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There are many strange meetings I
can recall attending since I began working in full time ministry. One that ranks particularly high occurred
when the church I was at was deciding whether or not to add a second service on
Sunday morning.
Some of the initial reactions
against such a thing were: “The church will get too big”, “It won’t be as
personal”, “I won’t be able to know everyone” and my personal favorite, “Why
don’t we just do a really good job ministering to the people who are
here.” Many of these concerns are
logical enough. The bigger a church gets
the less personal it can become. You
have to plan on that and deal with it.
But in the midst of such rational arguments one glaring hole remained in
the logic… there were still lost and damned people in the community, living
without a knowledge of the love of Christ.
Jesus made His priorities
absolutely clear. "Suppose one of
you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the
ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds
it? And when he finds it, he joyfully
puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors
together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’” (Luke
15:4-6)
Jesus is unapologetically less
concerned for the sheep in the fold than for those missing. Now, this could be taken wrong. The great commission is that we make
disciples, not converts. Therefore, we
must nurture the sheep in the fold. But
I would ask the question, how mature are the sheep in the fold if they don’t
care about the lost one and how are we helping to grow them up if we don’t
model that care.
How many is enough for the
church? Just one more.
“I tell you that in the same way there will be more
rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous
persons who do not need to repent” Luke 15:7
Ninety-Nine
Words by Tom Morris and Aaron Porter
Church is going great, I can’t complain
when everything goes smooth
Last time I counted, only one was
missing
and I assume he moved.
This ninety-nine are more than enough
for me
This ninety-nine will pay all the bills
With ninety-nine we have only one chair
left
And that looks like a church that is
filled… with ninety-nine
Church aint simple, leading sheep
If one runs off, who’s to blame?
It’s dark and cold, outside the fold
And I can’t remember his name.
This ninety-nine are more than enough
for me
Ninety-nine is anyone’s “A”
With ninety-nine there’s less to make
trouble here
I’m sure it’s better this way.
Such a great celebration
Hear the shepherd’s strong cry
The rescued one riding on his shoulders
In victory held high.
He wouldn’t stop till He found me
I was lost in sin and in shame
He turned from the fold to the darkness
That lonely sheep had my name
One and ninety-nine
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