“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one… And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 15: 8, 9-10
There are a lot of folks in the church who think they know God.
After all, they’re involved in their church. Many can even rattle off a list of what Jesus said or did. Yet, despite knowing and even believing what the Bible teaches, many people remain clueless – spiritually lost. What they think of as “faith” is really a head-based knowledge of WHO God is versus a heart-based, life-changing faith that comes from walking with God.
In Jesus’ day, the Pharisees were the ones who knew it all. They knew the Bible, the religious rules, and even the proper prayers. If anyone thought they knew God, these were the guys. Then Jesus showed up and started breaking all these religious, manmade rules and traditions they had added into scripture. Jesus even spent time with thieves, prostitutes, and tax collectors – society’s outcasts. These were the ones who definitely didn’t know God – according to the Pharisees.
When confronted by these religious leaders, Jesus responded with a story: A woman lost one of only ten coins. In a desperate search, she combed through her home from top to bottom in search of this valuable coin. Finally, when she found it, she called all her neighbors to celebrate.
Does it seem extreme to throw a party over finding a single lost coin? Not to Jesus. You see, WE are that coin, and God loves every single one of us so much that He was willing to send Jesus to the cross in OUR place so that we might be found.
What does it mean to be found? It means being forgiven of our sins and brought back into a relationship with God. Just because you go through the motions and know a lot about God doesn’t make you a Christian. One can remain lost while sitting in the front row center of the church each week.
Make sure you don’t simply know a lot about God, but you know Him personally.
Written by Bryant Wright, Founder, RFTH