Rejoice! What was Lost is Found

September 12, 2010 | Author Shane Galbraith

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Today’s Prayer for Peace – Slovenia

Direct link to download today’s audio message http://jcoc.no-ip.org/media/JoplinCOC-09-12-2010.mp3

http://jcoc.no-ip.org/media/JoplinCOC-09-12-2010.mp3

Message: Ben Peterson

Watch the related video shown in this service, an epic message about a great man’s ministry.

Download the video from this week’s message here.
http://joplincommunityofchrist.com/video/GardenVideo.flv

Announcements
Today
Business Meeting – Immediately following the 11:00 service.
Business items include consideration of Mission Center budget
request for 2011 and votes to sustain members of Outreach Steering Team. Please plan to attend.
Potluck Dinner – Following the business meeting.

Wednesday, Sept. 15

Mid-Week Renewal of the Spirit – 6:00 PM
Sunday, Sept. 19
Theme: Be Faithful in Little Things
Presider: Bonnie Kingore
Speaker: Patsy Lay
Musician: Margo Peterson
Morning Devotions: Geneva Reed
Deacon in Charge: Dave Peterson

Sept. 25-26 – Congregational Retreat
The retreat will begin Friday evening around 5:30 PM at the campgrounds. Classes will be taught by Vivian Davidson.
Come enjoy the fun, fellowship, discipleship instruction and worship. Registration forms are available through Mark Shank or Steve Hicks.

Birthdays & Anniversaries, Sept. 12 – 18
15 Tamara Strausbaugh 16 Steve Hicks
18 Tammy L. Strausbaugh

Administration Teams. Sept. 12 – 25
Daytime: Margo Peterson and Emma Kingore
Evenings: Phil Cannon and Ben Jones

Scriptures: Jeremiah 4:11–12, 22–28; Psalm 14; I Timothy 1:12–17; Luke 15:1–10

The introduction to three parables in Luke 15 (vv. 1–2) reminds us that Christ mixed with groups of people who were looked down on by society. The Jewish religious leaders didn’t show any grace toward those marginalized people and criticized Jesus for mixing with them. In ancient times, sharing the table with another person was a signal that the person was accepted. This gives us a clear explanation of why the scribes and Pharisees criticized Jesus for the people he shared meals with.

In that time, sheep had a great economic value; they represented a valuable property, and it was a joy to find a sheep that had been lost. By leaving the other ninety-nine sheep to look for the lost one, the shepherd took a big risk that some of the others might also wander away, get lost, or be attacked by predatory animals. The joy of the shepherd, who found the lost sheep in the first parable, is the same joy Christ has when a sinner repents.

Turning to the second parable—a drachma was a silver coin, the equivalent of one day’s wages for a worker. Losing something of such great value would have serious consequences for one’s livelihood. We can understand why the woman in the story would look for the coin “diligently” until she found it. And when she found it, she would tell her friends and neighbors of her good fortune. Christ spoke in this way to make his hearers understand that each human being was of great value in his eyes. He did not make exceptions. This parable is meaningful in people’s lives today, because many human beings are lost without God, without hope, without having the peace of Jesus Christ. Too many people in the world are marginalized by society for various reasons, and too many are dying without God in their hearts. This is the field where Jesus wants us to work hard.

These parables show us three important things:

1. Looking for the lost with the purpose to redeem them is a priority in God’s heart.

2. God receives joy when a sinner repents.

3. God wants Christians to search for the lost and take them to Christ. Christians should ask the Holy Spirit to fill their hearts with intense passion for lost souls, so they, too, can enjoy the peace of Jesus Christ.

Central Ideas

1. God loves all people. There are no differences among people in God’s eyes: no divisions, cultures, social classes, and academic grades.

2. Our mission is to uphold the worth and dignity of all persons and invite them into Christian discipleship.