Church Of The Lost Sheep

Simple Stories, P rofound Truths "On that day after Yeshua left the house, He was sitting by the sea. And large crowds gathered around Him; so He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood on the shore. And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, a sower went out to spread some seed. As he was scattering the seed, some seeds fell by the road; and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil. They sprang up immediately, because the soil wasn’t deep. But when the sun came up, they were scorched; and because they had no roots, they withered away. Other seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew and choked them out. But others fell on good soil and were producing fruit. They yielded a crop—some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.” Matthew 13:1-9 TLV [This is the 15th lesson in this series] [ The Name Jesus in their language is Yeshua, t he TLV uses Yes

Parable of the Day Laborers ' “For the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the workers for a denarius per day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing in the marketplace, idle. And to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did the same. And about the eleventh hour, he went out and found others standing around. And he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle the whole day?’ “‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him. “He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard, too.’ “Now when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’ And those who had come about the eleventh hour each received a denarius. And

' But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus took up this question and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down the same road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So too, when a Levite came to that spot and saw him, he passed by on the other side. But when a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, he looked at him and had compassion. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Take care of him,’ he said, ‘and on my return I will repay you for any additional expense.’ Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” “The one who showed him mercy,” replied

Parable of the Barren Fig Tree "Then  Yeshua  began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree he had planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘Indeed, for three years I‘ve come searching for fruit on this fig tree and found none. Remove it! Why does it use up the ground?’ “But answering, the gardener said to him, ‘Master, leave it alone for this year also, until I dig around it and apply fertilizer. And if it bears fruit, good. But if not, cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9 [This is the 12th lesson in this series] Jesus told this parable (story) after He was teaching and people in the crowd asked Him about an event that just happened in their area. Some people asked Him about a tower which fell where people perished (kind of something we would nornally see or hear on the news or social media). Jesus responded to that inquiry and then proceeded to tell this story about the fig tree. Fruit Trees Vineyards, trees and fr

Parable of the Talents “For it is like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and handed over his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey. “Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them and gained five more. In the same way, the one with two gained two more. But the one who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money." Matthew 25:14-18 [This is the 11th lesson in this series] Continuing where we left off from the previous message , Jesus is again telling a story about the end days. As we have mentioned He was in a roll and was telling story after story about what the end of days will be like. End Days Parable In that previous message, He used the wedding analogy. In this story, Jesus is using a story about a master  and his servants, which the people listening could also easily

Parable of the Ten Virgins “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish ones took their lamps, they took no oil with them. But the wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps. “Now while the bridegroom was taking a long time, they all got drowsy and started falling asleep. But in the middle of the night there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. Now the foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, since our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Instead, go to those who sell, and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were going off to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. Now later, the other virgins came, saying, ‘S

Parable of the Two Sons “Now what do you think? A man had two sons, and he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go work in the vineyard today.’ The son answered, ‘I won’t,’ but afterward he had a change of heart and went. The man went to the second son and said the same thing. But he answered, ‘I will, sir,’ and didn’t go. Which of the two did the will of the father?” “The first,” they said. Yeshua  said to them, “Amen, I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are going ahead of you into the kingdom of God. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and even after you saw this, you had no change of heart to believe him.” Matthew 21:28-33 [This is the 9th lesson in this series] Jesus told this parable (story) after the chief priests and elders asked Him on what authority does He do the things He was doing. As in other cases, Jesus responded with a question back for them and by telling a

Other Parables This is the 12th day of our Lenten study as we read through the gospel according to Mark. Like we did yesterday, we will not start off with the passage but will be reading it below. The reason for this is that again we will read parables and these are actually a continuation of yesterday"s parable reading. I pray that you will continue with us in this 40 day journey as we read through the Book of Mark, and praying, fasting and abstaining from temporal things at least on these 40 days. Here is the passage for today: The Seed Growing Secretly "Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day he sleeps and wakes, and the seed sprouts and grows, though he knows not how. All by itself the earth produces a crop—first the stalk, then the head, then grain that ripens within. And as soon as the grain is ripe, he swings the sickle, because the harvest has come. ” The Parable of the Mustard Seed Then He asked

One of the Parables Continuing with our Lenten study by reading through passages from the Book of Mark, today we will change it up by not starting off with the passage. The reason for this is that the passage already tries to explain itself and one only needs to put aside quality time to read through it. Time I pray that you will do so and that you will continue with us in this 40 day journey as we read the Book of Mark, praying, fasting and abstaining from temporal things at least on this few days. Here is the passage for today: The Parable of the Sower "Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore. And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said, “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Some fell on rocky ground, where

The Parable of the Rich Fool Then he told them this story: “The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ‘Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself, Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!’ “Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods—who gets it?’  Luke 12: 16-20 Jesus told this parable (story) after someone asked Him for help about his inheritance. As in other similar cases, Jesus responded by telling a story. And this time it is a story about a greedy farmer. Kobe I know it is still fresh in many people's minds about the unexpected death of Kobe Bryant and the eight others who died with him that fateful Sunday morning helicopter crash. But this story just brings t

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant "Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times (or seventy times seven) . “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant

Marriage Feast or Great Banquet 'Jesus said to him, “A man gave a large banquet and invited many people. When it was time for the banquet, he sent his servant to tell those who were invited, ‘Come! Everything is ready now.’ “Everyone asked to be excused. The first said to him, ‘I bought a field, and I need to see it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I bought five pairs of oxen, and I’m on my way to see how well they plow. Please excuse me.’ Still another said, ‘I recently got married, and that’s why I can’t come.’ “The servant went back to report this to his master. Then the master of the house became angry. He told his servant, ‘Run to every street and alley in the city! Bring back the poor, the handicapped, the blind, and the lame.’ “The servant said, ‘Sir, what you’ve ordered has been done. But there is still room for more people.’ “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go to the roads and paths! Urge the people to come to my house. I want it to be full. I can guarantee that non

What Defiles a Man "Once again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand: Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him; but the things that come out of a man, these are what defile him.” After Jesus had left the crowd and gone into the house, His disciples inquired about the parable. “Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him, because it does not enter his heart, but it goes into the stomach and then is eliminated.” (Thus all foods are clean.) He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him. For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness. All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.” Mark 7:14-23 BSB The Heart of Man Again we see Jesus being stalked by the religious leaders

Why Tell Stories? "The disciples came up and asked, “Why do you tell stories?” He replied, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn’t been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That’s why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they’re blue in the face and not get it. I don’t want Isaiah’s forecast repeated all over again: 'Your ears are open but you don’t hear a thing.     Your eyes are awake but you don’t see a thing. The people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears     so they won’t have to listen; They screw their eyes shut     so they won’t have to look,     so they won’t have to deal with me face-to-face     and let

A Story about a Vineyard “Listen to another illustration. A landowner planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, made a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to vineyard workers and went on a trip. “When the grapes were getting ripe, he sent his servants to the workers to collect his share of the produce. The workers took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned a third to death. So the landowner sent more servants. But the workers treated them the same way. “Finally, he sent his son to them. He thought, ‘They will respect my son.’ “When the workers saw his son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they grabbed him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. “Now, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those workers?” They answered, “He will destroy those evil people. Then he will lease the vineyard to other workers who will give him his share of the produce when it is r

A Story about a Mustard Seed "Jesus asked, “How can we show what the kingdom of God is like? To what can we compare it? It’s like a mustard seed planted in the ground. The mustard seed is one of the smallest seeds on earth. However, when planted, it comes up and becomes taller than all the garden plants. It grows such large branches that birds can nest in its shade.” Jesus spoke ⌊God’s⌋ word to them using many illustrations like these. In this way people could understand what he taught. He did not speak to them without using an illustration. But when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them." Mark 4:30-34 This is the second parable of this series on Jesus teaching. And if you ask me, I really feels it just naturally flows from the first about new wineskins. If you have a lot of time to burn, you could read that first , in case you missed it. Parable First off, Jesus is teaching again using stories, as we already know are called parables. A