Jump Start # 1758

Luke 15:6 “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”

  Our verse today comes from the “lost and found” section of Luke 15. Three things were lost and all three were found. Lost sheep, lost coin and lost boys. There are some common threads in these three parables and there are some unique aspects to each of these. In all of these, something valuable was lost. Never did the person give up and say, “Oh, well, it didn’t meant that much to me, anyway.” That never happened. A search took place. The lost was found and there was great happiness and joy.

In both of the first two stories, the lost sheep and the lost coin, when the lost was found, friends and neighbors were told of the great news and invited to celebrate in happiness. Sharing good news. I like that. Much too often, we share sad and bad news. We do that just to inform people. We say, “Did you hear who passed away?” We talk about a church that is going through some hard times. We note when preachers move. Bad news is certainly shared and sometimes that is necessary.

But how rare is that we share the news of good things? A baptism. A great sermon. A great worship. People like and need good news. In the business world, sharing good news is nothing more than referrals. You move into a new town and you ask someone who is a good doctor? Who is a mechanic that you like? If they tell you about a car shop down the street, where you have to wait half a day, they over charge you, and the work is shoddy, you’ll never go there. We do this with real estate agents, insurance agents, dentists, and even which neighborhood to buy a house in. Sharing good news. Sharing success stories. Here is who I go to.

The shepherd in Luke 15 lost one of his sheep. He left the 99 and went after the lost. He carried the lost sheep on his shoulders. When he got home, he called friends and neighbors to tell them. There was a celebration. His friends and neighbors seemed to care about what happened. They were not so wrapped up into themselves that they didn’t care. Good news was shared and happiness was expressed among others.

Here are a few ideas:

• Tell a friend, “I was reading a great verse last night in my Bible…” Share that with them. A conversation surrounding a verse might take place.

• Tell a co-worker, “I heard an amazing sermon last week in our church…” then share the highlights of that sermon. You may get them going to the website to listen or watch the sermon themselves.

Sharing good news. It is interesting that the word “gospel” means “good news.” The good news is that a Savior has come into the world to redeem us from our sins. That’s great news. It means that God hasn’t given up on us. It means that God is giving us a second chance. It means that God realizes on our own we can’t make it. We need His help and He has sent Jesus. Great news. You can be saved. You can go to Heaven.

Gloom and despair mark our days. We don’t like the weather. We don’t like politics. We don’t like what’s happening in the world. And all of this gloom and doom, makes us gloomy. We shuffle into the church house defeated and down. We mumble songs. We hear words but don’t think that they will change our lives much. We go on our weary ways. Really? Is that the way it is supposed to be? Is that what God wants from us?

Great is our God echoes through all of the Bible. Great is what He has done. The Psalmist used expressions such as “shout unto the Lord.” There was a genuine excitement because of the Lord. God is the best and He deserves the best from us. It was the unblemished lamb that was offered. It was the first of the fruits that were given in sacrifice. The thought of worshipping God ought to pull the curtains back from our hearts and let the sunshine of God’s love and grace fill us up.

The lost was found. That was great news. Share it. Tell others. Come and celebrate with others. Don’t rain on someone’s happy day. Don’t analyze the situation. Don’t be critical. Don’t say, “Is that the sheep that just always wanders off?” Don’t say, “Now, how many times has that sheep ran away?” Don’t say, “I wonder how long it will stay this time?” That’s all gloom and doom talk. Rejoice. Thank the Lord. The lost has been found.

Find something good about today, and tell someone about it. Put smiles on people’s faces by being kind, helpful and caring. Thank more. Praise more. Appreciate more. There are good things all around us, we must just lift up our eyes and notice them. The disposition and attitude of Christians have much to do with the “referral” business of inviting others. What and how we say things can show others what it means to us. Gloom and doom will never go far in getting people to come. Neither will fake words and fake emotions. Be real. Be yourself. But you ought to be encouraged, hopeful and excited the Lord.

The lost was found. God is great. We are marching to Zion. That ought to warm the heart and put a smile on your soul.

He told his friends and neighbors…

Roger