Reaching the Lost Part II - Carrying the Heart of the Father
At the time of Jesus, people were jaded as they are today. The Pharisees were at the height of their power, imposing the Law on believers. The church had access to knowledge and Scripture, but were living under the pressure of judgement and rules. Jesus came into this situation to liberate people from the law and judgment and give us the perfect example of how to witness to people today.
In Luke 15, Jesus gives three parables that teach us how to view ourselves, reach the lost and walk with the heart of God.
1) The parable of the 100 sheep - Jesus asks, if you had 100 sheep and one was lost, wouldn’t you leave the ninety-nine to rescue the one? There is more celebration in Heaven when we reach the one that is lost than when we stay with the 99 who do not need rescue. But in this parable, Jesus taught that if one sheep gets lost, the Shepherd will leave the flock to risk his life for the one that is lost. We are called to reach the lost. In order to do this, we have to be strong enough in our faith and our Christian walk and have our lives together enough to go back into the world as a light without getting sucked back into our old ways. The sheep was lost in the wilderness - the world. We are in the house of God, but we are called to go into dark places and reach the lost. The house of God is safe. It is a safe environment for us to grow in our faith and walk out our christianity. We are part of the flock and are under the protection and guidance of the Shepherd. The wilderness is not safe. We are called to reach people in the wilderness. We have to follow Jesus’ example and have the strength, the passion and the boldness to find the one - to lay down our safety and overcome obstacles to reach the lost.
2) Sheep get lost in the house of God. They are like coins. In this parable a woman has ten coins and loses one in her house. Jesus said wouldn’t you light a lamp and scour all corners of the house until you found the lost coin? Wouldn’t you call to your neighbors and say “Come and celebrate with me! I have found my lost coin!” It is VALUABLE! People lost inside the church are like lost coins. When we first get saved, God makes it all about us. We learn who we are in God through his house. Once we understand our roll in the house, God’s plan for us and everything God has done for us, we realize that it isn’t all about us. It is about leading others to God. Sometimes when people come out of the world and into the church, they don’t know where they fit. They don’t know how to connect. They are limping, or carrying wounds from the world. Even though the Shepherd brings the sheep home, it isn’t necessarily all fixed. When the shepherd brings the sheep home, it becomes something valuable to the house. One of our roles as part of the body, the house, is to help parts of the body, the house that feel lost. We are called to reach the lost coins. The people that have value. The people that God brought into his house. We are called to reach these people and discover their value. We are called to release them in the house and into what God has for them.
3) The parable of the prodigal son. It isn’t about one son, it is about two sons. One is a prodigal of the flesh and one is a prodigal of the spirit. Don’t come to God with pride. Crisis humbles people. One son was lost and came home. He came wanting mercy, and was willing to be a servant in his father’s house just for safety. The father celebrated his return, adorned him in new clothes and the family ring, and had a feast to rejoice in his return. The lost sheep is found and all heaven rejoices. But the other son, the prodigal of the spirit, gets angry. He was home, working hard. When he heard the music and learned of his brother’s return, he became angry. What is going on in my father’s house that I don’t know about? I work in this house. I have ownership in this house. He was indignant and got mad because the lost son was welcomed home The “good” son felt he didn’t deserve the party, forgiveness and food. He was the prodigal of the spirit - the one who is in the house, but does not know his place in the house. He didn’t know the heart of the Father. He still thinks the house is all about him, and hasn’t turned his focus outward. It’s not about paying back a debt, it’s about welcoming home the lost. The father says Don’t you understand my nature? Don’t you understand what this house is all about? This is a place where we forgive and accept, not condemn and judge.
The attitude of those that are connected to the house must be the attitude of the Father. We must carry a heart for the lost - the heart of the Father.
