disciples and the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus to succeed.
When we do, we’ll love our neighbors from the sea of spiritual lostness to the safe shores of being found in the love of Jesus.
And when this happens, we’ll answer not only what it truly means to be lost and the cost of lostness, but more importantly, we’ll answer what it truly means to be found and the reward of being found.
So join us tonight at 8 pm via Zoom as we pray for the lost to be found and made whole in Jesus in the communities and on campuses in Fort Worth.
Through prayer and relying on the power of the Holy Spirit, we can share this hope with others and be a light in the darkness, pointing people to the way, the truth, and the life found only in Jesus. (John 14:6)
God bless,
Pastor Alvin & Mallary Brown
alvin@makingamosaic.com :: mallary@makingamosaic.com
P.S. You’re also invited to join us as we enter into our seventh week of a 12-week long Bible study entitled, “Come and See: Exploring the Gospel of John”.
P.S.S. Mark your calendar and join us for food and fun at The Brown’s house (text The Browns for location details).
Sunday, Apr. 30th @ 5 pm
Sunday, May 21st @ 5 pm
General Prayer Requests & Updates
For evangelism to flourish so communities and campuses in the greater Fort Worth area will be reached, and the lost will see and experience the love of Christ and be drawn to his kingdom.
For signs and wonders to follow the preaching of His Word.
For team unity and laborers to help carry the load.
For finances and provisions.
For fully funded campus missionaries (2 per campus) to help reach the next generation — University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), Texas Christian University (TCU), Tarrant County College (TCC), Texas Wesleyan University (TWU) and Tarleton State University – Fort Worth (TSU).
Alvin Brown, the Lead Pastor of Mosaic Church Fort Worth, brings over a decade of pastoral ministry experience and more than 20 years of operational and technical leadership expertise. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Telecommunications Management from DeVry University and an MBA from Keller Graduate School of Management. He enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Mallary, and their three children and contributing as a writer to various media outlets.
