By Doug Echols, Senior Pastor, Bethel Baptist Church, Yorktown; President, SBC of Virginia
A few months ago, my wife and I were on Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas with approximately 6,000 other guests and 2,000 crew members. On the third day of our cruise, at 8:00 a.m., the captain made an important announcement. He said the ship was making an emergency stop in Jamaica because one of the passengers had a medical emergency requiring immediate attention. We watched as the massive ship carrying 8,000 people pulled into the dock and sent one person for the necessary medical treatment. As we pulled away 30 minutes later, the captain announced: “The health and safety of every person on board is our number one priority.”
This experience reminds me of Jesus’ parable of the lost sheep. In Luke 15, Jesus says, “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing…Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
If I am honest with myself, there are many times when I become so focused on the needs of the “ninety-nine” that I miss the one. It is natural to stay with the familiar and the comfortable rather than searching for the one wandering sheep. Sometimes the search can be expensive and exhausting. Yet Jesus reminds us of the priority we must place on searching for the one lost sheep. He also emphasizes the great joy that comes when the one lost sheep comes home.
As SBC of Virginia churches plan ministries and events throughout the year, we must continually remember the “one.” The “one” without hope and direction must never be overlooked. While we do not abandon the ninety-nine, we must make it a priority to make sure that every person has an opportunity to hear the Gospel message. We may be inconvenienced, and we may have to adjust our schedules, but the one lost sheep that is found will be thankful that your church placed a priority on their salvation. Let’s make the salvation of the lost in our communities our number one priority.
