This Wednesday night at Bible study, my husband used this parable from Luke 14:7-15.
7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.
8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.
13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.
15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.
We had a great study and discussion about this parable and how we need to reach out to those who cannot return the favor or repay, the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, as described in verse 14. We so often worry about what we can receive and rather than what we can offer. We talked about having an humble spirit and what God expects of us.
I began to think of this is the spiritual sense as well. In church, we are comfortable with those we call brother and sister. We pray with them, pray for them, encourage one another and help one another. This is all good and should be happening. We are all part of the body of Christ and should find that we have great care and love for one another. However, there are people who are poor, maimed, lame and blind spiritually. They too need to be reached and given the Gospel.
There are so many in the world around us right now that do not know God for themselves. They are blind to the truth of God, poor in the knowledge of salvation. Some have been wounded and hurt spiritually and do not seek God for healing of the soul. How much can we do to reach out and minister to these souls who truly need to come to the table and feast on the precious word of God?
First and foremost, we can pray for them. Prayer truly changes things. Pray that God open us doors to reach them. Pray that God prepare their hearts to receive Him. Pray that God lead someone to them who can show them the love of God and share the life-changing Gospel with them.
Second, we need to pray and prepare ourselves to be the right witness. Pray that we see the hurting and lost. Pray that God prepare our hearts to be right before him to hear him direct our path to that person in need. We need to get before God and repent, humble ourselves, and be right and holy before him. We cannot win a soul effectively when we are bogged down with the cares and worries of the world around us to the point that we are victorious in our living for Christ.
Third, we need to go out and willingly engage with the lost and hurting. Listen for God to direct you to that one soul. We often think we need to reach the whole world, the whole area or city in one fell swoop. All we really need to do, is reach one soul at a time. Reach one. That may not seem much, but to that one, it is everything. Just as Jesus taught that heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents, we can rejoice as well. We can rejoice that one more soul is added to the Kingdom. One soul can then reach out to one more.
Fourth, we need to be ready to disciple those new souls. They need new friendships, new relationships, new understanding. They need to be founded and grounded in the word of God. They need instruction and leadership. They need care and concern. Just as a new baby comes into this world unable to fend for themselves, we need to see them as new babies in Christ who need the body of Christ to care for and nurture them to maturity in the Spirit.
I think there have been so many hurt, lost souls that have been overlooked. But God says it is time to go into the highways and byways to seek out the souls that are ready to receive him. He said the fields are white and ready for harvest. The mission field is right here in my hometown. We have a harvest ready to be gathered in. Are we prepared and ready to reap the harvest? Invite them to come to the table and join the feast God has prepared..
