"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?" (Luke 15:4, NKJV)
Two words in a barrio in Tijuana
I was only a couple of years into my faith. Our team was preparing for an open-air crusade on a dirt soccer field in a very poor barrio of Tijuana, and we were canvassing the neighborhood with flyers. The rest of the team was close by, but at that moment I was on foot by myself.
I saw a young man in a hoodie on a BMX bike, and I saw myself in him. I walked up, smiled, and held out a flyer.
He smirked, pulled out a revolver with a taped handle, and said, "Un dollar."
With the flyer still stretched out, I said, "Jesús Cristo."
That was all I had to give. Every time he asked for money, I said it again: "Jesús Cristo." I showed no emotion when the gun came out. I just kept giving him the only thing I had.
It reminds me of the man begging at the gate called Beautiful, expecting money from Peter and John:
"Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk." (Acts 3:6, NKJV)
I've wondered whether it was my youth that kept me from being scared, or the fact that I knew my God was bigger than his gun. Eventually he took the flyer and rode away. I don't know if he came to the crusade. But I know he will never forget that encounter, and I know God didn't need my eloquence. He needed me standing there, saying His name. That's how it works with the one. It's rarely about being impressive. It's about being present and pointing to Jesus.
The Shepherd goes after the one
Jesus told the story of the lost sheep to people who were complaining that He spent His time with sinners. Look at what the shepherd does. He doesn't wait for the sheep to find its own way home. He doesn't send a message. He goes, "until he finds it."
"And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing." (Luke 15:5, NKJV)
No lecture. No shame. He carries it home rejoicing.
That's the heart of God toward the one you're thinking of right now. Reaching your one starts with joining Him in what He's already doing.
"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, NKJV)
Heaven throws a party over one.
Agents of hope
A war is raging for the souls of men and women, and we are the agents of hope. We are Christ on this earth, because He lives in us and desires to work through us.
"Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God." (2 Corinthians 5:20, NKJV)
Most people are so caught up in everyday life that they hardly give a thought that today could be their last. The church needs to wake up. Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. We are all on borrowed time, so don't put off the hard conversations with the people you love. It starts with us reaching one.
"Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" (John 4:35, NKJV)
Ask, "Lord, who is my one?" Then pray for them by name every day. Take one small step this week: a text, a coffee, an offer to pray. Don't go alone. Ask a brother or sister to pray with you for your one.
See Him in every face
Your one might be the cashier you see every week, the neighbor you wave to, or the man on the corner you've learned not to look at. Jesus said we would find Him there.
"Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me." (Matthew 25:40, NKJV)
Speak it out loud
Say these with me, not just in your head:
"Jesus left the ninety-nine for me. I will go for my one."
"I am an ambassador for Christ. I carry His message, not my own."
"I don't need to be impressive. I need to be present, and I need to say His name."
Reflect
Who is the one God keeps bringing to your mind, and what's stopping you from reaching out this week?
Pray with me
Lord Jesus, You left the ninety-nine and came for me. I was lost, and You carried me home rejoicing. Forgive me for being so busy with my own life that I walked past the ones You died for.
Wake me up. Wake up Your church. Set my heart on fire again for the lost. Holy Spirit, show me my one by name. I lift them to You right now. Open their eyes, soften their heart, and break every chain the enemy has on them.
We are all on borrowed time, Lord Jesus. Help us make the most of it, and help us not to put off the hard conversations with the people we love. Help us to see You in every face we pass, because You said that what we do for the least of these, we do for You.
Give me boldness to open my mouth and say Your name, even when I'm afraid, because You are bigger than anything in front of me. I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give: Jesus Christ. Use me this week. Let heaven rejoice over one more coming home. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
If today were your last day
If today were your last day on earth, would you be confident of where you'd spend eternity? If you've never given your life to Christ, I encourage you to do it today.
If you want help reaching your one, join the Leave9941 email list at leave9941.com for prayers, declarations and updates on Dying Daily, the book I'm writing to help us die to self and live for Him, one day at a time. And tell me: who's your one? Just their first initial is enough. I'll pray with you.
Start here: leave9941.com/know-jesus