A right attitude

As a pastor it is so easy to get caught up in who is in your corner. You pick out those people in the congregation that seem to be on your side and in your corner. They are always there, always on your side and have got your back no matter what. At times they are what we refer to as "yes men", many times those are the actual people who ruin your ministry. You lose your heart and soul for ministry and that should be to reach the lost. TO reach out to those who are unchurched, unsaved, or maybe even those who used to be in church but have wandered off. The ones who back you, who are most faithful are already growing in their relationship if you are feeding them each week with the Word of God. So where should our focus be, where should we be hungriest, for numbers? For a large group on Sunday mornings? For our regulars to be there to stroke our egos? No, I think Matthew 18 says it all.
"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the 99 on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the 99 that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost."
The most interesting thing about Jesus' words here is that he is actually talking about children. He is sharing with his disciples about how to deal with children. He's talking directly to leaders about their flocks. Reach out to the ones who are lost, to the ones who are wavering and fallen. Reach out for the people in your life who do not know Christ, who do not have a clue what it is like to know Christ and His love. Now is the best time to do it, Christmas is a gift in so many ways. It is in this context a gift in the way that it is an open opportunity to share the Gospel. Everyone is into Christmas, decorating and singing, and eating, and buying gifts so why not tell them what it is really about.
Jesus warns us not to get wrapped up in who is there, but rather to worry about those who arent. As a Pastor it is my job to feed all those who come through the doors each Sunday, it's even more important to pray for, and reach out to those who aren't there. Leaving the 99 is a perfect illustration of leaving your flock for eachc and every lost soul you can find.
Thanks for reading and have a great day!