The Importance of the One, by Rev. Clint Walker

The Importance of The One

By Rev. Clint Walker

Ministry and Mission Coach

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.”--Luke 15: 3-6

On Sunday morning I have the opportunity of being the second adult serving with the children’s Sunday School. A few weeks back, my co-worker, who actually does the teaching, had a family emergency. So, I had to come up with a lesson from scratch in a short amount of time. I ended up finding a way to put together something about the lost sheep and the lost coin in Luke 15. What speaks to me about the parable of the lost sheep is always the value of one person and one soul to Jesus. He will leave 99 behind to seek a lost sheep. And he will passionately pursue sinners like you and me until he brings us home to faith in him and welcomes them into his family—the church. Christ is passionately invested in the transformation of individual hearts. He places infinite value on individual human souls.

   One Sunday after worship I waited until everyone left the church, grabbed a few things, and then ran back across the church to check what I call “The Scoreboard”. What was our attendance? What is our average for the month? How does that compare to the previous month and the previous year? Is that good enough?”

In Scripture there are sometimes where estimates are made of crowds. The feeding of five thousand is one example. The over three thousand converts on the day of Pentecost is another tally that is often mentioned. Often though, the church grew through small groups meeting in homes, where people were known and loved, held accountable and encouraged, spoken of by name and connected by deep bonds that could only be described in the language of family. The church grew slowly and steadily through those relationships in what one author called “The Patient Ferment of the Early Church”

The gospel grows best when it is experienced in a personal way and lived out through our personal relationships. When people come to know that the God who made the universe numbered the hairs on their head, they experience the love of God in a powerful way, and they are changed. When folks are set free by God’s grace from guilt and bondage to sin by God’s forgiveness and deliverance, they come to understand that they have a purpose in God’s kingdom. People grow best in the faith when they are connected personally to other people who have been where they have been, and can connect them with the truth of Scripture, and practices that allow them to live the truth of Scripture in their everyday lives. When people love us enough to accept us warts and all but also know and love us enough not to just leave us stuck in our sin, we find the powerful, life-changing grace of God. All of this happens best with personal connection, not in a crowd.

So, this is a good time to speak this truth: growth is not discerned by measuring noses and nickels. Faithful ministry often means leaving the 99 to reach the one. So, let us not forget the importance of the one. Let us learn to value each individual person’s value to the Creator. The need for each of us to have a personal connection to God and to one another. Let us remember that the gospel is lived in life-to-life connection as we walk the journey of faith together.

Prayer



Lord, help us to love others as you would love them. One by one, with deep personal care and connection. Help us to be carriers of your love and grace to those around us. Amen.

By Rev. Clint Walker

Ministry and Mission Coach

American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains

www.abcrm.org