Jesus Searches for the Lost | A Sermon on Luke 15

Introduction
If we say we are Christians, then we follow Jesus.  We obey His teachings, follow His way of life, and do what He did.  Jesus said He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).  If we follow Him, searching for the lost should be our top priority because:
Jesus searches for the lost; and so should we.

Luke 15:1-2
¹ Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. ² This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

I want to pause here, because this is a key to understanding what comes next.  Jesus is going to share three stories for the Pharisees and teachers of religious law (who were considered the most religious, most righteous people of Jesus’ day) because they were complaining about the sort of sinful people Jesus associated with. 

Luke 15:3-7
³ So Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Jesus Searches for Lost Sheep
A lot of people struggle with this parable.  Leave 99 sheep for the one that’s lost?  I think we struggle because we’re worried the 99 will be in danger if left unattended.

A clue to understanding this is that Jesus actually asks his listeners what they would do.  “If a man has a hundred sheep and one gets lost, what will he do?”  It’s a rhetorical question.  Everyone Jesus was talking to knew the answer.  They would leave the 99 and search for the lost.  They knew the 99 would be safe because:  they were together, they were probably in a sheep fold, they may have other shepherds guarding them.  IE, they are safe.

But that one lost sheep was in great danger.  Predators search for lost sheep that are weak and vulnerable all by themselves.  If you ever want to know a good reason why you need to be part of a church, it’s because we are very much like sheep.  We need the safety of the flock.  We are in great danger when we get off by ourselves.  1 Peter 5:8 says: “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  You need the safety of the flock.

But if someone wanders off and gets lost, Jesus goes searching for them because:  Jesus searches for the lost; and so should we.  Now, there’s a second story.

Luke 15:8-10
⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”

It’s an Urgent Search!
The silver coin Jesus is talking about was a drachma.  It was worth a full day’s wages.
So I figure in Butt’s County, that’s about $230! 

Some things are worth more than their monetary value.  About 6 months after my youngest child was born, we took a vacation to Hilton Head, SC.  This was back before smart phones with video cameras on them.  So we had one of those camcorders.  Do you remember those?  I took it on the vacation to capture some family memories together.  And we went on a put put adventure.

I was determined to get the best score.  On one of the wholes, I set the camcorder down so I could concentrate on the put.  And sure enough, by the end of the 18 holes, I had the best score!  (Proud Dad moment, right?  Yeah, who cares, right?)  Well, as I was celebrating, I realized I didn't have the camcorder anymore!

It was lost.  And that thing wasn't cheap!  But even worse, even more precious than the camcorder was the tape inside it.  It was the same tape that had the footage of my youngest daughter's birth and the first 6 months of her life! 

I frantically zoomed backwards through the miniature golf course, hole by hole until I found the camcorder (and the precious, irreplaceable tape inside).  And the relief I felt reminded me of the woman who found the coin in Jesus' parable. 

But how much more valuable is a human being?  And not just their physical body, but their eternal soul inside!  But thank God:  Jesus searches for the lost; and so should we. 

Now just in case anyone didn’t think Jesus was serious about seeking and saving the lost, He told a 3rd story.  And remember, Jesus is telling these stories to the “Church People” of His day–the ones who were the most religious, who always went to worship, and lived good lives.

Luke 15:1-32
¹¹ To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. ¹² The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons.

¹³ “A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. ¹⁴ About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. ¹⁵ He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. ¹⁶ The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! ¹⁸ I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’

²⁰ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. ²¹ His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.^[b]’

²² “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. ²³ And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, ²⁴ for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, ²⁶ and he asked one of the servants what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’

²⁸ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, ²⁹ but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. ³⁰ Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’

³¹ “His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. ³² We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Who’s Really Lost Here?
We usually focus on the younger son in this story.  We even call it the story of the Prodigal Son who wanders off, comes to his senses, and then comes home (& the Father welcomes him back).   But Jesus wasn’t actually focusing on the lost younger son.  He’s focusing on the good son.  Because, remember who is Jesus talking to in this chapter?  He’s talking to religious people.  They are the “good sons” in the story, because they feel like they’ve always done the right things.  And they look down on Jesus for associating with notorious sinners, prostitutes, & tax collectors.  Meanwhile they view themselves as God’s chosen people–holy & pure (even though they weren’t).

And these “good people” are “lost” because they think they’re holy, but they’re not.  They are sinners in need of God’s saving grace.  But they are also blind because they think they are righteous.  Their self-righteousness keeps them from coming to the party for the lost who were found.  Their holier-than-thou attitude will lead to their eternal death if they don’t wake up!

And Jesus is a master story teller.  He doesn’t tell how the story ends.  Does the older son ever go in to celebrate with his brother?  Does he join the party?

We don’t know.

Jesus leaves the question unanswered.  And He looks at the Pharisees and teachers of religious law and with the questions in His eyes:   “Are you gonna keep standing out here in the cold dark night or are you gonna come inside and celebrate the Father’s extravagant love that welcomes everyone who was once lost, but now is found?”

Closing
Three different stories:  A Lost Sheep, A Lost Coin, and a Lost Son.  And all are found because:  Jesus searches for the lost.

So what are we going to do?  What are you going to do?  

…Jesus searches for the lost; and so should we.

Fish for People | A Sermon on Matthew 4:19

Matthew 4:19
In Matthew 4:19, Jesus called his first disciples.  Matthew 4:19 – Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Fish for People
This wasn’t just a call for the first disciples.  It’s a call Jesus gives to all of us.  To fish for people means to join Jesus in His mission of drawing others into God’s Kingdom through our witness, love, service, and proclamation of the gospel.

Jesus taught His disciples to fish by doing it.  Let’s look at a few examples of Jesus fishing for people. 

Jesus calling the disciples (Matthew 4:18-22) – Jesus meets fishermen where they are and uses their own experience to invite them into a new kind of fishing.  You have to understand people's lives and the needs and struggles and meet them where they are.  As Jesus called the disciples to be “fishers of people,” He didn’t just walk up randomly and make the invitation. He had watched these fishermen—He knew their daily lives, their routines, and their struggles. He understood what their work meant to them. Then He took something familiar—their skill in fishing—and gave it a greater, kingdom-minded purpose. Jesus said, in effect, “This thing you’ve been doing, I’m inviting you to do it in a whole new way. Not to catch fish, but to reach people. And I will show you how to do it.”  

The Woman at the Well (John 4) – Jesus engaged in personal conversation and drew the Samaritan woman to faith.  Here we see that Jesus isn’t just reaching out to people like Him—Galileans who grew up in the same region, or fellow Jews of the same background. Instead, He crosses cultural and social boundaries to speak with someone considered an outsider, someone others would have avoided. Jesus walks through Samaria, sits by a well, and notices a woman coming to draw water in the heat of the day. Why is she here now, when no one else is? Why not in the cool of the morning? He sees her situation, understands her deeper story, and begins a one-on-one conversation. Through truly seeing her and knowing her, He leads her to faith.

Feeding the Five Thousand (Mark 6:30-44) – Jesus includes the disciples in the act of caring for the crowd, showing them that “fishing” can also mean meeting practical needs that open hearts.  Jesus says, “I want you to take care of these people’s practical needs. They’ve been with us all day, and they’re hungry.” The disciples want to send them away, but Jesus responds, “You give them something to eat.” They’re confused—“How can we possibly feed them?”—and then He shows them how, performing His miraculous work. In doing this, Jesus teaches His disciples, and us, that fishing for people often begins with meeting practical needs. If someone is hungry, homeless, or without clothing, how can they truly hear about eternal life until their immediate needs are met? Care for their physical needs first, and hearts will be open to receive the hope of Christ.

Sending out the Twelve & the 72
Jesus didn’t just show the disciples how to fish for people by doing it all Himself.  He challenged the disciples to get out in the world and do some fishing themselves.  In Matthew 10:1-15, Jesus sends the 12 disciples out to practice preaching, healing, and proclaiming the Kingdom.  In Luke 10:1-20, He sent a broader group of 72 disciples out to share the message, showing that “fishing” is a task for all followers, not just the original twelve.

And the disciples learned well.  By the time we get to Acts 2, we see Peter preaching in Jerusalem and leading 3,000 people to believe in Jesus and be baptized.  But it wasn’t just about big numbers.  Every single person was important to the disciples because every person belongs in God’s Kingdom.  That’s why I love the story of Philip.  The story is found in Act 8:26-40, but let me summarize it.

It’s the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch. The eunuch was a high official, the treasurer to the queen of Ethiopia, riding in his chariot on the road home from Jerusalem. He had gone there to worship, but because he was a eunuch, the Law of Moses said he could not fully participate in the temple. So here he is, hungry to know God, yet feeling excluded. As he rides, he’s reading aloud from the prophet Isaiah about the Suffering Servant—someone who was despised and disfigured—and he’s wondering what it all means.

Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit tells Philip, “Go to that chariot.” Philip runs alongside and hears the eunuch reading Isaiah. He asks, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” The eunuch replies, “How can I, unless someone explains it?” He invites Philip into the chariot, and Philip begins to share the good news: this prophecy is about Jesus, the Messiah, who gave His life so that all may be welcomed into God’s family. No barrier from your past, no wound, no exclusion can keep you out—because through Jesus, you are made whole.

The eunuch hears this, sees some water by the road, and says, “Look, here’s water. What’s to stop me from being baptized?” And in that moment, he is baptized into the family of Christ—fully included, fully loved, fully His.

Whether it was the 3,000 who responded to Peter’s preaching, or the one man Philip led to Christ, the disciples were faithfully doing it. They had learned well what it meant to fish for people.

Other Aspects of Fishing
It occurs to me that there’s a lot more to fishing than just the moment you cast out your nets.  My brother-in-law Joey is one of the best fishermen I know. Anytime we go to the beach on vacation, I get excited because I know Joey will be there—and that means we’re going to catch fish. Now, Joey isn’t necessarily better at casting a line or reeling in a fish than I am. I know how to rig the hooks, cast accurately, and set the hook just right. I’m as good at the mechanics of fishing as he is.

But here’s what makes Joey a great fisherman: he starts fishing long before we ever get to the beach. Months in advance, he’s studying the tides, the kinds of fish in season, the best times of day, and the best spots to fish. He asks around, gathers information, and prepares. By the time we show up, Joey knows exactly what bait to use, where to cast, and what to expect. I just get to do the fun part—cast the line and reel them in—because Joey has already done the hard work.

On top of that, Joey knows what kind of fish we’re catching, whether they’re keepers, how to clean them, and how to cook them. That’s what makes him an excellent fisherman—it’s not just the moment of casting a line, but the preparation, knowledge, and care that go into it.

Now let’s take that idea into our spiritual call to be fishers of people. Too often, when we think about fishing for men and women, we only think about the moment itself: What am I going to say? Will I know what to do? But real fishing begins long before the moment of encounter.

We prepare by spending time with Jesus, reading His Word, and letting Him shape us. That way, when we come alongside someone—like Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch—we’re ready. He just “happened” to be reading Isaiah, and Philip was able to say, “I know what that’s about.” That didn’t happen by accident; it was God at work in both of them. And God can do the same in you.

You may think, I don’t know the Bible well enough. But here’s the truth: you don’t have to know it all. God knows what’s coming. He may nudge you today to read Isaiah 40, and you might not know why. But four weeks later, you’ll find yourself in a dentist’s waiting room, and someone will bring it up—and suddenly you’ll realize God had you preparing for that moment all along.

It’s like maintaining your fishing gear. I’ve been there: I show up at the beach, throw my line out, and the reel locks up because I never cleaned it from last year. Is your spiritual life like that? When someone opens their heart and says, “My wife just told me she wants a divorce, and I don’t know what to do,” do you freeze up? Or are you ready because you’ve been walking with the Lord, keeping your nets clean and your heart prepared?

And fishing doesn’t end with the first catch. When someone says, “I’m coming to church with you Sunday,” don’t just say, “Great, see you there.” Meet them on the front porch. Walk in with them. Sit beside them. Help them find a small group, a class, or a place to serve. If they love to sing, introduce them to the choir. That’s what it means to cast the net and to follow through.

Fishing for people is so much more than one moment. It’s preparing beforehand, being ready in the moment, and walking with people afterward. That’s the full picture of what Jesus calls us to.

Essential: Casting Our Nets
Preparation is important—but at some point, you have to cast the net. You can do everything right beforehand, but if you never cast, you’ll never catch.

Jesus called His disciples to be “fishers of people,” and that same call comes to us today. So, let me ask you—who are you fishing for? Who in your life needs to experience God’s love, hear the good news, or see faith lived out through your example? Every one of us has family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers who need the hope of Christ. Following Jesus means not just being caught by His grace, but also casting our nets wide so that others might be drawn into His Kingdom.

World Communion Sunday
The disciples’ faithfulness in becoming fishers of people led to the rapid expansion of the Christian Church. As more and more people became followers of Christ, they too became fishers of people. Being fishers of people is not optional—it is essential. Any generation that fails in this calling faces decline and eventual death. But faithful disciples across the centuries have carried the gospel, and now followers of Christ are found in every corner of the globe. Today, on World Communion Sunday, we celebrate this witness to the spread of the faith. Though we speak different languages, eat different foods, and live in different nations, we are united as part of Jesus’ fishing crew—bound together by His sacrifice and the power of His resurrection. World Communion reminds us that all Christians are interconnected, breaking down denominational and cultural barriers. It is also a call for us to remember our mission to be fishers of people. What our world, our country, and our community need now more than ever is to live out the principles of forgiveness, grace, love, sacrifice, and service that Christ taught us. This is the only hope for our world.  Will you answer Christ’s invitation:  “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Christians Are Witnesses for Jesus. Amen!

Introduction
I'm not a die hard sports fan, but if I chose favorite teams, I would probably choose the Georgia Tech and Washington, and I'll tell you why.  My brother went to Georgia Tech.  He was eight years older than me and sometimes would invite me to come up and stay with him at college.  It was really cool.  And though we were never hard core college football fans, I guess if I had to choose a college team, I would choose Georgia Tech.  But really, our family's team was the Washington (formerly Redskins).  Why?  Well, even though I've lived most of my life in Georgia, I was born in Maryland (along with my brother and two sisters).  We all moved to Georgia when I was only about 7. So we left everything we knew behind and came to a strange new place--Macon, Georgia.  People thought we talked funny and we felt the same way about them.  And my family still rooted for Washington; it was sort of our thing we were proud of because of where we came from.  

In church service this past Sunday, I asked three people why they chose to be fans of their favorite team.  One was a Green Bay Packers fan.  One was a Georgia Southern fan.  Another was a Ole Miss fan.  I didn't warn them ahead of time that I was going to ask them why they liked that particular team.  I just asked them write in the middle of the sermon.  Not surprisingly, each one of them could easily share why they loved their team and each had a great story.  The Packer fan had a family connection to Wisconsin, near the Green Bay area.  The Georgia Southern fan and his wife both attended the college and actually met while working together at the original Zakby's in Statesboro.  The Ole Miss fan grew up near Oxford, Mississippi and saw a friend with an Ole Miss notebook when she was a young kid and eventually went there.

We usually don't have a hard time talking about our favorite teams.  If we're not into sports, there are probably lots of other things we love to talk about that seem natural--our kids, our favorite movies or TV shows, etc.

We like to support our favorite teams.  They’re important us for many reasons.

Today, I want to talk about being a witness for Jesus, because Jesus commanded His followers to be His witnesses.  I want to talk about 3 ways to be wintess for Jesus. If you are ready to learn, say Amen! Amen!

Acts 1:8
⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Explanation
The Book of Acts tells the story of how the early Church, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, told people everywhere about Jesus.  Every Christian told their family, their friends, their neighbors, their co-workers about Jesus.  It started in Jerusalem, where followers shared the amazing Good News that Jesus died and rose from the grave.  The Holy Spirit enabled them to do miracles, like the supernatural ability talk to people in other languages they didn't know so that those people could hear and understand the Good News about Jesus in their own native tongue.  No one was in need in the early Christian community because everyone loved each other and they looked after one another as family.  It was a beautiful movement--the original "Jesus Revolution". 

Then persecution broke out.  The temple authorities got jealous and started killing Christians and driving them from their homes and canceling their businesses.  Christians stared leaving Jerusalem and going out into the countryside.  They went out into Judea and told people there about Jesus and more people believed and followed Jesus.  Christians even went to Samaria—a country that was traditionally rivals and enemies of the Jews.  The Jewish Christians didn’t care.  They went to Samaria and told them about Jesus and the Samaritans believed and got saved and became Christians too!

Then the Christians went up into Syria and Turkey and told people there the Good News about Jesus.  Then they went to Greece and Macedonia and even to Rome.  Everywhere they went, Christians told people about Jesus.  They told about his death and ressurection.  They told how Jesus changed their lives.  Even when talking about Jesus could get you in trouble or even killed, Christians were faithful witnesses.  In fact, the Greek word for being a faithful witness--martyr--became synonymous with giving your life for your Christ.  Christians are faithful witness who tell people about Jesus.

Today, I want to talk about three ways to be a witness for Jesus.  1) Sharing Your Love for Jesus. 2) Inviting People to Church. 3) Recruiting people for Jesus.

Sharing Your Love For Jesus
It wasn’t hard for me to decide who to ask about their favorite team.  I knew, because some people are such devoted fans of their team, everyone knows who they support.  You can probably think of several people you know and which team they support.  You could ask them why and they would be glad to tell you.

Being a witness for Jesus can be as natural as sharing about your favorite team.  I hope your love for Jesus is something that everyone knows.  Hopefully, Jesus is the most important thing in your life and that comes through to everyone everywhere, all the time.

It doesn’t have to be hard to be a witness for Jesus.  If you have a real relationship with Him, people will know.  Sometimes, they will just see it. Maybe they saw you wearing a cross or overheard you talking about your faith or they knew you went to church last weekend or saw you doing Christian service.  

If you live for Jesus, people should be able to see your faith at work.  Are you doing the kinds of things that show people Jesus is your Lord?  If someone was looking to find out more about what it means to be a Christian, would they know to come talk to you because they know you’re a Christian?

Sometime people will see your faith and know you are a Christian.  Other times, you will tell them.  If you’re a serious Georgia Bulldog fan (or Alabama or whatever), no one has to twist your arm to get you to talk about your team. Right?  You probably look for opportunities to get in a conversation about them.  You love to talk about the game that's coming up this weekend or you want to celebrate the win last weekend (or cry about the loss).  It just comes natural.  Are you that quick to talk about Jesus?  Do you look for reasons to tell people why you love Him?  Do you relish the chance to share the difference Jesus makes in your life (or even be honest about how He's helping you overcome your shortcomings)?

Inviting People to Church
Following Jesus isn’t just a private thing.  We live out our faith in a community.  One of the ways you can be a witness is to invite people to experience Jesus at Church—the body of Christ.  Here again are some striking similarities with sports fans.

Being a fan of a certain team means being part of a community.  Right?  I mean, you get together with other fans and watch the game.  There’s a whole community.  It can be electric to be in the stands with thousands of other cheering fans, all rooting for the same team.  Or how many of you have gotten together with friends to watch the game on TV?  Even if you watch the game all by yourself, there’s this sense that you are part of something bigger.  You are part of a community and that matters.  And if you really want your friends to experience what it’s like to be a fan of your team, you would probably invite them to go to a game with you (or watch it on TV with you).

The same is even more true for Christians.  If you want people to experience the risen Jesus you know, you might want to invite them to church (or a Christian retreat or Bible study, etc.).  Christians experience the fullness of our faith in a community of believers.  Yes, your relationship with Jesus is personal, but it’s not only personal.  It’s something that takes place with other people.  Stories about Jesus always took place in a group setting.  Jesus called twelve Disciples and they worked together asa group.  Jesus was transfigured in front of Peter, James, and John.  The Last Supper was a meal shared with all the Disciples—even Judas, the one who betrayed Jesus.  When Jesus rose, he appeared to hundreds of people—often in groups.

Christians experience the love of Jesus most fully through other Christians.  We learn in groups.  We worship as a body.  Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three gather in my name, I am there with them.”  That doesn't mean Jesus isn't present when we are all alone.  He's with us when we are alone too, but there's something something sacred and essential about Christians gathering together.  And if you want your friends to experience what it means to really be a Christian, you probably should invite them to Church—the Body of Christ.

Recruiting For Jesus
There’s one more way to be a witness that I want to talk about:  Recruiting.  Sometimes, you just need to be direct.  Sometimes the situation calls for it.  Sometimes all it takes is, “Hey, come to church with me.”  But recruiting could also mean:  “Hey, my church is packing sack lunches on Wednesday nights for the school next door.  Why don’t you come help us out?”

Again, let’s go back to the sports analogy.  In order to build a winning college team, coaches have to get out and find the best high school athletes and convince them to come to their college.  Right?  But it’s not just the coaches that do the recruiting.  How many of you who went a certain college and had a good experience and you try to encourage others to go to that school too?  And it's not that you're trying to sell something people don't need, right?  If you know your school had a great nursing program and you have a friend that's looking for a nursing school, you'd be like, "Hey, the college I went to has a great nursing program.  You should check it out."  We would be doing them a favor by hooking them up with our great alma mater.  Right?

If we believe Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, I hope we will recruit people to be part that.  Don’t you?  We’d be doing people a favor to recruit them to be on Jesus’ team.  So why not?  A lot of people out there are looking for a team—they’re looking for meaning and hope and peace and love and healing…  Jesus is all of that.  Why not be the ones to tell people where they kind find what they’re looking for?

So there's three easy to understand ways to be a witness: 

1. Sharing your love for Jesus,
2. Inviting people to Church, and 
3. Recruiting for Jesus

I Challenge You to Be A Witness for Jesus.
I’ve been giving you challenges throughout this series. Here’s one for today.  Make a list of specific people you know to whom you could be a witness.  Pray about how you could witness to them.

Could you share with them a spiritual struggle you need Jesus to help you with? 
Could you share with them a way you are growing spiritually because of Jesus?
Could you invite them to come to church with you (or Sunday school or Bible study…)?
Could you ask someone if you could start praying together. (Maybe you and a co-worker go out to each lunch every Tuesday.  Could you ask to start saying a blessing before you eat?)
Is there someone you know who needs to pray to accept Jesus as Lord?  Could you pray with them about it?

Start with a list of people. Write down their names.  Look at it every day and oray that God would show you how you could be a witness to them.  Let the Holy Spirit guide you and empower you to be a witness for Jesus.

"You've Sinned, but I Still Love You" - Things You Can't Say in Church (but you should)

Introduction

This is the third in a series called, “Things you can’t say in church (but you should).”  And I want to emphasis that last part in parenthesis “(but you should)”.  You see, some people think you can’t say certain things in church, but these are things you absolutely should say, you must say, if you are to be the Church that Jesus Christ established.

You see Church is a funny thing.  On the one hand, the Church was established by Jesus Christ in the Bible as the gathering of all who believe in Him, who are wholeheartedly committed to the great commission to make disciples of Jesus Christ throughout the entire world.  On the other hand, church is also a cultural phenomenon…  White, southern church culture…

Many in the world today are sick and tired of the church, by which they are (not necessarily) talking about the Church Jesus Christ established in the New Testament; they are usually talking about the church culture that (often) has little or nothing to do with the Church Jesus Christ established.  There are often a lot of weeds mixed in with the wheat of the Church and it can be really hard to tell the difference. 

I’ve mentioned two things already that some people think you can’t say in church, but you really should—“I’m broken,” and “I’m on fire!”  I want to add one more today.  Some people think you can’t say, “You’ve sinned, but I still love you.”  Some people think you can’t say that in church, but you really should.  I think you absolutely must, because it is an essential part of being the Church Jesus Christ established in the New Testament.  It follows the example of Christ.

Luke 15:1-7

¹ Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.² This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!

³ So Jesus told them this story: ⁴ “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵ And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. ⁶ When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!

Explain

The religious leaders of Jesus day didn’t like that Jesus quite often hung around with people they deemed sinners.  They believed sin was like a contagious disease, that just being in the presence of a sinner you could catch the disease of sin.  Jesus, who was the Son of God, tells a parable (actually three parable, because the whole the chapter is) about how God sent him to save a world full of sinners.  Jesus came to save the people the religious leaders deemed sinners who were unworthy and that no respectable person would associate with.  Jesus even came to save the religious leaders who are sinners too (but are blind because think they aren’t sinners).  The point of all this for our purposes today is this:  Jesus came to save sinners because He loves us. You see, Jesus was basically saying to the whole world, “You’ve sinned, but I still love you!”  

You migt think it strange in the parable that the shepherd would leave the 99 good sheep to search after just one sheep.  But Jesus is saying we are all sheep who have strayed off the path of righteousness.  If the shepherd (Jesus) didn't come and find us, there would be no 99 good sheep.  Every sheep has wandered off the path at some point, and the shepherd brought them back.  How hypocritical, then, for the 99 to complain if the shepherd goes off searching for another lost sheep.

Everything Jesus said and did—including how he died on the cross—was a way of saying, “You’ve sinned, but I still love you!”  Romans 5:8 sums it up for us, “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

But many people today think you can’t say that in church, but you absolutely should; you must if we are to be the Church Jesus Christ wants us to be. 

Why Do People Think You Can’t Say It?

Some people today are just like the Pharisees and religious leaders in Jesus day.  They think going to church is all about being a good, respectable person and following all the rules.  They always try to do the right thing (even if doing the right thing is sometimes more about keeping up appearances than pleasing God) Furthermore, they often confuse God’s rules for holy living with what society says is the right way to live.  So they can often do some very terrible things—segregation, neglecting the poor, etc.—all in the name of being a good person who follows the rules.  So they think you can’t say, “You’ve sinned, but I still love you.”  They don’t love people who have sinned.  They’re ok with being judgmental and pointing out how people sin, but they don’t love sinners (they may say it with their lips, but they don’t really love them in their heart).  There have always been self-righteous judgmental people in church—all the way back to Jesus time.  And Jesus came and pointed those Pharisees out.  He told them, “You’ve sinned, but I still love you.”  Unfortunately, the religious leaders didn't want to hear that and so they crucified him.

But because the church throughout history has so often been full of self-righteous, judgmental people, we’ve come to a place today where there are so many people in our world (and even in the church) who err in a whole different way.  There are many who have concluded that you can’t even say, “You’ve sinned” anymore.  There are so many people who say, “The Bible says ‘judge not, lest ye be judged.’”  And so they’ve concluded that Jesus doesn’t even want us to tell people they’ve sin (because that would be judging).  A lot of people say nowadays, Jesus just wants us to love people (and leave the whole part about sin out).

And so it’s come to a place where the world we live in just says you should welcome everyone and just accept them for who they are.  We’re not allowed to tell people, “You’ve sinned” anymore.  And we see all kinds of behaviors accepted by our culture that the Bible deems unacceptable and even repulsive to God.  Is that how Jesus treated people? (pause…)

How Jesus Loved People

There should be no doubt that Jesus loved people.  He proved his love by dying for us on the cross; not because we deserved it, but because we desperately needed it and Jesus loved us.  So his example is worth following.  Here’s how Jesus loved people.  He loved people enough to go be with sinners-even eat with them.  He did this, even though it put him at odds with the self-righteous religious leaders.  He was willing to leave 99 “good” sheep to go find the one foolish sheep that got himself lost.  At the same time, he never pretended the sinners he sought were not lost, were not sinners.  For example, once a woman was caught in the very act of adultery.  They dragged her int the city square and asked Jesus, "The Law of Moses says we should stone her.  What do you say?"  Jesus said, "He who is without sin, cast the first stone."  Then he stopped and began writing in the dirt.  We don't know what he wrote, the Bible doesn't say.  Some have speculated he began writing out all the sins the people in the crowd had committed.  At any rate, everyone in the crowd began to drop their stones and walk away.  When everyone was gone, Jesus asked, "Woman, has no one condemned you?"  "No, my Lord," she said. "Then neither do I.  Go and sin no more."  (John 8)

Recently, the local news showed some surveillance video of a vigilant school bus driver who saved a child from a terrible accident.  The bus had stopped to let a child off and the video shows the bus doors opening and the child is about to run down the steps out the door.  But the bus driver suddenly slammed the doors shut and grabbed the child's shoulder and yanked him away from the door just as a speeding car wooshed by the bus doors.  Apparently, the car driver got impatient with the bus driver and sped around the right side of the bus just as the doors of the bus were about to open.  If the bus driver had not been paying attention and stopped the child, the child would have certainly been killed or terribly maimed.  What would you have done?  I think we would have all screamed and reached out to stop the child if we were in that situation.  That is, in a sense, what we are doing when we tell someone they've sinned (or their about to sin).

The Bible teaches us that sin is terrible.  It destroys your life.  It destroys other people’s lives.  It destroys the world.  And God hates sin, so it destroys a sinners relationship with God, who is the source of life and love and peace and hope.  To refuse to tell someone, “You’ve sinned” is not much different from refusing to scream, “Watch out! You’re about to walk out in front of a speeding car!”  It’s actually worse, because the consequences of sin are eternal.  So if we truly do love someone, we must say, “You’ve sinned.”  To do otherwise is not loving at all, but terrible and hateful.

At the same time, we must never forget the last part of the statement:  “You’ve sinned, but I still love you.”  We must never forget we’ve all sinned.  We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God.  You’ve sinned.  I’ve sinned. And your sins are no worse than mine.  I have no reason to think myself better than you and you’ve no reason to think yourself better than me or anyone else. 

Conclusion

So don’t ever neglect to say, “You’ve sinned, but I still love you.”  That’s who were are—the Church—and that’s what we say and how we live.  It’s not optional.  It’s what Jesus does for us and what we are called to do for the world.

Summer Fishing Tips

Matthew 4:19 - Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”

Summer is a great time to go fishing (for people).  The sun is out.  The surf is up.  You're heading to the beach.  Nobody knows you there, so if you mess up and make a fool of yourself, who cares!  So get out there and cast your nets and see what you bring in!  Here are some fishing tips to try this summer as you fish for people.

Summer Fishing Tip #1 (for fishers of men):
While buying groceries or souvenirs on summer vacation, ask the cashier: "Where's a good place to go to church around here?" You might learn a good place to worship the Lord while you're away from home. Or it might lead to a conversation about the Lord with the cashier.  Maybe, you just plant a seed.  Maybe, you make a friend and invite them to come to church with you. Good follow up questions could be:  "Oh cool.  Do you go there?" Or "Are you active in a church nearby?"  This is an easy, friendly way to introduce the subject of Christ.  You could share how much it means to you to spend time with Him each week in worship.  Who knows how God may use it.  You could even say, "Would you go go with me (or my family)? It would make me feel more comfortable since I don't know anyone there."  Remember, fishing is a art, not a science.  So just go with the flow.