"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?” -Lk 15:4
I went to visit a pastor friend of mine the other day who also happens to be a shepherd at home. He showed us around the farm and was very excited to show his goats in the barn area, he had many of them. You could tell he loved them very much. However his demeanor changed from joy to worry when he couldn’t find a certain baby goat among the rest of the flock. He was looking hastily for that little goat. The moment he realized that goat wasn’t in the barn our visit became a search party and we set out into the rest of the farm to find this little animal. As we were searching I looked afar and saw a small white looking thing but couldn’t make out if it was an inanimate object or what, but I made sure to point my friend in the right direction. And so to his joy, it was the little goat all in one piece. Fortunately he didn’t wander off too far. He carried the baby goat in his arms and placed it back in the barn.
Christ is our Shepherd and He places great value on us. Our worth is found in Him. And He has set out to bring us into His flock. He will search far and wide, and low and high in a relentless pursuit till He finds us. But we the church are His eyes, His hands, and His feet. And we aid in the search, He uses people to reach people.
Unfortunately many times we just don’t help in this search and rescue effort. Here are 5 reasons why we don’t evangelize: Arrogance-“only those with the gift should evangelize”; Ignorance- “I don’t know how to evangelize”; Fear- “I'm afraid to evangelize”, unintentional- “I’m waiting for the right time”, and Apathy- “I just don’t care”. I believe the only thing that can change our efforts for the lost is our heart for the lost - how we see them. If anything is going to change in this regard we must start by placing value and worth on the lost just as Christ has for His lost sheep.
Christ is our Shepherd and He places great value on us. Our worth is found in Him. And He has set out to bring us into His flock. He will search far and wide, and low and high in a relentless pursuit till He finds us. But we the church are His eyes, His hands, and His feet. And we aid in the search, He uses people to reach people.
Unfortunately many times we just don’t help in this search and rescue effort. Here are 5 reasons why we don’t evangelize: Arrogance-“only those with the gift should evangelize”; Ignorance- “I don’t know how to evangelize”; Fear- “I'm afraid to evangelize”, unintentional- “I’m waiting for the right time”, and Apathy- “I just don’t care”. I believe the only thing that can change our efforts for the lost is our heart for the lost - how we see them. If anything is going to change in this regard we must start by placing value and worth on the lost just as Christ has for His lost sheep.
- HOW CAN YOU BE CHRIST'S EYES, HANDS, AND FEET TODAY? IN YOUR OWN WORDS WHAT IS ROMANS 10:14 CHALLENGING US TO DO?
- "He says "Go!" This is not "The Great Suggestion," but rather "The Great Commission." -Greg Laurie