"Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' Count on it—there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue” (Luke 15:4-7, The Message)
Last night I had the opportunity to put my “Contagious” Message into practice. Benjamin Smokovich (who coordinates the athletic ministries at Washington Cathedral) invited me to share about myself with the guys who come to play basketball at the ReCreation Center every Monday. After a few games, we took a break to eat and hangout. I began to casually talk about my faith and relationship with Jesus. And it reminded me of something I have known for a long time: there is nothing more exciting than befriending, loving, and leading someone to faith in Jesus Christ… nothing! I felt alive.
People matter to God. They really do: Jesus’ stories in Luke 15 tell us that you have never looked into the eyes of another human being who isn’t valuable to God.
If we don’t deeply believe that people, all people, are important to God, we are missing one of the key narratives of the Bible. Our line of thinking becomes a dangerous, slippery slope of logic. Not only does this reasoning cage the contagious nature of the gospel, but it is the start of all human tragedy and oppression. Every injustice that has occurred throughout history began with the assumption that this person, or people-group, does not matter. But the Bible teaches us that every person matters to God; no matter their race, upbringing, disability or difference, or the country or home life into which they were born.
What is important to God must be important to us. Surprisingly, God has invited us to become involved with what is important to Him! If we don’t make God’s priorities our priorities, a lost and hurting world will stay that way… and we will never accomplish our individual and collective purpose on earth. Nor will we be doing what we were designed to do and what gives us the greatest fulfillment.
Bill Hybels once said: “Deep in every true Christian, there is awareness that we are on this planet for purposes greater than having a career, paying the bills, loving our families, and fulfilling our role as upstanding citizens. Even going to church and worshiping God—important as these are—sometimes leave us feeling that something is missing. After all, we’ll worship God for eternity in heaven; we don’t have to be here to do that. What is it that’s absent in the lives of so many believers who are crying out for fulfillment? What on earth is God asking us to do? God wants us to become contagious Christians: His agents, who will first catch His love and then urgently and infectiously offer it to all who are willing to consider it. This is His primary plan, the one Jesus modeled so powerfully, to spread God’s grace and truth person to person until there’s an epidemic of changed lives around the world.”
We as a staff at Washington Cathedral are praying that each of you ask God to help you become contagious. We need contagious pastors, leaders, small groups, kids, and members if we are going to change the world. Would you like to become contagious?
Rey
People matter to God. They really do: Jesus’ stories in Luke 15 tell us that you have never looked into the eyes of another human being who isn’t valuable to God.
If we don’t deeply believe that people, all people, are important to God, we are missing one of the key narratives of the Bible. Our line of thinking becomes a dangerous, slippery slope of logic. Not only does this reasoning cage the contagious nature of the gospel, but it is the start of all human tragedy and oppression. Every injustice that has occurred throughout history began with the assumption that this person, or people-group, does not matter. But the Bible teaches us that every person matters to God; no matter their race, upbringing, disability or difference, or the country or home life into which they were born.
What is important to God must be important to us. Surprisingly, God has invited us to become involved with what is important to Him! If we don’t make God’s priorities our priorities, a lost and hurting world will stay that way… and we will never accomplish our individual and collective purpose on earth. Nor will we be doing what we were designed to do and what gives us the greatest fulfillment.
Bill Hybels once said: “Deep in every true Christian, there is awareness that we are on this planet for purposes greater than having a career, paying the bills, loving our families, and fulfilling our role as upstanding citizens. Even going to church and worshiping God—important as these are—sometimes leave us feeling that something is missing. After all, we’ll worship God for eternity in heaven; we don’t have to be here to do that. What is it that’s absent in the lives of so many believers who are crying out for fulfillment? What on earth is God asking us to do? God wants us to become contagious Christians: His agents, who will first catch His love and then urgently and infectiously offer it to all who are willing to consider it. This is His primary plan, the one Jesus modeled so powerfully, to spread God’s grace and truth person to person until there’s an epidemic of changed lives around the world.”
We as a staff at Washington Cathedral are praying that each of you ask God to help you become contagious. We need contagious pastors, leaders, small groups, kids, and members if we are going to change the world. Would you like to become contagious?
Rey
No comments:
Post a Comment