Weeping is a word we do not use often; in the Bible it is used to express mourning, grieving, and sobbing. Weep comes from the Greek word “klaio” which means to mourn, to lament, to show grief. We are surrounded with lost souls. Do we see them as lost, or have we become sidetracked from our mission to go, baptize, and teach them to observe all Jesus has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20)? When is the last time we have wept, with tears flowing down our cheeks, for someone who is lost in sin?
Jesus had compassion over the lost for they were like a sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36); He wept over the lost souls of Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-42). We are to follow the example of the early church, first written about in Acts, and go each day teaching and preaching Jesus (Acts 5:42). The parable in Luke 14 uses such a powerful word. It states, “to go out and COMPEL people to come in, that my house may be filled.” The definition of compel is to force or oblige someone to do something. This is not by physical force, but by our words. Do we press, push, or urge people to follow Christ, or have we stopped weeping for them?
The Bible tells us that there is one church built by Jesus (Ephesians 1:22-23; 4:4; Matthew 16:18). When Jesus adds us to His church, this does not make us perfect. We still sometimes sin, but we can be forgiven IF we are still obeying the commandments (1John 1:6-10). If we don’t ask for forgiveness and repent (1 John 1:9), we become lost until we repent (1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 4:3-4). We are to love one another (John 15:12; 1 John 5:2) and do all we can to bring the sinner back (James 5:19-20). Luke 15:4 states, “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” Have we stopped weeping for those who are no longer worshiping with us?
God wants everyone to come to repentance (2Peter 3:9). He needs us to be workers bringing in the lost, for there are many lost ones (Matthew 9:37-38). We need to pray for the lost and weep for them. Let us be like the author of Psalm 119:136, “My eyes shed streams of water, Because they do not keep Your law.”
Renee Hunter
Scripture taken from NASB (2012)
Renee, i enjoyed reading this and having the scriptures there to turn to.
Thank you, Beth!
I noticed that 60 people have posted this article to Facebook. That is way more than any I have seen so far. Congratulations!
For sure!
“We need to pray for the lost and weep for them. Let us be like the author of Psalm 119:136, “My eyes shed streams of water, Because they do not keep Your law.””