You remember the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 recorded in Mark 6. Jesus saw the shepherd-less multitude who had followed him and his disciples as they were trying to get away for some much needed rest. When he saw them he felt compassion for them, and then he acted to meet their spiritual and physical hunger involving his disciples in the process.
I had a similar experience last week. It was the Jehovah Witnesses 2009-2010 District Convention, "Keep On The Watch," being held over a two weekend period at the Hampton Coliseum. I decided to go and see if I could meet some folks and do a little witnessing of my own. My guess is there were about 3,000 people there.
As I found my way to a seat in the nose-bleed section a deep sadness came over me. "So, this is what a multitude of Shepherd-less people looks like," I thought to myself. It wasn't an arrogant feeling. I wasn't feeling better than or holier than anyone. I was simply and profoundly impressed with how Jesus must have felt that day when he saw all of those good people searching for truth, love, and relationship gathered together looking for him.
I saw, I felt ... but what could I possibly do? I felt so useless. I did the one thing I could do, I prayed. I thanked God for showing me what he sees. I interceded for the children, the youth, the young families, the adults who were being taught wrong doctrine. They meant well, but they simply were not sharing Truth. The sadness is still with me.
Paul's Online is an impossible mission Jesus has given me and a few others. Our purpose is to reach all unchurched people and connect them to the resources of the existing churches in our communities. I say it is impossible, not because there are so many people to reach, but because the church of Jesus is so divided. As I watched and listened to the false teachings, I grieved not only over the need of the Shepherd-less I saw, but for the absence of the church. Have we written them off? Do we no longer "see" them and, therefore, no longer feel for their lostness?
We can act! We must act! It is time we get our act together! Though our differences are significant, we are one Body if we are Jesus' disciples. After all, his solution was to bless and break and use what they had to feed the multitude. That is still his solution.
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