Why do we (Christ Followers) call people who don't know Christ lost? They do not think they are lost. When non-Christians here this do they just laugh? Is there a better name people who don't know Christ the way we do? We know what that means, but they have no idea. Thoughts?
SNYDER
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4 comments:
I tend to think "lost" is an appropiate one, even Jesus tells a parable comparing us to a "lost sheep" in Matthew... or do you prefer "non-believer" as in "Shun the non-believer" .... j/k
I think that "lost" is an appropriate term because like the other commenter mentioned, it is used in scripture (lost sheep, lost coin, lost son) and Jesus said that He "came to seek and to save what was lost" Luke 19:10.
However, I think we can be more sensitive and purposeful in our language when it comes to the "lost." If they don't think their lost then our language is non-sense to them. Read a book called "So I Sold My Soul on Ebay." Don't have the room to tell you all about it but the synopsis is "a look at today's church through the eyes of an atheist." Very insightful and convicting for me and how I do ministry.
I don't think there's something sacred about the word "lost". Yes, Jesus used it, but he was also primarily talking to Jewish people and illustrating that Jesus didn't care just about their race/group. In His context it was actually very inclusive, as opposed to how it sounds now.
I think any term that makes it sound like "us and them" is dangerous for everyone. At the risk of throwing brevity out the window (as clearly I tend to do), I usually avoid labels. If I'm talking to an audience where I know non-Christians might be present I usually just talk in terms of "people have/haven't given up trying run their own life and trusted Jesus to do it instead."
If I have to use terms I'll usually say "Christ-followers" and "those who don't believe in/aren't sure how they feel about the whole Jesus thing."
In other words, I try to talk about it similarly to how THEY would talk about it. And I always try to use words that refer back to a relationship with Jesus in ways someone who doesn't follow Christ can understand.
thanks for the comments. All are very well put
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