The Lost

I'm struggling with the Christian concept of The Lost. This is a term that encompasses all those who have not made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ and I'm wondering if I'm struggling with the term or all it implies. Because of the Great Commission at the end of Matthew we are all, as Christians, duty bound to convert all unbelievers.
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
This is currently problematic for me as I am finding the authority of the bible a difficult concept to grasp so by saying "It's biblical" really doesn't help.
Also evangelising is a difficult and especially gifted thing to be able to do. It doesn't suit everyone and yet all Christians are made to feel that they should be "doing it" whatever their skills or giftings.
And then there is the arguement that "just being" a Christian will move people to want to be with us and discover more about our faith. Well if they stick by me long enough, I'm bound to throw spanners in the works by gossiping or something unChristian. And what am I going to offer if they seek to discover what is "different" about me? A Sunday club? A way of fitting in extra things into a busy schedule and feeling guilty that that STILL isn't enough?

I have also worked out that I need to work through what happens to The Lost when they die. I think I believe in hell from the point of view of people realising that they're missing out on the glories that God offers. I'm unsure whether this lasts forever or whether there is possible redemption from that. I would like to think that a merciful God would offer some hope of redemption, even at that late stage. So maybe I'm coming back to a Catholic notion of Purgatory- a place of holding, of not quite being ready to face God but being eventually able to enter heaven.
The evangelical, free (and tied) church says all who don't proclaim Jesus as their Lord will perish. Jesus is THE way, the truth and the life and no one will get to the Father except through Him. I don't have a problem with Jesus being a gatekeeper and a bridge between the wrath of God and the sinfulness of man but I do take issue that we can issue such a huge blanket statement about salvation that will condemn most of humanity, past and present to Hell. I have a lot more thinking to do before I could even begin to start rationalising and formulating arguements on this.

I was listening to the song "Led to the Lost" and thinking I didn't agree with it. I feel like some cheesy salesman trying to get unsuspecting customers to sign up to my wonderful eternal life policy. Trying to be the number one salesman of the week, plotted on the graph and winner of the weekend for two to Aruba by being able to smash the last target of 23 souls in one week. I think for me that eternity although assured, I could never be complacent about. If our human form is based on that of a creative and working God, then surely we are built to mimic that design pattern? So an eternity of kicking back can't surely be on the cards? An eternity of singing praises to God wearing a white sheet and glowing slightly doesn't inspire me to long for an early death and I doubt it will for The Lost too. If heaven is complex and our God is complex, what does this mean for the available routes into the afterlife? Or is this just my way of trying to wriggle out of talking to people about God? What I do know is that I don't want to convert people, that I don't feel upset that they will perish, that I'm not a good enough example and no, I don't feel Led to the Lost.

Sorry