Today's Passage - Luke 15:1-7

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english Luke 15:1-7   Now the tax collectors and 'sinners' were all gathering around to hear him.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.'  Then Jesus told them this parable: '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."  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.'   The Lord used the parable of the lost sheep to explain His ministry on earth.  The Lord came to find and save the lost sheep; conventional logic tells us that we should not abandon 99 sheep to look for one that was lost.  What if the one could not be found, yet the 99 were lost?  This parable of the Lord is rather harsh because we often like to take care of the 99 in the church, believing that it's the top priority ministry.  The Lord, however, said here that He had rather be looking for the one that was lost.   The Lord actually enjoyed answering the prayer of the 100th sheep the most, because it is the heart of the Lord to save the sinners who are willing to repent and to welcome them into the kingdom of God.  In verse 7, the Lord even said that when that one sinner repented, the joy in the heaven will be greatly than it is for the 99 righteous people who did not need to repent.  If we truly understand this truth, we will work hard to spread the gospel, and we'll also discover how easy it is to spread the gospel.  Since God enjoyed listening to the prayer of the non-believers, He is happy to satisfy their needs.  All we need to do is to bless them with prayer.  When their prayers are answered, their hearts will turn back to God.   If your colleagues in the office told you that he's having some trouble at home, why don't you ask him whether you can pray for him today?  You will discover that no one will turn down your offer to pray for him.  Once you pray for him, and the prayer is answered, he will remember that it is your God who accomplished a wonderful work for him.  God actually has a "100th sheep club," because He likes to answer the prayers of those who seek God.  We used to be members of this club, but after we accept the Lord we often forget the heart of the God; we only see the 99 sheep, but forget the one that was lost.  May the Spirit of God open our eyes and have merciful compassion of the Lord in our heart, so that we will go search for the 100th sheep around us.     Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, please grant us a merciful heart.  We often only seek for our own satisfaction, we want to enjoy a good time with 99 sheep, but we neglect the 100th sheep that is out there.  May God remind us, let us see that your heart is with the 100th sheep.   Let us be willing to go out and collaborate with you, to seek for the 100th sheep, and bring it back to your sheep pen to enjoy your grace.  I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!