Luke 15:9-10
Luke 15:9-10, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
You can be a church that reaches people or a church that keeps people – but you can’t do both. Your emphasis must be one or the other.
I know this comment will stir many leaders. Some will get upset, some will get mad and some will think. I encourage you to think. Think about the outcomes of what you place your emphasis on.
What is the focus of your church? What is the motivation of your church? What is the goal of your church? Of course we want to make sure people get connected and assimilated into church life - but beware the subtle shift in focus.
In the parables found in Luke 15 Jesus’ emphasis is on the “lost” and He gives us permission to leave stuff and go in search. Leave the 99 and go look for the lost, turn the house upside down and go look for the lost coin; in anticipation and patience look out for the return of lost people.
The Son of man has come to seek and save those who are lost. Don’t allow the subtle shift to your agenda to KEEP people but to motivate then to continue the cycle of reaching out. In a pervious blog i wrote about the command of Jesus to GO & MAKE disciples - going and makig are part of the same command; not an either or.
Would love to hear your comments.
Comments
Post a Comment
Your comment will have to be approved by a site administrator before it is shown on the site so please be patient.
re "Don’t allow the subtle shift to your agenda to KEEP people but to motivate then to continue the cycle of reaching out. I agree. "Evangelism is a part of discipleship".To not recycle, and impart a passion for souls, is to forget that someone reached us. Its like saying, the blessing stops here! No one ever gave their life to Christ without someone being involved. Even if they had a vision and no one was around, someone probably prayed for them. We become a new person when we become a Christian. Praying , reaching out, trying to be close to Jesus through time with Him, time with God's people, holiness, love, discovering gifts and using them, are all part of who we now are. To neglect talking about Christ, is like having no feet. IN the analogy of the body, all parts are needed. The 5 gifts of Eph 4:11 reflect the basics of what God wants in His church I believe. Evangelism ranks up there with pastoral care and teaching, knowing God's voice and will, and having amazing church building wisdom! That people veer off the road a little away from evangelism, is symptomatic of the church's reflection of societies idea of evangelism. (annoying, imposing, out dated, arrogant and not wanted!). The church (esp the evangelists) need to do their job and equip the church and inspire them to do what Jesus died for - to win people to the Lord !! It's a great joy to lead someone to Christ. Whenever you lead someone to Jesus, you realize that eternity is the most important thing a person can think about and receive. It also increases your understanding of the Lord. Oddly (and the scripture backs this up) you don't understand the Lord first, then try to reach people. You obey first, get people saved, then you know Jesus more. I agree with Tom, Get to know this joy, and help others get inspired about it.
Posted by JimCorcoran on February 25, 2011 11:40 AM