Abundant Life – Page 36 – Write From Karen

Audio Teaching: Forgive One Another

July 27, 2011April 27, 2011 Karen

by Dan Gallagher
When you are in relationship with someone, two things are: sooner or later he or she will do something that offends you, and you will do something that offends him or her. Jesus was very clear when he told his disciples they would be recognized by their love for one another (John 13:35), and forgiveness is certainly one of the primary ways to express love.

In this teaching, Dan Gallagher explores the consequences of unforgiveness, and some biblical records of forgiveness. He also considers what genuine forgiveness is, what it is not, and takes a detailed look at the process of forgiveness. The teaching concludes by answering some frequently asked questions about forgiveness. It will help any Christian who desires to walk in the footsteps of their Lord.

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Teaching: “Going to Church” Has it Gone Out of Fashion?

July 24, 2011July 9, 2011 Karen

Every Sunday I provide videos and valuable links to the Truth or Tradition teachings. We’ve been following the Truth or Tradition teachings for many years now and they have truly blessed our family. We have found peace and happiness through our beliefs and we walk confidently for God. My hope, by passing on this information to you, is that what you find here, or on the Truth or Tradition website, will guide you to a better, more blessed and abundant life.

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

In the post-modern culture of the early twenty-first century, the question, “Has going to church gone out of fashion?” seems to be very relevant. It would seem that many of my generation as well as those of my children’s generation have voted “yes” with their feet.

The percentage of American adults who identify themselves as Christian dropped from 86% in 1990 to 77% in 2001, as reported at religioustolerance.org. This website also quoted the Barna Research group, “From 1992 to 2003, average attendance at a typical church service has dropped by 13% whereas the population of America has increased by 9%!”

The post-modern atmosphere of our culture today is in support of these trends. However, at Spirit & Truth Fellowship International we, along with other Christians, are committed to turning the tide of this trend. The opening paragraph of our Statement of Beliefs is:

“We believe the Scriptures are God’s “heart” revealed to mankind. The reason God wants us to know the truth is so we can live it and share it with others. God wants us to be “imitators” of Him, and His chief characteristic is love. Truth without love is vanity; love without truth is sentimentality.”

This statement reflects the balance God desires for His children to have between doctrine (right believing), and practice (walking out our faith).

Ephesians 4:1 (REV)
Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called.

The word “worthily” in this verse corresponds with the Greek word, axios, of which Richard Lenski said, “Axios has the idea of equal weight. Conduct and calling are to balance in weight.” [1] The first three chapters of Ephesians are devoted to doctrine, while here in this verse we have the transition to the next three chapters, which focus more on practice, and how we are to be in relationship with one another. God puts equal weight on doctrine and practice. We are called in one Body, so our conduct is to reflect that by meeting together as the Church.

A major underlying premise of the New Testament is that followers of Christ would be actively involved in a local church. This is not optional, but a matter of obedience. In the summation of the first section of the book of Acts, the pattern for the Church of Jesus Christ is set, which involves being together. Four times in seven verses (Acts 2:42-48) the point is made that believers met together. The notion that a follower of Christ can be faithfully carrying out his calling isolated from other saints is not supported by Scripture. In fact to not be in relationship with a local church is aberrant behavior for a Christian.

Hebrews 10:25
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

This section of the book of Hebrews opens with a participial statement summarizing what has gone before in preceding chapters. It also shows us on what basis we should heed the exhortations that follow.

Hebrews 10:19-21
(19) Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
(20) by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
(21) and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

The conjunction “therefore,” in verse 19, not only transitions us into this new section but also points back to what has been handled so fully in the preceding chapters. These include the High Priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, as well as our assurance that the entry into the sanctuary of God has been secured.

What follows are three exhortative subjunctives. These verb forms require action based upon what has preceded. “Let us draw near; let us hold unswervingly; let us consider one another” are not optional, but commands. These three are put in the order of faith, hope, and love.

Hebrews 10:22
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Regarding faith, our relationship with God is the focus. To draw near to the sanctuary requires maintaining the condition of one’s heart by cleansing the conscience. This is done by constantly applying the blood of the Lamb to our conscience as needed. At the new birth the shed blood of Jesus Christ, in addition to giving us a new nature, cleanses us of sins committed previously. Subsequent sins must be confessed, which applies his blood to our conscience.

1 John 1:9 (REV)
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The second of the three exhortative phrases encourages us to hold the hope unswervingly.

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Both the world which is lacking hope, as well as the Christian who is to proclaim our hope in Jesus Christ, are implied by the word profess in this verse.

1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,

The final “let us” has to do with conduct in relationship to the church.

Hebrews 10:24 and 25 (REV)
(24) And let us consider one another, to spur one another on to love and good works,
(25) not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but exhorting one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

At Spirit & Truth Fellowship we are invested in right doctrine, and at the same time we give equal weight to the need for individuals meeting together in local areas. We have established the Fellowship Network to help people connect with others, both in their local areas and with others on a national, or even an international level.

At STFonline.org/network you can find listings of local fellowships as well as resources to assist in forming a new fellowship. If you want assistance in finding or starting a fellowship in your area, please contact us.

If you have any questions, or would like to learn more about God’s wonderful message, please visit the Truth or Tradition website. You can also keep track of the ministry through their Facebook page, their YouTube Channel, or follow them on Twitter.

Thanks for reading.

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Audio Teaching: The Heart of Evangelism

July 20, 2011April 27, 2011 Karen

by John Schoenheit
Who among us is not thankful to know that he or she is saved, and glad to forever be a part of life in a world that will be far, far better than this life. The second great commandment Jesus Christ gave is to love your neighbor as you love yourself, and there are few things as loving as helping an unsaved person make a decision to be saved and live forever.

This teaching focuses on evangelism, that is, telling others about Jesus Christ. It shows from Scripture that God tells Christians to evangelize, shares some ways to do so, and emphasizes that evangelism is an act of love that flows out of a heart of compassion.

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Teaching: The “Church” is People

July 17, 2011July 9, 2011 Karen

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

Many verses in the New Testament speak of the “church,” so it is important to understand what “church” means. The first definition of “church” in modern English dictionaries is something like, “a building for Christian worship,” and it is only the second or third definition that says something like, “a body of Christians,” or “the collective body of Christians.” In the Bible, however, the word “church” never refers to a building, but always to people; specific groups of people.

The origin of God calling out, and working through, a specific group of people started in the Old Testament. By the time Israel left Egypt it was a mighty nation, and God, who had earlier said He would work with the descendants of Abraham, called the nation of Israel out from among the other nations on earth. He chose Israel to be the people through whom He would bring the Messiah, saying:

Exodus 19:5 and 6
(5) Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,
(6) you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation….

We need to pay special attention to the fact that God said Israel would be a “holy” nation, because “holy” means “set apart,” and God did set Israel apart for Himself out of all the nations on earth. God confirmed again and again that the Israelites were a special and holy people to Him (Deut. 4:37; 7:6; 14:2, 21; 26:19; 28:9; etc.).

One of the primary Hebrew words used to designate the people of Israel is qahal (Strong’s number 6951), and it is often translated “assembly.” For example, when God was speaking to Moses about signaling to the Israelites, He said, “To gather the assembly [qahal], blow the trumpets” (Num. 10:7).

When the Old Testament was translated into Greek in Alexandria, Egypt around 250 B.C., making the version we today call the Septuagint, the Hebrew word qahal was usually translated as ekkl?sia. The Greek translators of the Septuagint did not coin the word ekkl?sia, but instead used a word that was in common use. Louw and Nida write in their Greek-English lexicon:

The term evkklhsi,a [ekkl?sia] was in common usage for several hundred years before the Christian era and was used to refer to an assembly of persons constituted by well-defined membership. In general Greek usage it was normally a socio-political entity based upon citizenship in a city-state… In many contexts evkklhsi,a may be readily rendered as ‘gathering of believers’ or ‘group of those who trust in Christ.’ [1]

The term ekkl?sia occurs over 100 times in the New Testament and, as was pointed out earlier, it always refers to groups of people, never to the building where the people met. The word ekkl?sia was used of many different groups, not just Christians. In the New Testament these groups include:

Jews: Acts 7:38 (The Israelites in the wilderness; often translated “assembly,” but translated “church” in the KJV).

Gentiles: Acts 19:32 (a gathering of Gentiles in Ephesus).

The universal body of believers made up of Jews, Gentiles, and Christians. Jesus said, “…on this rock I will build my church” (Matt. 16:18), and in that context Jesus’ “church,” his “assembly” or “congregation,” consists of every person who is saved. Many great people in the Old Testament were not Jews, people such as Ruth the Moabite and Uriah the Hittite, but they are saved and thus are part of Jesus’ “church.” Thus, in John 10:16 Jesus said to the Jews around him, “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”

The whole body of Christians: Acts 5:11; 20:28; 1 Corinthians 10:32.

Christians in a local area or who met in a specific local place; a local assembly: Acts 14:23; Romans 16:1; 1 Corinthians 4:17.
Some Bible translators recognize that translating ekkl?sia as “church” can confuse new Christians, who would naturally think of the “church” as a building, and so they use “assembly” or “congregation” instead of “church” in their versions. Bible versions that use “assembly” include the translation done by Charles Darby, Rotherham’s Emphasized Bible, and Young’s Literal Translation. Versions that use “congregation” include The Better Version of the New Testament by Chester Estes and The New English Bible.

The impact of realizing that the “church” is people is simple but profound. Biblically, people do not “go to church,” they are the church. The “church” meets wherever they gather. Thus, while we often think in terms of Christians meeting in “churches” (buildings), the biblical reality is that “churches” (assemblies; congregations) exist wherever Christians meet: in “church” buildings, houses, apartments, workplaces, parks, and more. Since the “church” is people, God’s emphasis is not where we meet, but that we meet. The place that the “church” selects to meet should be a purposeful decision, based upon what the meeting is supposed to accomplish.

For personal growth, the small meeting in a house or apartment is often the best because everyone gets to pray, share, and participate. Participation usually means quick growth. Larger meetings are wonderful for general education and accomplishing tasks that small groups cannot easily accomplish, such as sponsoring an outside speaker or a conference, or having a band or choir. Also, just as small groups have more intimacy, large groups often have a level of collective excitement that is not present in smaller meetings.

Another point that we should clarify, especially in today’s, “do it alone” culture, is that one Christian is not a “church.” Today, with Christian radio, TV, Podcasts, YouTube, and much more, it can be easy to get a “good feeling” about God, or learn about Him, without personally meeting together with others. Paul paraphrased Christ’s words, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and true Christianity is about giving. Not just giving money, or “things,” but sharing our time and lives with others. Face to face church should be one of the mainstays of our Christian lives.

In closing, it is perhaps valuable to know why the word “church” came to be used in Christian circles if it refers to a building, but the Greek word from which it is translated in the New Testament never means a building. Although the word “church” developed over time from the Middle English, from Old English, from the Germanic, its ancient root is the Greek word kuriakon, meaning “belonging to the Lord” (from the word kurios, “lord”). Historians say that kuriakon was used of places of Christian worship from around the time of Constantine. This would make sense for a couple of reasons.

First, Constantine was the first Christian emperor of Rome, and he started a campaign of building places for worship (“church buildings”), which needed a general name that would set them apart from the other public buildings he, as emperor, was building and also set them apart from the pagan temples in the Empire. Thus, kuriakon, or “belonging to the Lord” would have been a very appropriate general name for these buildings. It is easy to think of Greek speaking people talking of “going to the kuriakon.”

Second, by the time of Constantine much of the original revelation of the Apostle Paul had been lost. For the most part, the Sacred Secret, the use of the manifestations of holy spirit, salvation by faith, the priesthood of the believer, and many such doctrines had been lost. Replacing those were the “clergy” and a much more controlled and specific liturgy, which were available only in the kuriakon buildings. Thus, over the centuries, the institution of the “church” building replaced the biblical concept that the church was people. The Reformation re-established the doctrine of the priesthood of the believer, but from a practical standpoint the general teaching inside Christendom continued to be that people had to “go to church.” It was only in the latter part of the 1900’s that the house church movement really caught on, at which time doctrine taught, and practice confirmed, that people were indeed the “church.”

It can be wonderfully freeing to realize that there does not have to be a “church building” for our prayers, praise, and fellowship together to be somehow validated by God. When Christians, even groups of two or three, get together in Christ’s name to pray, sing, study, help and advise each other, or perform Christian acts of giving and charity, they are the “church,” and Jesus promised he would be among them (Matt. 18:20). From time to time we here at Spirit & Truth Fellowship hear from people who do not get together with other Christians because they say they “cannot find a church” where they fit in. While it is true that in some situations it can be difficult to find a large group of people who meet in a building with whom you can fellowship, it is rarely difficult to find one or two others to fellowship with in Christ’s name. “Church,” i.e., Christians meeting together, is vital if we are to have powerful Christian lives. We are the “church,” the assembly, the congregation, so let’s make sure we are assembling with other Christians.

Thanks for reading.

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Audio Teaching: Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani (My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?)

July 13, 2011March 30, 2013 Karen

by John Schoenheit
Jesus’ words from the cross, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” have confused Bible students for years. Sadly, many of them think that Jesus either was, or thought he was, forsaken by God. In this teaching, John Schoenheit sets forth the real reason why Jesus spoke those powerful words: he was quoting from Psalm 22, and thus pointing people to the clearest portrayal of the crucifixion in Scripture. With his dying breaths, Jesus was trying to tell Israel, and the world, that he was the Messiah, so that they could be saved through believing in him. What an amazing display of stamina, concentration, courage, and love!

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Teaching: Reaching out with the Love of God or Christianity: The Come as you are Party

July 10, 2011May 29, 2011 Karen

If you would like to read my views on religion and how we got started with the ministry, you can read this.

Let’s get started:

[The following article is an edited transcription of the March / April 2001 audio teaching by John W. Schoenheit, Reaching Out with the Love of God Or Christianity: The Come as You Are Party.]

In this teaching, we are going to be talking about reaching out with the love of God because God reaches us with His love.

If I had a second title for this teaching, I would call it “Christianity—the come as you are party.” Why would I call it that when the subject is reaching out with the love of God? The answer is that Christianity is a come as you are party. When I think of myself and when I got born again—when I got invited into God’s family, I was eighteen years old. I had been an unbeliever for 18 years. When I became a Christian, I brought my unbeliever self—with all my hang-ups, all my faults, all my failures, and all my bad habits. I brought these into Christianity, and as I read the Bible and as I interacted with other people, I saw that I needed to change. A driving force was there behind that change. Something was there that motivated me to change, and that something in the Bible was love.

Sometimes as Christians we forget, especially when we are older Christians and have been in the faith a little longer. We exercise our senses to discern good from evil. We get so sharp on what is right and what is wrong. We see things that are wrong in other people’s lives, and it is so easy to go up and tell them!

Christianity is the come as you are party. They come to Christianity as they are, with all their faults and failures, and what do they sometimes get? “Well, you ought to change this. You ought to do this.” It sounds like criticism, and it is hard and harsh. That is not what we primarily get from God! The Word does speak reproof. Absolutely it does—no question about it speaking about correction; however, the way that it is done or the way that God motivates us is so powerful. He motivates us with love.

Let us take a look at this and see how it works. This verse is one of the defining verses of the Christian experience.

1 John 4:19
We love because he first loved us.

Wow, what a powerful verse! How many times in my life do I reflect on that—that my energy to love or my desire to love comes from the fact that I am loved. I know that God loves me, and He loved me first. He did not command that I love Him, and then when I did, He kind of warmed up to me. Not at all! He did not say, “Okay, you love Me,” and then He watched me with eagle eyes, and when I finally decided to love Him, He finally decided to become closer to me. Not at all! God pours out His love on people that are hard hearted, unforgiving, self-centered, and selfish. He pours out His love on all people, and then that love begins to warm people up and awaken them. It begins to get them to the point that they are willing to respond.

We are going to see this pattern in a couple of places in the Word. It is very important that we understand that God is constantly reaching out with His love.

Romans 5:6
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Notice it says that Christ died for the ungodly. It does not say that he died for the godly or the Christian or the blameless one or the righteous one.

Romans 5:7 and 8
(7) Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
(8) But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

When I was still a sinner, an unbeliever, God reached out for me with His love. What kind of love? It is the kind of love that would send His Son to die. Why do I love Him now? Why did I love Him 30 years ago? Why? Because He first loved me. Look at the pattern there. God extends His love to unloving people, and that love warms them up, and they change.

I think of the number of times in my life that I have set up walls or set up barriers where I set up requirements of only extending myself just so far until I see that somebody is going to be kind or loving or friendly or gentle or at least like me, and only then do I begin to open up. Well, that is simply not what God has done. That is not the pattern that God has set. God demonstrates His love for us while we were still sinners in that Christ died for us.

Again in 1 John 4, we read that we love because He first loved us. Think of the Christian circles in which we move. Think of extending ourselves to see if we can witness to bring people into the faith, and when they come into the faith, they come in just as they are with all there unbelieving stuff, their attitudes, and their bad background. We do want them to change, and God wants them to change. How are we going to get them to change? How is that going to happen? It is going to happen when they feel loved. You see, people need to be understood, accepted, loved, and encouraged. They do not need to be judged. They do not need to be frowned at, scorned, and criticized.

I am beginning to see that it is instinctive that when somebody is doing something wrong, we want to run over and tell them how to get it straight. You have somebody you are working with in the faith or even around you—it works with your children or with your spouse or it works with your friend, and they are doing something wrong (even if it is a little thing), and instinctively we feel “if I tell them what is wrong, they will change.” The amazing thing is that what comes up inside of us as instinct can actually be counter productive. Think of yourself, you are doing something and you are blessed doing it. You are trying to do a good job; okay you are doing it wrong, but you do not really know it. Somebody comes over and gives you a rebuke, and tells you off, “You are doing it wrong, and you need to be doing it this way.” How do you feel? Do you say, “Well, great, this is super! I needed to be yelled at today because I really wanted to be right.” No, you will not do that. Even though you might appreciate the fact that you want to do that thing right, the way that it was handled as a reproof or a rebuke will only produce what? For most it produces defensiveness, and occasionally that defensiveness even shows up as anger. For others it produces a desire to withdraw or pull back from the person. It may even produce a defeatist attitude in some people. They would say, “Oh gosh, one more time—everything that I try is wrong, nothing ever works out.” It steals their energy and their strength. God does not do that to us. He sheds forth His love to us. When God does reprove or when God does instruct us, it is always in meekness. The Bible specifically says that we are to instruct gently.

Ephesians 5:1 tells us that we are supposed to imitate God. We are supposed to be like God.

Ephesians 5:1
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children

I am here living my life, and I realize that an area exists in which I am not very close to God. I read this exhortation that I am supposed to be an imitator of God, and what does God put right in the verse as a motivation to me? He puts in there that I am loved. He tells us to be imitators of God because you are a dearly loved child. What does that do to me? How does that make me feel? It makes me feel like “Yes, I want to imitate God.” You see, the warmth of that love is so powerful that I feel so accepted. I feel so safe that even before I am an imitator of God, I am dearly loved, safe, protected, and encouraged. I can now reach out and stretch myself. I can bring myself to a new level of imitation because I know that even before I reach that new level, I was loved.

Ephesians 5:1
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children

An exhortation is here for us.

Ephesians 5:2a
and live a life of love,…

How am I going to live this life of love? Well, an example is there for us.

Ephesians 5:2b
…just as Christ loved us and gave himself up

How is the love of Jesus Christ exhibited? How is it shown forth? It is shown forth because he gave himself. Nobody had more right from an individual perfection and righteousness point of view to stand off from the crowds than Jesus Christ. Nobody was in a better position to kind of put his hands up and pull back from people and say, “Whoa, whoa, nobody’s touching me. I’m totally righteous. I’m totally without sin. Come over there and talk with you, touch you? You might pollute me!” Jesus Christ never did that. If you think about how he walked with people, he was constantly showing forth God’s love; of course, the primary way that he showed forth God’s love is that he gave his whole life for us.

An exhortation is there for us. God does not say, “Be imitators of God; therefore, and go around reproving people so that they are straightened out. By golly, be an imitator of God by just watching out for everyone’s sins and make sure that you tell them about it loud and long because that way they will be obedient.” God could have done that; but of course, God does not work that way. You would not be an imitator of God if you did that! The point is that God is not saying to imitate Him by going around and pointing out other people’s faults and failures. They have got them, we do too, but we do not need to go around pointing it out. That is not the way to be a child of God.

Christianity is a come as you are party. Lots of people have lots of problems. We are not going to primarily help the Body of Christ if we walk around with our spy goggles on trying to find everybody’s problems. People are going to change when they realize that they are loved. We love Him because He first loved us. When I get His love, when I really understand how much God loves me it empowers me to want to please Him.

Have you ever thought about the natural instinct inside people to want to please? Have you ever seen little children and how they want to please? We are communal people. God designed human beings to be communal people. We like to be in community. We have an innate thing inside of us that makes us want to please. That is one of the reasons, by the way, that when you come down on somebody and reprove them harshly and shout at them, even if you are right, it just takes that person’s energy away and makes them defensive, but if you love them, show them that you love them and accept them. Do they want to please? Absolutely they do.

Think of God: “Gosh, if I just pour my love forth on these people, they will do their own thing. They will never be like Me. They will never be like Christ. They will not ever care.” No, God realizes that if He pours His love out on people, then they will feel safe. They will feel secure. They will feel confident. They will feel blessed. They will want to please Him. They will want to connect, and obedience will not be a problem because they do not have any turf to defend. They will just want to be like God, so that is the example that God sets. He constantly shows His love to people.

A beautiful situation of this can be found in Luke 15. It is very important to understand the content before we get into the parables. I think that sometimes we jump into the parables too quickly before we understand why the parables are placed the way that they are. By the way, the wording here is very powerful. We will look at some of the Greek words and what they mean.

Luke 15:1 and 2
(1) Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him.
(2) But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

The picture is a little different if you read the Greek text. It says, “Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering.” This is a pretty good translation of the Greek. They were all gathering or perhaps a more picturesque translation would be “kept gathering.” If you get the picture of Christ with two sinners, let us say that he is with a prostitute and a tax collector and then a thief came and joined them and then a robber came and joined them and then someone who embezzled money came and joined them and then someone else who was a sinner came and joined them. So Jesus is here with this little crowd of sinners, but they kept gathering and kept gathering. That is Jesus. He was so exuding God’s love that he was surrounded by sinners who wanted this love, so the sinners kept gathering around him.

Luke 15:2
But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

The Greek text says, “They kept muttering.” The tax collectors and sinners kept gathering and the Pharisees kept muttering. The more the tax collectors and sinners gathered the more the Pharisees muttered.

Luke 15:2
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

They could not call him by his name. They said “This man!” Who did Jesus’ heart go out to? His heart was so full of love for people that his heart went out to both groups. He so wanted both groups to change and to recognize God’s love for them, to open up their hearts. He so wanted both groups to see how much God loved them. He has these two groups, the one group is the Pharisees, and are they sinners? Certainly, they are sinners. They do not have the obvious flagrant sin of a prostitute or a thief or a robber or an embezzler, but they have sins like arrogance and haughtiness and pride and holier than thou attitudes. Two groups of sinners are here, and Jesus Christ loves them both, and he is going to try to reach out to both of them.

Luke 15:3-7
(3) Then Jesus told them this parable:
(4) “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?
(5) And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders
(6) and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
(7) 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.

Let’s look at that and analyze it a little more deeply. A couple of things are going on here. The title in my New International Study Bible, and a lot of other Bibles too, is The Parable of the Lost Sheep. As you know, that is not God breathed. It is not part of the Greek text and I think it misses the point. When you have a Parable of the Lost Sheep, where is the focus? The focus is on the lost sheep. Well, we all like sheep have gone astray. How many sheep have wondered off? They did shepherding for a living here in Luke and shepherds were all over the country. Also, sacrifices occurred daily in the Temple and everybody was familiar with them. How often do you think that somebody had heard of a lost sheep? A lost sheep was no news! That is not the point. Jesus Christ was not trying to obviate that somebody messed up, that somebody got lost again! That is not the point. The point of the parable is that this is a compassionate shepherd. This shepherd would leave the 99, and believe me, in Israel, it is hilly, rugged, hot, and dirty. That shepherd would so care for that one sheep that he would leave his flock and tromp over the hillsides, walk through the thorns and thistles, traverse the hillsides and the valleys, extending himself and causing himself hardship and pain. Why? He does this because he has compassion. He has love. He is going to find that one sheep. You bet he is.

What makes this parable so powerful? It is not that a sheep got lost. You and I, we sheep, are getting lost all the time. We make mistakes so frequently but here was a compassionate shepherd. Why did Jesus Christ tell the parable of the compassionate shepherd? Remember that two groups of sinners are here. It was to show these two groups that God loves them, and He will search for them.

Even if the Pharisees were not including themselves, even if the Pharisees were so haughty and so arrogant that they would not understand that God would come and look for them and love them, they should at least begin to see the value to God of one sinner. If one sinner leaves the group and goes off by himself, God does not say, “Well, it is only one; I have a bunch more.” God is so concerned about the value of that one sinner that He would search and search and work to get that one sinner back. Maybe, just maybe, that parable would show the Pharisees how much God will extend Himself—that God would really show His love and have love for that one sinner.

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More from Write From Karen

Abundant Life

Audio Teaching: A Community of Grace: Five Steps on the Path of Grace

July 6, 2011April 27, 2011 Karen

by Dan Gallagher
God tells us that we are to use the gifts of grace we have received from Him to serve one another (1 Pet. 4:10). In this teaching, Dan Gallagher explores the concept of a community of grace, that is, a community where there is great favor, excessive kindness, and goodwill toward others. He identifies five steps we must take to become people of grace who can thus make up a community of grace. We trust you will find it inspiring, and possibly even self-convicting, as Dan explores the five steps of tying the tongue, controlling our thoughts (specifically toward others), practicing forgiveness, pursuing humility, and living love. God tells us that we are not to receive His grace in vain (2 Cor. 6:1), and this teaching will give you practical steps toward becoming a person of grace.

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