Breaking News!

“I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

In a book entitled “Oikos” Tom Mercer writes, Have you notice that everything seems to be “Breaking News?” You turn on a radio station and they play their theme music and pretty soon, “Breaking News.” Like every five minutes there’s “Breaking News.” You know, “Breaking News! The Democrats are under fire from the Republicans.” That’s not even news! Even the commercials are being written as though they were “Breaking News.” But because the media tries to make everything important to us, nothing is important to us. It’s the boy who cried, “Wolf!”

Well the church is suffering from the same problem. We are constantly hearing from Pastors and church leaders about the next best and most important thing that church should be doing today. New programs and methods are regularly introduced as the key to church growth in this modern age. Some churches today have so many “important things” that they’re doing that the “most important thing” is being minimized, namely reaching the lost for Christ! But in Heaven there is no confusion about what truly is Breaking News! Jesus said, “I say unto you that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). Heaven has a party, and there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels when just one saved sinner repents, more so than over a whole bunch of saved saints doing a whole lot of good things in the church. “My contention is that most churches try to do too much. And, in doing so, the most important thing gets lost in the shuffle. Jim Collins is one of this generation’s most respected business analysts. He was right on when he said, “Good is the enemy of great” (Tom Mercer). There is no confusion about what heaven is most excited about, and neither is there any doubts about the main mission of Jesus Christ. He came to seek and saved the lost! Although there were many demands on Jesus, like feeding the hungry and healing the sick, he never lost sight of why he came to this earth and that was to give his life a ransom for many (Luke 4:42-44). When he called his disciples he said unto them, “follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Before he ascended into Heaven he said, “But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you. And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). He also said, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel…” Mark 16). Jesus loves and gave his life for the “world” but we also know that heaven rejoices over “one” sinner that repents. The main mission of the church should be to reach the world for Christ one soul at a time. In general, the church is to reach the world for Christ. But one Church alone can’t reach “the world” for Christ. Each church is responsible to reach “its world” for Christ. The church is made of individual believers. One believer can’t reach the whole world for Christ. But every believer is responsible for reaching his/her world (circle of influence) for Christ. Let’s not allow the good things that we do to keep us from the great things, namely the great commission. The church today puts a premium on taking care of the ninety and nine righteous persons that need no repentance. Heaven rejoices over one lost sinner coming to repentance. That’s the breaking news that the church needs to get busy reporting. It time for each one to reach one and be a part of what heaven rejoices over.