Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling — Calling for you and for me; Patiently Jesus is waiting and watching — Watching for you and for me! Come home! come home! Ye who are weary, come home! Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home!
This song expresses the heart of our Saviour Jesus who loves you, who is anxious for you. In order to find His lost sheep, He came to this earth to look for you and me, and through His death to save all who are willing to trust in Him.
Jesus said: 12 “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14 In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18)
Our Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish, so He gave us the 3 H’s:
1. Highest command: “Go into all
the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)
2. Humongous salvation: “He was
delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justifica- tion.” (Romans 4:25)
3. Happiest result: “I tell you that in
the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)
Brothers and sisters, my wife and I dare not disobey our Father’s highest command, so we go out to share the gospel and seek the lost sheep.
Last Saturday, we were out once again, and we visited a lady who had been worshiping idols for decades. In fact, the Father had already been working in her heart, moving her, but she could not make up her mind. After we shared the gospel, we asked her 3 times if she wanted to trust in Jesus Christ. Finally she agreed and prayed the sinner’s prayer with us. The next day she came to church. We were overjoyed, heaven even more so! Hallelujah!
Sharing the gospel is to follow the highest command, and also to accomplish the humongous salvation, which leads to the happiest result!
The 40,000 seeking the 70,000
We have 110,000 members in our church, but 70,000 are lost, because in a report from last year (2018), we can see that only 40,000 go to church or Sunday School. Where are the other 70,000? These 70,000 are lost. They need you and I to look for them. Brothers and sisters, arise! Let us go together to look for these missing 70,000! If each of us 40,000 people can find one person to bring back this year, the church will have 80,000 people. Next year if we each find another one, then we will have over 110,000 people. The question is: Are you going out to find them?
On another Saturday afternoon, we were going out to share the gospel with an elderly man, and somehow we ended up talking to his daughter-in-law. We found out that after marrying into this family, she had not gone to church in 40 years! We immediately made sure of her faith, and invited this lost sheep of 40 years to return. She agreed! Praise the Lord.
This year, a number of churches have actively started or resumed going out weekly to share the gospel and look for sheep. In the past few months they have found many lost sheep and brought them back.
Brothers and sisters, there are many lost sheep waiting for you to find them and bring them back to church. Are you willing to represent Jesus to go? Jesus did not only use words, media, delegates, or other methods. He came in Person, Word became flesh. He followed the highest command, accomplished the humongous salvation, and experienced the happiest result. Let us follow in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus, to go out there personally and look for the lost sheep, to call out to the lost sheep:
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling — Calling for you and for me; Patiently Jesus is waiting and watching — Watching for you and for me! Come home! come home! Ye who are weary, come home! Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, O sinner, come home!
By Rev Dr Tie King Tai
SCAC President