Readings for today: Luke 19-20, Psalms 119:65-96
I can remember times in my life when I felt lost. When I was a young boy, it often had to do with being in strange places that I was not familiar with and not being able to see my mom or dad. When I was a young man, it often had to do with a sense of purpose or direction in life. Before I became a Christian, it often had to do with the choices I made that led to depression and despair. Even after I became a Christian, I would often feel lost when I would try to go my own way or do my own thing apart from Christ and His wisdom and strength. Thankfully, Jesus says He came to seek and to save the lost. He came to find us and bring us back home. He leaves the comfort of heaven and comes to earth like a Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine in their safe pasture to go to the wilderness to find the one.
Imagine how the world might be different if Christians did the same? Imagine if we put aside our petty theological squabbles and instead focused our energy and resources on seeking and saving the lost? Imagine if we put aside our own culturally or generationally bound preferences and did all we could to seek and to save the lost? Imagine if we deployed more of our energy and time and money and resources on seeking and saving the lost rather than on ourselves? We don’t have to imagine it. We have seen it in action. We see it in the Person of Jesus Christ. We see it in His disciples after the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. We see it in the Book of Acts with the churches that are planted. We see it throughout Christian history. Sure, it’s never perfect. Not this side of heaven. We make tragic mistakes and costly errors and even horrific decisions along the way that result in a lot of pain and suffering but still God works in and through us. And when the church gets it right, even if but for a moment, it is beautiful.
Perhaps that’s why I love the church I serve so much. This past weekend, we celebrated our annual Missions Weekend. We flew in mission partners from around the world and platformed them so we could hear their stories, pray for them, and celebrate all God is doing in and through them. The miracles they’ve seen encouraged and blessed us. The number of lives God has used them to change is breathtaking. The number of churches and ministries they’ve planted is awesome in scope. So many of them asked me why our church is so engaged in God’s mission. They asked me why our people are so obviously passionate about God’s Kingdom. I told them it’s because we have a heart here to seek and to save the lost. We have cultivated the heart of Jesus over the years and it is bearing tremendous fruit. We don’t let ourselves get caught in the weeds on secondary issues of piety and theology like the Pharisees and Sadducees and religious leaders of Jesus’ day but instead keep the main thing, the main thing. What about you? Where do you spend most of your time, energy, and money? Is it on yourself or are you seeking to advance God’s Kingdom? What about your church? Where does your church spend most of it’s time, energy, and money? On itself or on the mission to seek and to save the lost?
Readings for tomorrow: Luke 21-22, Psalms 119:97-128