When You Don't Know Your Lost

I like the outdoors. Last year I loaded my pack and headed into the Rocky Mountains. There is a place called lost creek that has some really cool rock formations. I thought it would be a great place to get lost from the world and perhaps focus on Christ with more intensity than normal.

Unfortunately I started later than I had planned on. As I was heading into the mountains I had to travel a few miles before I could reach the place where I was planning on camping. You need to understand that while I am not in horrible shape, I am not in good shape either. Add that to the altitude (8-10,000 feet above my home in Minnesota) and I was going to struggle with the climbing and falling. I actually had to stop walking sometimes just to take a drink. I couldn't seem to get enough oxygen. I was prepared for this with the exception of the late start. I had to push my pace more than I had planned. About half way to my camp site I believed I was heading in the wrong direction. I looked at my GPS and it appeared that I was not headed toward the way point that marked the camp site. Not convinced, I took out my map and compared the coordinates. I appeared to be on the trail, but there was no doubt that I was heading away from my water source (lost creek) and up the mountain. After a while I started to think that I was going to just find a place to set up my tent and probably become dehydrated (I had used the water that I brought with). In the end the trail took a sharp turn to the south and it lead me right to the camp site.

I wasn't lost, but thought I was. I have had the opposite happen as well. There have been times in the woods where I thought I knew exactly where I was going, but I would later find out that I was wrong. The difference between these two things is significant. In the first situation you are looking for help and making plans for the worst. When the best happens it is simply a relief. In the latter situation you are not making plans for the worst because there is no need. Then the worst happens, you simply become lost, lost, and desperately lost without even knowing it. When you realize how lost you are you panic maybe even run trying to backtrack to where you need to be.

Though these circumstances are real, they also paint a nice picture of where many people are in this world. Many people are lost and don't know it. They invoke the name of Jesus (Can you Say Michael Vick) or Allah or "God" without having any idea that they are lost. They believe they are on the right path and headed in the right direction. It's hard to save someone who doesn't believe they are in danger. I believe this is the situation most Americans are in. They think they are "saved" but in reality they are lost. When a person is lost without realizing it they simply become more lost. This creates a difficult situation for the church. How do we reach people who don't even know they are lost? I think there is a rather simple answer, but this answer means giving up a lot of the "seeker sensitive" ways of our past and putting aside much of the politically correct speech of our day. The answer? Preach the gospel always everywhere, even to people who you think already know Jesus.