Leading the Sheep to The Shepherd (Sunday)...

I just do not have the ability to express in words our worship experience. Dr. Ray, the music was just as moving this time as it was in Jan. I wish all you could have been there! Due to my limited writing ability I have decided to post the message that God gave Joseph. Joseph explained to the church body that earlier in the week the 4 of us (Joseph, Pastor N’gom, Gwen and I ) had a time of singing and worship at the river house. It was at this time that God revealed this message to him. According to my “shorthand” this is what Joseph professed…Luke 15:5 “And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.”

This is a man carrying a sheep. There is one flock and One Shepherd. This man had great joy bring this sheep to the One Shepherd. Joseph stated “to me, this is a beautiful picture!”

Joseph explained that there could be 2 interpretations of this …1)the man had great joy finding the sheep and carrying it to the “one (correct) pen” or 2) it was a burden the man had to carry the sheep on his shoulder.God is asking us to bring in the “lost sheep”. God desires to have people in the right sheep pen to worship the One True God. If someone is not in the correct sheep pen and does not know Jesus he is lost!

Joseph then asked ,“what is your feeling when you see the people around Sedhiou?” We need to carry them on our shoulders…we need to have the burden to carry them. God has placed us here to have the burden for them! If we don’t have the burden of lost people we have lost our vision. Joseph cont to explain that he was reminded of Israel and Nehemiah. In Ezra 2:59 the people of God did not know their position and because of that they failed. Joseph stated that he thought this chapter was one of the saddesst scripture passages in the Bible. Verse 62 states “These (descendants among the priests) searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean”. God had given these people a mission but they did not know their position and for this they were found unclean. (Remember, Joseph is also from the priest line of the Mandyak, whew!)

God doesn’t want this to happen to His people. God wants us to know why He has brought us to Sedhiou. He wants us to have the burden like the man in Luke to bring in the lost sheep. God is looking for men and women to intercede for the lost people of Sedhiou.

In Isaiah 62:1,2 “For Zion’s sake I willnot keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch. The nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; you will be called by a new name that the mouth of the LORD will bestow.” …Someone “stood up”!…they knew their position!…and they shined like a blazing torch! God wanted him to stand for his city and his people. Joseph then instructed that wherever you come from God wants you to have a new reading for this chapter…whatever people group…God wants you to have a new reading and understanding for your people group…I will not be silent! Now when you read this chapter intead of reading Zion and Jerusalem you should read the name of your city and your people. This is want God wants! Verse 6 & 7 “I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.” Bring revival!

In the time of Nehemiah, he stood for his people. In the time of Jeremiah, he was known as an intercessor, out of love, for his people. The picture we have of Jeremiah is a torrent of tears and a wind of warnings. He wept many tears and for this he was known as the “weeping prophet”. In Matt 16:14 the disciples said that some even compared Jesus to Jeremiah…Jesus wept for His city…for His people. The place were Jeremiah lamented is known for actually facing the direction of Calvary. This is a place that Jesus not only wept but that He shed His blood!

Jeremiah is also known as a man of prayer. We need to pray for our people. Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” This is God’s telephone number. We can call upon the Lord not only at church but at all times even in the fields.

God wants us to bring lost people to Him. Mark 2:1-4 tells the story of the paralytic that was lowered through the roof in order to see Jesus. This passage is full of meaning. Four men took the paralytic to Jesus and encountered many obstacles. It wasn’t easy but they made access by breaking through the roof. We need to break the roofs! We need to carry the paralytic people on our shoulder and bring them to Jesus! We should persevere…through prayer…and carry them on our shoulder to Jesus. This correlates to Luke 15.

If we will stand for our people it is possible to bring them to Jesus. Jesus hears our prayers! Luke 15 is called the department of “Lost and Found”… a coin was lost and found, a sheep was lost and found, and the prodigal son was lost and found because God was in control. Let us carry the Balantes, Jola, Mandkyak, Mancagnes, Sereer, Mandinka, Koniaguis on our shoulder.

Joseph concluded his message by saying “as I said in the beginning, this picture is very beautiful!” Pastor N’gom then instructed his congregation to also be burdened for the people of Neosho and Bro Tom. To pray for them…they then proceeded to intercede in prayer! Amen…Amen and Amen! Calvary and partnering churches, oh how this speaks to us! I couldn’t help but think of our mission banquet tonight at Calvary. To think that the God of the Universe coordinated that this message be presented half way around the world on the same day! We must have ears to hear!

To our families, we miss you and love you dearly!

For His Kingdom,

Cindy

Scott...please cont to pray for Moussa our driver...the last two days he has joined us in OC's devotion and Joseph has interpreted. God is at work! We are traveling to Marsarrsum to meet w/the Prefect for the medical team. We are praying for possibillity to show the J-film in Toniantoba. Love to all...anxious for the team's arrival.

Cindy