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Finding the Lost Sheep, July 15
And if so be that he find [the lost sheep], verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth
more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Matthew 18:13
.
Jesus would impress upon the hearts and minds of His disciples the value of the
human soul. He demands cooperation on the part of His followers in rescuing lost
sinners. There is one lost sheep, the very least that could be numbered; and yet He
represents the shepherd as leaving the ninety and nine, and going into the mountains
to seek that one lost wanderer. Then why is it that the sons and daughters of God
are so cold of heart, so indifferent to the souls that are perishing around them? Why
is it that the members of the church are so willing to let the whole burden rest upon
the shoulders of the minister? How great a mistake is this, since every subject of
grace is to have a part to act in saving those that are lost.
To every man Christ has given his work, and personal efforts must be put forth to
save the perishing. The worker must be much in secret prayer; for this work requires
great wisdom in the science of saving souls. Christ said, “I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” He
said also to His disciples, “Ye are the light of the world.” He made the church the
depositary of sacred truth. He left His church a stewardship of sacred truth, and it
is the work of the church to carry forward His mission of saving the world. He is
the Sun of Righteousness, who is to impart bright rays to His followers; and they,
in turn, are to shed His light upon others. They are to be His representatives to the
world. Believing in Christ as their personal Saviour, they take up the work where
He left it. “Without me ye can do nothing,” said Christ; but with Him we can do all
things. There is a large, a very large number of straying and lost sheep that have
perished in the wild deserts of sin, simply because no one went after them, to search
for them and to bring them back to the fold. Jesus uses the illustration of a lost
sheep to show the need of seeking after those who have wandered from Him; for
a sheep once lost will never find its way back to the fold without help. It must be
sought for, it must be carried back to the fold.
All heaven is interested in the work of saving the lost. Angels watch with intense
interest to see who will leave the ninety and nine, and go out in tempest and storm
and rain into the wild desert to seek the lost sheep. The lost are all around us,
perishing and sadly neglected. But they are of value to God, the purchase of the
blood of Christ.... We are to seek to save those that are lost. We are to search for the
one lost sheep, and bring him back to the fold; and this represents personal effort
(
The Review and Herald, June 30, 1896
).
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