Well, it’s the last day of 2006. Another year has come and gone. Life is a journey and the years, months and days are the stepping stones of that journey. Your life’s journey is not meant to be random meanderings, God intends for you to go somewhere in your life. His purpose is for you to accomplish things that will last for eternity. You will only accomplish God’s purpose for your life in the context of a church family that has a vision, a church family that is going somewhere with God.
Let’s talk about where Life Church is going as a church. The year of 2006 was an important year for us as a church. Our theme for the year was focused on the purpose-driven life. We looked at God’s five purposes for our lives, purposes that give us direction in keeping in step with God’s will. I believe that during 2006 our church family grew stronger in many ways, as we continued to grow numerically.
So what’s ahead in 2007? My message today is entitled “Reaching Out in 2007.” I believe the theme that God has for Life Church in 2007 is “Reaching Out.” What does it mean to Reach Out? To reach out means to stretch beyond the comfortable circle of our church family to those who are outside. God has blessed us as believers, but the blessing of God comes with an obligation. Here is God’s promise to Abraham, our father in the faith. NIV Genesis 12:2 … I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. God blessed Abraham for a purpose, so that He would be a blessing to others. God has blessed you as well. Why? So that you would be a blessing.
Who does God want us to reach out to? God desires us to reach out to those who are lost. Many people are lost from a relationship with God. They wouldn’t think of themselves as lost, yet they don’t have a living faith in Jesus Christ. So, what’s in it for you? The Bible says, NIV Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. Your most precious possession is your faith in Jesus Christ. As you give it away to those who are lost, you will receive from God all that you need. Wouldn’t it be great if all your relatives and friends were believers, living for God, active and growing in the church family at Life Church?
Today, we’re going to look at a passage from Luke 15 where Jesus teaches on the importance of reaching out to the lost. The story begins in NIV Luke 15:1-3 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: The important point here is that Jesus told the following story about a lost sheep because He was being criticized for being around lost people. Those who reach out to the lost will always be criticized by others, but Jesus told this story to encourage us to continue to reach out. So, what does Jesus want to teach us today about reaching out to the lost?
To hear more about this topic, listen to my December 31, 2006 message entitled Reaching Out In 2007