7 Ways to Be Broken over Lostness

The very existence of this series of articles on evangelism is a recognition that we Christians

are responsible for telling the good news of Jesus to our neighbors and the nations (Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8). Beginning where we live to the ends of the earth, people need to hear about Christ—and we are God’s spokespersons. As I wrote in the first article in this series, “Lessons from a Professor of Evangelism,” though, we will not likely do evangelism if we’re not broken over lostness. Until our hearts hurt over non-believers, we probably won’t push hard in the direction of evangelistic obedience. So, here are some ways to “grow” in brokenness:  

1. Be grateful for God’s grace in your life. Jesus told us that the way to life is narrow, and few people find it (Matt 7:13-14). Were it not for God’s amazing grace, you and I would also be among the many who never find eternal life. In fact, some 4 billion+ people in the world have little or no access to the gospel today. Recognizing God’s favor in your life should compel you to tell others about Him. 

2. Study what the Bible says about lost people. Read what the apostle Paul said in his testimony and wrote in his letters, and you can’t help but see the desperate state of non-believers. They’re dead in their sins and following the “prince of the air” (Eph 2:1-3), living in darkness (Col 1:13), blinded by the god of this age (2 Cor 4:3-4), caught in the devil’s trap (2 Tim 2:26), and under the power of Satan (Acts 26:18). They’re helpless and hopeless apart from God’s grace, no matter how good they may seem to be. They need Jesus—and thus they need someone to speak about Him.  

3. Do a Bible study on eternal judgment. Meditate on texts like Matthew 25:41-46, Luke 16:19-31, and Revelation 20:11-15. See and sense the separation and the anguish of those who do not follow Jesus. The words are hard and the images tough to consider, but they are the Word of God. These words broke my heart as a young pastor when I first officiated the funeral of someone I assumed was a non-believer—but I still need to keep biblical truth in front of me to keep my burden deep. If I can study the reality of hell and judgment and not be more burdened about non-believers, I’d question the depth of my own Christianity. 

4. Learn about the spiritual tragedies of the world. Today, people in some parts of South Asia are praying to ancestral spirits and turning to wild animals for guidance. Some in East Asia are worshiping trees, mountains, dragons, and rivers. In Southeast Asia, people sacrifice to pagan gods to bring healing to the sick. In Africa, men carry their personal gods with them for protection, as if that which is carried is stronger than the one doing the carrying. In some parts of Central Asia, sorcerers who cast spells are the center of spiritual power. Go to www.joshuaproject.net, study more about people groups of the world, and grieve these false attempts to find security and life.   

5. Think about these facts of life and death. Today, approximately 170,000 will die around the world, most of whom will not be followers of Christ. Some of us have family members and friends who, if they were to be among that number today, would be destined for eternal judgment. I genuinely try hard not to over-emotionalize our motivations for doing evangelism, but I still maintain that these realities ought to bring us to tears. We who love God ought to so love the world His Son died for that we want them to know Him.  

6. Meditate on the joy you have in Christ if you are a faithful follower of His. Even apart from my theology that recognizes judgment on the unredeemed, I think often about the joy I find in my relationship with Christ—but I don’t see in others who don’t know Him. That is not to say that they don’t have some sense of “happiness” at times, but there’s nothing like the joy God gives us that thrives no matter what we face in life (James 1:2). Little compares to the peace He gives that the world cannot understand (Phil 4:7). And, I cannot imagine facing death apart from Jesus, but I can say with emotionally-gripping excitement and unexplainable calm, “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). Why would I not be broken over lostness when I know what non-believers are missing in this world and in the world to come?  

7. Ask God to give you His heart for lost people. Confess your lack of concern to Him, and ask Him to melt your heart for non-believers as He conforms you to the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). Meanwhile, as I wrote in the article, “Tying Together Prayer and Evangelism,” enlist some believers to pray Ephesians 6:18-20 and Colossians 4:2-4 for you. Ask God to give you His heart while others are praying for you to speak the gospel boldly and clearly – and watch with alertness as God gives you opportunities to proclaim His name. Let your growing brokenness over the lost lead to increasing obedience to God.