Parables: Stories to Challenge Culture

Luke 15

Pastor David Cay

Today I want to talk about choices, the choices we make every single day. There are some choices that don’t make much of a difference like what we eat at a buffet. But some choices really do matter.

One of the most important choices that can Christian make is deciding what kind of Christian we want to be? Our Bible story suggests that there are three kinds of Christians — three general mindsets for the Christian life.

Luke 15:1-10

Pastor David Cay

You are so important to God that he will do anything to find you! He would even sacrifice his own life and suffer a horrible death on a cross just so that He could be with us.

But after he finds us, we need to realize that it’s not the end of the story! It doesn’t just end at salvation and having a relationship with God. No, we get to join God in His mission! We get to help other people start a relationship with God.

This mission gives our lives meaning, unfortunately many Christians have forgotten or have left God’s mission behind, and they really miss out on the adventure!

Today I want to share two stories from the Bible about God’s passion for people. These stories are not only about what God does for us, but they’re also about the mission that God is inviting us on. The stories are known as the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin.

Luke 10:30-37

Pastor David Cay

Spiritual stagnation is serious. It should be a crisis when we stop growing spiritually. The impact that we can have is closely tied to whether or not we are growing spiritually for we were put on this earth to make a difference and for eternity.

So how do we know we are growing spiritually? Two words: radical love. Our Bible story tells us that God is making us into people marked by radical love. We measure our spiritual progress by our growth in our love for people.