Have you ever wondered:

If people can’t be drawn in or saved without God’s will, and without the work of the Spirit in their heart… why does He need us? That tension is real. It’s a mystery. But let’s be clear about what we can be clear about:

God knows who He is going to save.

Acts 13:48 – “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.”
Romans 8:29–30 – “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined… And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
Ephesians 1:4–5 – “He chose us in him before the foundation of the world…”
2 Timothy 2:19 – “The Lord knows those who are his.”
John 6:37 – “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”
Revelation 13:8 – “Everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain…”

Yeah it’s a mystery that HE choses to use us, to save souls. We are the tool in His hand. Paul calls this the “foolishness of preaching” 1 Corinthians 1:21. We aren’t saved by climbing some mountain and some great acts of sacrifice, or some great effort of intellect, but by receiving a message of forgiveness from other human being. The message of the cross.

That’s just a short sample of scripture references, check out your ‘Christians Beliefs’ chapter on election to go even a little deeper.

You were known, chosen, and loved before you were born.
Not only that—only His Spirit can make someone alive.
You cannot see the Kingdom unless you are born from His Spirit… and spoiler alert, that’s not something you can just decide to do.

So does this lead us to be lazy?

Confused about our role in evangelizing others? Nah. Not even close.

I served for five years as a missionary in Rwanda, and during that time I had the opportunity to visit Westminster Abbey in London, where kings of England are buried—along with some other notable people. One tomb in particular stuck with me. It belonged to a Scottish explorer and missionary, and inscribed on it were the words of Jesus:

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen.
I must bring them also.
They too will listen to my voice,
and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”
— John 10:16

Those words have haunted and compelled generations of missionaries.
And this is what it means for us:

Because God is sovereign, He is in control.
Because His Spirit is powerful, we can depend on Him.
And because He commands us, we must obey.

I look at it like this:

Every single place God has planted us, the likelihood that people around us—if we’re faithful—are people God is going to draw by His Spirit goes way up.

When we hit Wawa at 3 PM and see the crowds.
When we go to the Friday night games.
When we walk through the St. Paddy’s Day parade and see thousands of folks.
When we ride around town.
When we place door hangers in neighborhoods we don’t usually see.
We hear this verse bouncing in our hearts:

There are others that are not yet in the fold.
There are other lost sheep to come in.
They must come in.

So here’s where we land:

We’re not lazy… but we can rest.
We’re not unintentional… but we don’t have to be manipulative.
We’re not anxious… but we are persistent.

And because we know God has to move—because faith itself is a gift He gives—we can be faithful without being pushy.
We don’t have to force conversations, pressure decisions, or manufacture results. The Spirit does the saving.

So let’s spend just as much time as we do talking with people, talking with God.

Let’s ask Him to lead us by His Spirit to exactly who these other sheep are that He’s drawing in.

Let’s pray for:

• Divine appointments
• Open hearts
• Spirit-led conversations
• Demonstrations of His power
• Clear displays of His truth
• Real experiences of His love

All of it leading people to Him.
As we continue in Luke 15 on Sunday mornings, remember:

The Shepherd is still seeking.
The Spirit is still drawing.
And we get to be part of the rescue mission.