The church should find a way to establish a Lost and Found Department for spiritual beliefs and experience. It might include a factor of humor so as to avoid some controversy over: holier than thou attitudes, accusations of resistance to change; denominational preferences; biblical interpretations; and, whatever may be advanced as reason not to follow the unchangeable issues of Christianity. We are reminded that God never changes, so we need reminders about that which appears, according to Scripture, to be permanent in the narrative of explanation and life practice of Christian faith. It would include sub-divisions of Lost and Found in the Bible, Lost and Found in the church and/or denomination, Lost and Found in personal faith, Lost and Found in Christian ministry. There may be a Miscellaneous File for the inevitable oddity that creeps in here or there. With well-formed communications the Office of Lost and Found will inform the membership about the advantages and disadvantages of this or that faith information and practice, perhaps illustrating points with the rich history of the church in the ups and downs – that Christians and their institutions have followed through the centuries. These communications would include vignettes from history and the discovered consequences for constructive or destructive purposes, for rise and fall of persons or movements, so to advance the discovery of God’s will and way for his people in their own time period (generation). I propose this seriously, in some form suitable to sincere and devoted Christians. This is not a gimmick, but a serious way to avoid what seems to be inevitable negative drift for persons and institutions in nearly any context. Families drift and break, governments drift and break, ideals drift and break. Traditionally the Church has argued for revival to recover whatever was lost that ought not to have been lost. Found again there is instruction that the future will be brighter than it might have been if the review period had not occurred. Scripture notes that the Holy Spirit serves the point.
I will never forget the day, referred to on another Page, when I had lost some energy, goal vision, and commitment to complete my education and launch into life ministry and occupation. The decision to follow through on the original goal and commitment caught me with no other evidence than the realization that it was an inner matter for me to settle. I did, and from that hour, and it was a literal hour, on a Saturday more than seven decades ago. I never turned back after that, and I now breathe a great sigh of relief that I settled, found a track, and followed it to this very day. It meant much to my life, family, career, and old age. It achieved what I believe Scripture informed me that I should achieve, verified in my conscience, and in the steps to the final days that are a part of my current experience. I have not the words to explain it adequately. It is the Spirit-filled life.
We are wise to choose spiritual life, and make it practical. We begin on a high, but gradually settle down for an earth experience that may rob us of our spiritual integrity. We may go through the motions, repeat the platitudes, but become reduced in thought/conduct improperly motivated. It is not guided by the helps of God, primarily in Scripture, prayer, and from the Holy Spirit, and commitment to follow a track to spiritual maturity. So it is that Scripture both illustrates and teaches the principles of recovery, revival, renaissance, restoration to an even better life than we felt, or felt we knew, at the outset of the experience of the redemption of Jesus Christ that gave a new life context, and the realization that if anything goes wrong there is renewal, forgiveness, and resources to better life performance. There is a point here that I may not be able to prove even to my own satisfaction, and that is that this call to verification appears in any context of life. I often say we marry twice – the first time with rejoicing and the second time alone in our own abode when, it seemed so sudden, we recognized an abiding love. From there we gained maturity. It is a parable of what happens to us with God. It accomplishes spiritual maturity. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020