Today's Passage - Matthew 18:12-14

Matthew 18:12-14   "What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off?   And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.   The Lord said that if we have a hundred sheep and lost one, we'll surely leave the ninety-nine to find the lost sheep.  If we think carefully, however, that's not what we would do!  It's good enough to have ninety-nine sheep, who cares about the one that is lost?  According to our nature, we'll only look at the ninety-nine that we still have and focus think about the one that was lost.  It's the same thing at church - We like to guard the ninety-nine that we have and we'll count them again and again, but we'd forget that it's the Lord's will to value the 100th sheep, which is to see the needs outside the church.  I firmly believe that the Lord has a "100th sheep club" because the Lord loves the 100th sheep and He's happy to hear the prayer from the 100th sheep.  The Lord would rather look for those who are lost; when disciples reached Samaria, they went around to look for food, but the Lord waited for the Samaritan woman by the well, because He knew that the Samaritan woman needed the gospel.   Each time I listen to testimony during baptismal service, I seldom hear that people accepted the Lord because they understood the truth; rather, most of the testimonies are around how the Lord answered their prayer.  They had needs, prayed to God, and God answered their prayer.  He is truly enjoys being sought after by the 100th sheep, which is the prayer of the truth seekers.  May God help us to see all the people in need around us, and let us express the Lord's love through us.   There's a church called Voice of Pentecost in San Francisco.  The brothers and sisters in that church are led into homosexual communities by their pastor, not to try to convince people to accept the Lord, but to take care of them and bring food to them.  They even serve those that have AIDS!  One time, the leaders of the homosexual community were eating with their pastor, and they told him: "We don't know how to respond to your love!  We thought you hate us, but you really love us, so perhaps this is the love of Jesus Christ!"  Indeed, love of the Lord will seek the sheep that are lost.  May God help us not to always just do the Christian activities inside our church, but rather let us have the heart and action of the Lord and enter into the community to seek and save those are lost, because that is the will of the Lord!   Pray with Pastor Tong   Lord, we thank you because it is your grace that sought us and led us to become your children.  May God help us to not only enjoy your grace daily, but also be willing to pass on your grace to those around us.  Let us find the lost sheep so that your heart will be satisfied by our action.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!             Shekinah Glory - ROLCC Building Expansion Project - Follow us on our Facebook page!