Frontline - Laying Foundations Among the Lost
by Dex Johnson - Navigator Representative, Charleston AFB, SC
As I set out to lay a firm foundation for a new ministry, I have made mistakes, especially in pursuit of going to the lost. From hasty actions, to putting my foot in my mouth, I have erred. Ironically, my greatest lesson learned has not been in what to do or how to do it, but in the why. Understanding the why in going to the lost not only directs my words, but it keeps me hourly focused on being eternally motivated. Here are five lessons I have learned in this area of laying the foundation of going to the lost.
As I set out to lay a firm foundation for a new ministry, I have made mistakes, especially in pursuit of going to the lost. From hasty actions, to putting my foot in my mouth, I have erred. Ironically, my greatest lesson learned has not been in what to do or how to do it, but in the why. Understanding the why in going to the lost not only directs my words, but it keeps me hourly focused on being eternally motivated. Here are five lessons I have learned in this area of laying the foundation of going to the lost.
- Labor with the glory of God as the end; giving my life to people is the means. My primary reason for going to the lost is for God's glory. Jesus paid the ultimate price so He deserves the ultimate prize, the heart and lives of people.
- Surround myself with like-hearted diverse people differing in gifts, strengths, and personality. This means I must learn to trust and defer to other parts of the body. I am definitely incapable of meeting all the needs of the lost. This is God's laboratory for developing humility and community.
- The lost speak a different language "I'm in need, I need help." In the past I responded to this desperate cry with, "come over here and you will receive help," not understanding that the cry comes from inside a pit without rope or ladder. After discovering this, I realized that I had a limited understanding of the purity and fullness of the gospel. I had reduced this multi-strand unbreakable rope into a single, weak thread. The gospel I was communicating often did not speak to the felt needs of desperate people. The Lord revealed that a gospel only delivered in message form is extremely limited. But the gospel spoken and demonstrated has the power to meet any need and the capacity to rescue anyone. The language most clearly understood by the lost is "in deed and truth." My objective is to serve and lay down my life for them so that by serving them, they see the clear picture of Jesus as He came to serve by giving His life away.
- God is in control of the seasons and growth. I am called to recognize the times and seasons, not to change them or wish they were over, diligently tending to the tasks required during that particular season. I have learned that God is at work both during cultivation and harvest. It is not for me to control who comes to Christ, but I can be faithfully involved in what God is faithfully doing in the people around me.
- The vision and values of the leaders becomes the vision and values of the people. To the extent that I value the Word, prayer, people (lost and saved), and the promises of God, is the extent that those things are valued in the ministry. I have learned that not only do I impart my strengths to those I am influencing, but I can pass on my weaknesses as well. Knowing this motivates me to look even closer into the mirror of God's Word not to judge others, but to evaluate myself and "to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and men" (Acts 24:16).
