The natural outflow of knowing Jesus and what He has done is a zealous pursuit of others. They are merely sheep without a shepherd. We were in the same position until Jesus “saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy” (Titus 3:5). The most compassionate and loving act would be to bring good news that there is a Savior: The Shepherd of our souls who longs to guide us, love us, and save us!
To truly believe this is to fall on our face in adoration and catch fire for the mission set before us.
Let us, then, reach for our potential brothers and sisters! Pagans, drunks, idolaters, the sexually immoral…and such were some of us. But we were washed, we were sanctified, we were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
We are now sheep led by the Shepherd. They are not yet. And so, we are entrusted with an urgent mission. We must work alongside others and bring the news of Jesus to every city, town, and village.
Amazingly, He gives us so much creativity and freedom to accomplish this mission! We are called to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19)…not to sit and wait for them to walk through our doors. Jesus did not promise harvest without labor. He did not guarantee that the “whosoever” would come to us. We were never promised ornate buildings of stature and brilliance, impressive worship teams, or sweet multi-purpose third spaces. Instead, He has granted to us His precious and very great promises (2 Peter 1:4). We were promised that the word of God is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). We were promised that the fields are white for harvest (John 4:35). And we were promised that Christ would be with us as we seek the lost to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
We must pursue them, love them, and most of all, introduce them to the One who saved our souls out of darkness and into His marvelous light. God gives us freedom to pursue them with sincerity, to love them without reservations, and to creatively present the immutable Gospel.
And so, we work the field before us to fulfill the mission with which we’ve all been entrusted. How we do it will look different, because no two churches or communities are the same. But the mission unifies us and keeps us interdependent.
Consider these questions as your church seeks to reach those sheep who are yet without a shepherd:
- How can we personally and collectively submit our hearts to the calling of the Great Commission?
- How can we as a “Charis family” work together to spread the Gospel?
- How can we celebrate and enjoy the amazing work that God is doing in our local context?
I believe that the Lord will continue to guide us to answers through His word, seeking Him in prayer, and the fellowship of servants who share the same mind. Let us, then, push on to encourage our fellow churches. Let us ask each other for help. Let us carry the burden together. And let us run with endurance the race set before us (Hebrews 12:1).
Written by Ethan and Jael Bunce for the Year in Review 2023–2024. Ethan and Jael attend Bellefontaine Grace Church in Bellefontaine, Ohio, where Ethan is a pastor on staff and Jael serves as the director of women’s ministries. They have been married for eight years and they have one daughter.