I start this blog with a caution. I labeled it "Don't read, unless you want your toes stepped on" because it definitely stepped on my toes. So if you read it, I have pre-warned you!
"When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36)
We had a speaker in chapel today who did the whole new tribes training several years ago. They never ended up going overseas, but ended up right here in Milwaukee pastoring a church. God really got ahold of their hearts about the 99 sheep. Most of us know about the parable of the shepherd having a hundred sheep. One of his sheeps get lost, and he goes out to look for it...even though he still has his 99.
This speaker told us his day to day service was catering to the 99. He told us his job was dealing with this and that, and the seats being "uncomfortable", and such and such. He hardly even had time for the one, because he was catering to the 99.
They have recently been challenged to reach out to the "one" in Milwaukee. There are 600,000 people in Milwaukee and 200,000 are in some sort of religious involvement. That's 4 out of 6 people in Milwaukee that are un-churched. Anyways, they have an incredible story of what God has already been doing in their lives.
As we listened to this chapel service, our toes were definitely stepped on. Most of the people that we are in contact every day are the 99. We are praying that God will give us opportunities to serve the 1. Please pray for us that God will give us opportunities like that! I pray that other people will catch on to this too! Hopefully this has stepped on your feet (if you've made it this far in the blog!) Who are we trying to reach? The 99? or the 1?
I will leave with some lyrics that have been over played on K-Love, but reflect this message perfectly:
"All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?
Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can see...
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all along"
-Brandon Heath "Give me your eyes"
1 comment:
I agree, Jilly, and I believe God's heart is broken because so many of His children have forgotten about the "1". Oh, we think about the "1" every minute of every day, but not the "1" that His word speaks of. We are all looking out for number one, numero uno, and we forget that we are already assured of life eternal with our Father God. I pray that we are all awakened to the urgency of reach the "1". Thanks for sharing.
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