He saw something no one else saw. In those despised by society, He saw royalty – Sons and daughters of God. Though far away from Him, they were loved, cherished and not forgotten. He heard something that no one else heard. He heard the heart cries of publicans and sinners when no one cared enough to listen. He heard their cries for a better life. He heard their cries for deliverance from the chains that bound them to lives not in harmony with their purpose.

“This man receiveth sinners” Luke 15:2

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His love and compassion broke down barriers of suspicion and mistrust. His kindness disarmed the skeptical. His words of truth penetrated minds who were the objects of scorn and derision by the religious rulers. He came to give life, and life more abundantly, even to the least of these.

His approach to ministry was strikingly different than those who were the pillars of society. There was no pretentiousness in His dealings with those He met. The Bible simply says, “and the common people heard him gladly.” Mark 12:37

It’s that same love and compassion that has brought us into the family of God. His methods, when adopted by His servants, still have power to change lives for eternity. This week we have an opportunity to reexamine the methods of Jesus. Not only how He did what He did, but why.

Luke 15 records three stories with similarities that reinforce how we as a church body and individuals should conduct our lives. Luke begins with the story of the shepherd who lost just one of his one hundred sheep. Dropping everything, he searches until he finds that one missing sheep, reunites it with the one hundred and rejoices that it was restored.

Similarly Jesus tells of a woman who lost just one of her ten precious coins. Her immediate focus was to find that one coin. And again, after finding what was lost, there was rejoicing.

That story is followed by one of our favorites stories which we have called “The Prodigal Son.” We could focus on the journey of the son, which is full of lessons to us all. But for today we will focus on the father’s attitude towards his son. I imagine that every day he looked down the road, hoping it would be the day that he would be made whole again by his son’s return. One day his deepest desire was realized, and the Bible describes that moment:

“When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” Luke 15:20

At the conclusion of each story we find a blueprint for the church. It is the pattern Jesus himself set as He walked this earth. It is a blueprint for us individually and as a corporate body.

Number one: The goal must be reconciliation.

“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” ― Yogi Berra

A saying that has become quite common is “stay woke.” It’s a way of saying, ‘Don’t be distracted from the real issues of life by side issues. Keep the main thing the main thing.” While not usually associated with religion, this phrase is applicable to the church of today. It is easy for us to be diverted from our primary mission in life. It is easy to champion good things at the neglect of the main thing. The main mission of the church is best stated by Paul in the book of 2 Corinthians.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:17-19

Number two: Priorities

“The most important thing in life is knowing the most important things in life.” ― David F. Jakielo

In the parable of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin we see demonstrated what it means to have a priority in life. Nothing else was allowed to interfere with the priority of the moment – finding and restoring that which was lost. That must be our priority in life.

I know how easy it is to lose a sense of the real priority in life. Society pushes us all in directions that are contrary to our calling in Jesus. It is easy to use the talents and gifts God has given each of us in ways that are not aligned with our stated goal in life – sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Everything Jesus did was with the end in mind. Each interaction, each touch of His healing hand, each word of hope and inspiration, all had one end in mind – restoring lost man back to the ideal God intended. That must be our goal and priority in life.

Here are a few Hit the Mark questions for this week’s lesson discussion:

• What does having a goal mean to you?
• What, if anything, is the difference between a goal and a desire?
• Is increasing the membership of the church the church’s primary goal? Explain your answer.
• What is your church’s goal?
• All churches will declare that they are about saving souls. How can one determine if that is indeed the goal of a church?
• Is it possible that some of our traditions are in conflict with our stated goals as a church? Explain your answer.
• List at least three priorities a church should exhibit if it is serious about achieving its goal and why those priorities are vital.
• Is the following statement True, Mostly True, Somewhat True or Not True: The evidence that a local church is fulfilling its goal is indicated by the number of people that attend the Sabbath service.  Explain your answer.

We close this week’s lesson on Jesus Mingled With People with an indication that all heaven is focused on what happens in our tiny speck of a world.

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7

Until next week, let’s all continue to Hit the Mark in Sabbath School!

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