The word for today-UCB

THE LOST AND FOUND COLUMN			06 Nov 2012
'...I have found the piece [of silver] which I lost!' Luke 15:9
Christ's next parable was about a piece of lost silver: 'What woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbours together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost' (vv.8-9 NKJV). Notice, this piece of silver, which was an inanimate object, didn't know it was lost so it had no concern. Observe two things here: 1) It was lost by the very person who was supposed to care for it. 2) It was lost, even though it was in the house. This is a picture of those who sit in church every Sunday morning trusting in personal reformation, church affiliation, family connections or good works to save them. What did this woman do? She lit a lamp, swept the house and searched for it until she found it. That's what Bible-based, Christ-centred preaching does. Whatever stands in the way of people coming to Christ must be swept out. Let's light the lamp of God's Word. Let's preach the only message that can save people from their sins: '...The gospel...is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth...' (Romans 1:16 KJV). This woman probably had garments to be mended, cattle to be tended and water to be drawn. But all of that took a back seat. What's needed in the church today is the lamp to illuminate, the broom to sweep clean, and a commitment that refuses to stop until those who are lost in God's house are found and saved