Happy Monday!

My last few emails have bordered on novel status, so I will keep this one shorter.

One of my favorite sections of Scripture is Luke 15.

To borrow a popular term, I think it's a great snapshot of how Jesus "lived on mission." 

Notice who Jesus is sitting with in verses 1 and 2 -- the despised tax collectors, the frowned upon sinners, and oh - the religious people.

It was the religious people (Pharisees) who wanted to know why Jesus was hanging out with the despised and frowned upon.

So Jesus looks back at them and answers their question in his most classic way - with stories (parables).

Story #1 - Let's say you have 100 sheep and 1 gets away. Wouldn't you leave the other sheep, track the 1 down, and be pumped when you find it?

Story #2 - Let's assume you have cash lying around and some of it goes missing. You'd tear up your house to find it, wouldn't you?

Story #3 - What if one of your own kids decided to leave the house and go his own way? Wouldn't you pursue him until he comes back home?

This is the gist of the second value of Salt Church.
 

Value #2 - Have immense passion to reach the lost.
 

Not to spoil the story (you can read it yourself), but the shepherd leaves his 99 sheep, finds the 1, brings it home, and celebrates with his neighbors.

The woman who lost her coin stopped at nothing to clean her house, found the coin, and celebrated with her neighbors.

The father whose son left the house -- well, the son finally came to his senses and came back. The father rejoiced and celebrated with his neighbors.

Are we comfortable in our daily world, or do we step outside of comfort to reach the lost?

Not just be around the lost -- but to pursue them.

I've mentioned this in a prior email, but one of the main reasons I picked to meet at Canyon View High School was the vision I had the minute I stepped on that campus.

I immediately pictured an outdoor baptism tank. Our church family was gathered around it to witness a person we reached from the community be baptized and profess his faith.

What a lame life we live if we never get to rejoice the lost being found.

I want all kinds of those stories in 2021.

I want you to baptize your friends. I want you to spread the hope that only we can offer.

It should be our prayer that the Salt Church is a mix of two people - one guy that can't wait to dig into theories of the Atonement, and another guy who can't quickly locate the Gospels (or has never opened the Bible altogether).

May each of those men look at each other and praise Christ that they have both been brought into the same room to worship the one true King.

- Michael