Transcript:

Hello, my name is Dana Haynes. I'm a disciple of Christ, living in Freeland Michigan, a hamlet of about 7000 people nestled in the Saginaw Valley where the air is clean, the land is wide open and the weather is really pretty nice... most of the year.

Over the last 32 years, I have served congregations in Florida as a full time minister, small group leader, house church leader and campus minister.

For several years, my wife April and I ran the Paragon Media Center, the bookstore, for the South Florida church of Christ. In 2015, we moved to Freeland to begin supporting April's aging parents.

When we moved to Michigan. I came face to face with a very challenging situation.

There are a lot of religious people in Michigan!

I quickly discovered this was particularly true amongst my new friends and family members, for whom I've developed a deep love and respect.

I really struggle because many of these wonderful people follow and promote religious practices contrary to sound biblical doctrine.

As I settled into my new home in Michigan and my relationships grew, I was impressed with how sincere and genuine their love and dedication to Jesus is. I see a deep commitment to giving, serving, prayer, Bible study and evangelism. Their faith challenges me.

Now... as a disciple of Christ, I know that broad road to destruction is paved with popular deceptive doctrines. Satan, the father of lies, hangs good hearted people just micrometers from the truth by distorting the Biblical Plan of Salvation. In short, these really great folks sincerely love Jesus but have never obeyed the Gospel.

Knowing their love for Christ and watching them live such dedicated lives, I began to think... there's gotta be a way, a Biblical way... to reach the "Religious Lost." And then it struck me!

This is the exact group of people Jesus was sent to. Listen to His own testimony.

Matthew 15:21 He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel."

I had never really thought about it! Jesus' ministry was almost exclusively targeted to one specific group of people... the religious lost! These are the very people I want to reach!

Then, I began to ask myself... "Who were the religious people of Jesus day, and how did He reach out to them? More importantly, what was His message to them?"

Well... they were Jews. Their faith in God was shaped by the religious traditions of their day which had little to do with true Judaism... just like our religious world is shaped by many traditions which have nothing to do with the Bible.

Their understanding of the scriptures was molded by the Pharisees and Sadducees... in other words, the prominent religious leaders of their day... no different today!

Religious life in Jesus day was oppressive and demanding. It left people with the great feeling of "duty well done" but it was empty spiritually. Again, not a lot different today.

Probably the greatest difference between now and then was that the lost of Jesus day were more deeply entrenched in a very legalistic religion. A heavy burden fell on the back of the average good hearted Jew who tried his best to be as good as the Pharisee or Sadducee.

If we were to sum up their religious lives, we could say these people were very religious, very faithful, very committed... and very lost!

In Matthew 9:36, Jesus described them as "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepard."

Jesus didn't invite people to church or to study the Bible. What did he say to the religious lost? What was his message to them?

Check this out! It's both bold and blunt!

Matthew 15:14 Leave them; they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."

Wow... "Leave them!" What if we could be that bold?

But then, where would these sincere, dedicated, religious Jews go? Jesus offered a better way. Remember that passage in Matthew 11 when he said: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest?""

Jesus was not offering shelter and comfort from the problems of this world. Jesus is desperately trying to liberate people from the empty religious system which was oppressing them. That's the reason they were weary and burdened. He is offering a way out.

Why can't we use the same message today? What if we could imitate the Lord's example and gracefully call people to leave their false, ineffective religious systems and follow Christ by obeying the Biblical Plan of Salvation? The Religious Lost of our day are really no different than the sincere worshipers of Jesus day. Think about it.

Today's Religious lost are religious, sure. But they are also... lost.

This by definition means they do not have the Holy Spirit.

This by definition means they are still in their sins.

This by definiton means they have no real power to truly deal with sin and it's consequences.

The issue we must address is not doctrine, the issue is sin.

Let's never forget this fact. The issue is sin!

Don't be fooled by their squeaky clean lives and their sweet dispositions. They are lost and they are hurting even if they can't see it or admit it.

I don't know about you, but this is exactly who I was before a disciple invited me to study the Bible.

I totally believed I was a Christian but my life was a mess. I was lost and I did not even know it. Many people are in the same position I was. They can't see it so they won't admit it.

But guess what? They do talk about it. You'll hear it every time they complain about their marriage, their life, their job, their kids and their parents or their health. They talk openly about the effects of sin and its consequences. Just listen for it!

They don't have the hope you have. When they complain, what are they really doing? They are expressing a desire for something they want to change in their lives... they think they are seeking answers... but what are they really seeking?

It's God! It's God! And isn't seeking God the beginning of everyone's conversion process?

When we invite these folks to study the Bible or to church, they're response is predictable. They already have a church.

This is an excuse and we hear it time after time after time! It's designed to instantly shut us down. And over time, it's really discouraging, especially in areas of the country where it seems like almost everyone goes to church.

I've got a question for you. How many times can you take "No." for an answer before you start taking it personally. Our evangelistic efforts have included going door to door, direct mail, special events, food banks and more. All without much impact. It's pretty disheartening. We huddle down in our church building, encourage one another and hang a sign... up on the internet that says we're open for business.

The Religious Lost is a massive group of people who desperately need Jesus but Satan closes us down in our efforts to reach them. He then presents his greatest lie, "Our town or area is closed to the Gospel."

Maybe we've believed his lie for a little to long!

Are you ready to do something about it?

Look at something amazing which I hope will encourage you. Remember that passage I just referenced, Matthew 9:36?

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Look what Jesus says right after that!

Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Jesus totally saw what we are seeing today. A massive group of people who are religious and lost. He saw the hurting masses but defined the real problem.

There was no one going to them! Next, He provides the solution. "Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers." Brothers and Sisters, that prayer is answered by us!

I think there is a way we can reach this group.

That's what "Reaching the Religious Lost" is all about. It's an evangelistic program created to support our efforts to reach this very special group of souls.

Next, let me show you how it works.