[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":92},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-sheep-in-the-shadows":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-sheep-in-the-shadows-surround":81},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":11,"columnName":64,"date":65,"description":17,"extension":66,"image":67,"meta":68,"minRead":69,"navigation":70,"path":71,"postType":72,"publication":73,"publicationUrl":67,"seo":74,"stem":75,"topics":76,"__hash__":80},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-sheep-in-the-shadows.md","The Sheep in the Shadows",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10],"Luke","John",{"type":12,"value":13,"toc":60},"minimark",[14,18,21,24,27,30,33,36,39,42,45,48,51,54,57],[15,16,17],"p",{},"Do we take Jesus seriously? Consider his teaching in Luke 14:12-14:",[15,19,20],{},"\"When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.\"",[15,22,23],{},"The late Carl Ketcherside wrote about a young couple who decided they had been given good jobs and a comfortable apartment so they could practice the kind of thing Jesus recommended. In the large congregation they attended, prominent members were always in the center of things, chatting and back-slapping and joking with one another, while the socially awkward and the newcomers remained on the fringes of the crowd.",[15,25,26],{},"Carl's friends began a private little project to serve these brothers and sisters they called \"sheep in the shadows.\" Often they began with a simple invitation to Sunday lunch. They laughingly remarked that Jesus talked about giving a banquet, so they thought of their cold cuts and potato salad as God's feast. An elderly widow came to their feast. So did a couple of young men who recently had come to Christ. So did a woman from another city whose husband was a patient in a local hospital. Quietly but intentionally, this Christian couple sought out and served those the church tended to overlook.",[15,28,29],{},"Seeking the Sheep",[15,31,32],{},"Every church has some sheep in the shadows. They sit alone during worship and hurry to their cars as soon as the final \"amen\" is said. They have as much to offer as any other members of God's family, but they usually avoid getting involved and always stay out of the limelight.",[15,34,35],{},"Some of them hold back because of private burdens they're unwilling to share. Others are scared of commitment or struggle with doubts about their faith, and quite a few feel guilty and unworthy of God's love.",[15,37,38],{},"Those who need love the most don't demand our attention. We have to seek for them, like sheep in the shadows. The quiet couple in their 70s would appreciate an invitation to dinner—if you ask. The 12-year-old girl who seldom says a word will open up—if you engage her in conversation one-on-one.",[15,40,41],{},"Although he was a senior adult at the time, Ketcherside began to work with a group of teenagers he described as \"a crew of ripped-off long-haired kids\" with a history of drug addiction. He loved them, listened to them, and one by one he baptized them into Christ.",[15,43,44],{},"An affluent member of the church asked, \"How are you making out with the hippies—those long-haired, sad-looking specimens you have been meeting with?\"",[15,46,47],{},"Carl responded, \"Those are not specimens, they are children of God. You are talking about my brethren in the Lord.\"",[15,49,50],{},"Condescendingly the other man continued, \"They look to me like something the cat dragged in.\"",[15,52,53],{},"And Carl replied, \"They look to me like someone the shepherd brought home.\"",[15,55,56],{},"(When he told this story, Carl added, \"Anyone who can't tell a cat from a sheep ought not be too critical.\")",[15,58,59],{},"Jesus' words will shake up our priorities if we take him seriously. He meant it when he said, \"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another\" (John 13:35)—and that includes loving the sheep in the shadows.",{"title":61,"searchDepth":62,"depth":62,"links":63},"",2,[],"First Look","2005-10-16","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-sheep-in-the-shadows","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":17},"articles\u002Fthe-sheep-in-the-shadows",[77,78,79],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Intergenerational Ministry","DtAVXoQa7JZk0vz8YkVmh3nQnH5b41uWm-6cWM4FbDY",[82,87],{"title":83,"path":84,"stem":85,"description":86,"children":-1},"The Senior Saints Center","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-senior-saints-center","articles\u002Fthe-senior-saints-center","Is there really a bright side to growing older? A youth-oriented culture like ours makes old age sound as uninviting as a heavy coat on a hot summer's day. Stereotypes abound—as if seniors do nothing but complain about their aches and pains and gripe about the younger generation.",{"title":88,"path":89,"stem":90,"description":91,"children":-1},"The Shortest Psalm","\u002Farticles\u002Fthe-shortest-psalm","articles\u002Fthe-shortest-psalm","Brother Grumbler wears a frown, And always tends to drag you down. Would Brother Grumbler be so bored If he were focused on the Lord?",1790466186310]