Found!!

Omaha has been hit with a number of disappearances. Recently, a little girl by the name of Amber Harris was discovered after six months of being missing. She was found in a shallow grave in a park not too far from her house. Another woman was found in the Missouri River. She had not been gone too long, but nonetheless, she had disappeared. There was an article in Sunday's Omaha World Herald about all the missing people from this area. There were literally hundreds. People were stunned. One would think that everything would be done in our power to find these people. Our hope is that they never disappear from our conscience.
However, there are many who have disappeared from our church families. They have slowly, not suddenly in most cases, but slowly vanished. They quit coming. They may receive a phone call. "Oh, I was sick," or "I was working," or "I was out of town." Our minds soothed by the fact that we checked on them. But then they completely disappear. Slowly, they die a spiritual death...and we do nothing to find them. Shame on me! Jesus said it was more important to leave the 99 to find the 1. Contrary to the case of Amber Harris, even if these are found dead, they can be made alive again. Paul said, "As for you, you were dead in your transgression and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is not at work in those who are disobedient...But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when were were dead in transgressions--" (Eph. 1:1,4)
Let's make it a practice to search those who have left. Let's go and find. Let's have the courage and the love for those who have left, those who need to be found. JW