One More Life | Vision 2026 - Part 1

Devotional

Day 1: The Shepherd Who Leaves the Ninety-Nine

Jesus moves toward those considered “unclean” and brings them close. He doesn’t scold the stray; He lifts you up, lays you across His shoulders, and rejoices all the way home. His nearness dismantles the old lines that said some are welcome and some are not. You are not tolerated—you are treasured, carried, and celebrated. Let His joy over you quiet your shame today. [16:24]

Luke 15:1–7 — Crowds gathered to hear Jesus, including tax collectors and those labeled sinners. Religious onlookers complained that He welcomed and ate with them. So He told of a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to search until he finds the one that wandered. When he finds it, he hoists it onto his shoulders, calls his friends, and throws a celebration. In the same way, heaven’s joy erupts over one sinner who turns back more than over ninety-nine who think they have no need.

Reflection: Where do you still feel “too unclean” for Jesus’ nearness, and what would it look like to let Him carry that place of your heart this week?

Day 2: Amazed Recipients Before Eager Participants

Before you’re sent anywhere, remember what you’ve received. You were the walking dead, chasing your own way, when God—rich in mercy—made you alive in Christ. He didn’t strap you with anxiety; He shackled you to freedom, sealing you with His Spirit for a future you cannot lose. Sit in that wonder until gratitude warms your bones. Let amazement, not obligation, be your fuel. [29:37]

Ephesians 2:1–5 — You were dead because of sin, following the currents of darkness, doing whatever your desires demanded. But God, moved by great love, stepped in. Even while you were dead, He brought you to life with Christ. Your rescue is pure mercy from start to finish.

Reflection: What specific memory of being found by Jesus still stirs gratitude, and how could you revisit it in prayer today?

Day 3: Sent Ones Carried on the Shepherd’s Shoulders

God is a sending God: the Father sent the Son, the Son sent the Spirit, and the Spirit now sends you. You go not as a hero, but as His workmanship—His living poem—displaying His heart in the world. The Shepherd sets you down, smiles, and says, “We’re going together.” He invites you to participate in what He is already doing—finding lost sheep and bringing them home. Your life becomes a window through which others see His kindness. [30:59]

Ephesians 2:10 — You are God’s handcrafted work, created in Christ Jesus for a life of good works that He designed ahead of time, so that walking with Him, you would carry them out.

Reflection: Who in your current circle might God be preparing for you to love and serve as His “workmanship” this week, and what is one simple act you can take?

Day 4: The Freedom of Sowing Without Controlling Outcomes

Jesus says the sower’s job is to sow. The seed will land on different soils—some reject, some receive for a bit, some get choked, and some bear astonishing fruit. You are free from managing hearts; God handles the roots, rains, and harvests. Share because you’re amazed and because He loves the lost, not to prove anything. Kind, clear, faithful sowing is success. [39:25]

Luke 8:4–8, 11–15 — A farmer scattered seed: along the path, on rocky ground, among thorns, and into good soil. The seed is God’s word. Some hear and it’s snatched away; some receive with excitement but fade under pressure; some grow but are strangled by worries and wealth; and some hear, hold fast with honest hearts, and produce an abundant crop.

Reflection: If you removed the pressure to “make it work,” who would you naturally tell about Jesus, and how could you do that with kindness and clarity?

Day 5: God’s Patience and This Ripe Moment

God has tolerated the ache of a broken world so every sheep He intends to find can be found. His patience is not indifference; it is rescue-time. And Jesus promises that His church will stand where darkness looks strongest; the gates of hell won’t hold. This is a ripe moment to be daringly missional—prayerful, hospitable, generous, and ready to speak. Write a name, pray with love, and step into a conversation as the Shepherd walks beside you. [58:42]

Romans 2:4 — Don’t mistake God’s patience for approval; His kindness and restraint are aimed at leading you to turn around and come home.

Reflection: Write down one person’s name and a specific date—what next step will you take to invite them into a gentle, honest conversation about Jesus, and how will you pray for them this week?

Sermon Summary

What unfolds is the heart of God for the “unclean” and the astonishing welcome of Jesus. In a world that sorted people into clean and unclean, Jesus crossed every boundary, ate with sinners, and drew all kinds of people near. Luke 15 reframes reality: the Good Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to find the one, not with scolding but with joy—lifting the muddy, smelly sheep onto his shoulders and singing all the way home. Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents, and that joy reveals something deeper: there aren’t “clean” and “unclean” camps—there are only lost sheep. Ephesians 2 names it plainly: dead in sin, chasing darkness, yet made alive by sheer mercy. Ephesians 1 celebrates this with breathless praise: chosen, redeemed, sealed by the Spirit—shackled to freedom, life, and light forever.

God’s nature is to send and to come. The Father sends the Son; the Son sends the Spirit; and by that same Spirit, God sends his people. The church is commissioned at the very gates of hell with the promise that darkness will not prevail. God even delays final judgment—not from weakness, but from patient forbearance—until every sheep he intends to find is found.

So what is the part entrusted to his people? Sow the seed. The Sower’s parable removes the pressure to control outcomes: seed lands on different soils, and only God governs the heart. The call is to scatter widely and faithfully—freed from pride when there is fruit and freed from despair when there is not. The deepest motivations for sharing flow from gratitude for rescue, love for the Shepherd’s heart, and compassion for those still wandering.

Remarkably, this moment is unusually open. Across generations, especially Gen Z and Millennials, there is fresh receptivity to Jesus and even to Christianity itself—a quiet revival rising. This is an invitation to simple, courageous faithfulness: tell people about Jesus. Live daringly missional—proclaim with words, demonstrate with deeds, and trust the God who sends, who comes, and who still rejoices to carry home the lost.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus seeks the unclean with joy He doesn’t recoil from our mess; he moves toward it. The Shepherd lifts the straying sheep onto his shoulders and celebrates, revealing God’s glad-hearted pursuit. Repentance is not met with probation but with a party. Heaven’s joy is the soundtrack of grace. [16:07]
2. We are the lost sheep There are not categories of clean and unclean—only sinners in need of rescue. Dead in sin, we are made alive by mercy, sealed by the Spirit, and shackled to life. Humility before grace is where mission begins. [17:24]
3. Sent by the Sending God The Father sends the Son; the Son sends the Spirit; the Spirit sends the church. Mission is not a human project but participation in God’s own movement toward the world. This is why the gates of hell will not prevail. [21:42]
4. Sow widely; God handles results The Sower’s parable frees us from control. The same gospel lands on different soils, and only God can open hearts. Our task is faithful presence and clear words; the harvest belongs to him. [39:39]
5. A surprising openness right now Many—especially younger generations—are newly receptive to Jesus and even to Christianity. This is not triumphalism but timing: a wave of curiosity meeting a ready gospel. Courage looks like simple invitations and patient conversations. [49:09]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:39] - Starting the year with the gospel
[05:24] - Clean and unclean: human fences
[07:13] - Jesus crosses forbidden lines
[08:11] - Luke 15: the lost sheep
[10:22] - “He eats with sinners”
[13:35] - The Shepherd’s joyful rescue
[16:51] - Heaven’s joy over one sinner
[20:39] - The God who sends and comes
[23:11] - Dead in sin, made alive
[26:49] - Ephesians 1: praise that won’t pause
[30:22] - Workmanship: from rescued to sent
[36:58] - The Sower and the soils
[49:09] - A quiet revival of openness
[56:59] - Daringly missional: living our values
[58:22] - The simple vision: tell people about Jesus

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Luke 15:1-7

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”

- Ephesians 2:1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

- Luke 8:4-15

While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”

When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

His disciples asked him what this parable meant. He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.’

This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”

Observation questions

In Luke 15:1-2, who is drawing near to hear Jesus and what are the religious leaders upset about? What does that tell us about the social “clean/unclean” lines of the day?
In Luke 15:5-7, list the actions and emotions of the shepherd when he finds the lost sheep. What surprises you about his response?
According to Ephesians 2:1-5, how does Paul describe our condition before Christ and God’s response toward us? Be specific with the words Paul uses.
In Luke 8:11-15, how many kinds of soil are there, and what specifically chokes or blocks growth in the first three? Which details stand out and why?

Interpretation questions

“There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents” ([16:51]). What does this reveal about God’s heart toward people others might call “unclean”? How should that shape the tone of repentance and welcome in a community?
“There is no clean. There is only unclean” ([17:24]). If all are lost without Christ, how should that reframe pride, shame, and how people are labeled? What new kind of humility and unity does this invite?
“The Father sends the Son; the Son sends the Spirit; and the Spirit sends the church” ([21:42]). If mission flows from God’s nature, not human ambition, what does that say about identity, confidence, and expectation when sharing Jesus?
In the Sower story, the same seed lands on different soils and “God will take care of that” ([39:39]). How does this free someone both from pride when there’s fruit and from despair when there isn’t?

Application questions

“This man receives sinners and even eats with them” ([10:22]). Where do “clean/unclean” fences still live in your mind or schedule? Name one person you tend to avoid. What would it look like to move toward them this week with a meal, coffee, or a simple check-in?
“He came to find me… He popped me over his shoulders” ([25:18]). Share your two-minute rescue story (before/meeting Jesus/after). Who could hear that story this week, and when will you tell it?
“God will take care of that” ([39:39]). Make a seed-sowing plan: Who are one or two people you will talk to? Where will it naturally happen (work, gym, neighbor walk)? What two or three clear sentences about Jesus will you say? How will you rest from trying to control the outcome?
“We proclaim Jesus with our words and demonstrate Jesus with our actions” ([57:20]). What’s one concrete deed of mercy or justice you can do this week that matches a clear word about Jesus? Name it, schedule it, and share it with the group.
“In known history… more openness to Jesus” ([53:09]). What simple invitation could you make in this moment of openness—read Luke together, pray for a need, come to church, join Alpha, or explore questions over coffee? Who will you invite and by when?
“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep” ([16:07]). If someone shows interest in Jesus, how will you celebrate and involve others without making it weird or pressuring? What would a gentle, joyful next step look like?
“The simple vision: tell people about Jesus” ([58:22]). Write down one name. Pray for them daily. What is your next tiny step—text, call, coffee, serve a need, share your story, invite to read a chapter? When will you take it?

Sermon Clips

And as I'm sure you know, but in case you don't, Jesus did this crazy thing when he arrived on planet earth and started teaching is that he ignored all of those boundaries. And it was really weird. Like, you have to understand how insane it was to the people. His close disciples, Peter himself, who was his sort of protector. You know how many times in the New Testament Peter's like, we can't go there. We can't talk to those people. We can't touch those people. We can't go to that place. It's unclean. It's dangerous. No. I mean, Thomas, the the guy that's always like, excuse me. I'm sorry. I'm confused. [00:07:13] (37 seconds) #JesusBrokeBoundaries

So the act of eating with somebody in that day and time was a very intimate fellowship. It was a coming together. You sharing food. You're touching the same things. You're across from a table. You're I mean, the proximity has to be touch proximity. Everything that the scribes and pharisees knew you don't do with unclean people. [00:10:37] (21 seconds) #IntimateMealsMatter

So the story begins, and it's an odd story because in the cultural context of that day, Jesus was actually making a statement that wasn't quite as obvious. He was saying, one of you, if one of your sheep got lost, wouldn't go after it leaving the other 99 in the safety of the pasture? And actually the answer might be, well nobody goes. You don't leave the 99 sheep in the open pasture to go after one stupid sheep. That that's sort of the attitude. [00:12:03] (27 seconds) #WorthTheOne

What Jesus is beginning to do here in the gospels that will unfold as the gospels unfold and he teaches more and then specifically unfold in the rest of the New Testament is that he is beginning the journey of teaching the people that they're all unclean. They're all sinners. No one is righteous and no one has repented and no one is part of the 99. What he's gonna teach them is that there is no clean. [00:17:06] (33 seconds) #NoOneIsClean

And then as we enter into the rest of the gospels, we start seeing this theme emerge that the the the son, Jesus, God the son says, just so you know, I'm here because the father sent me. So we start understanding something about God's nature. God's compassion is that he comes for us. His nature part of his nature is compassion, but part of his nature is also that he sends. [00:20:20] (31 seconds) #SentAndCompassionate

despite the fact that you are dead in your virus of sin, that you are chasing your own ways, that you are by nature children of wrath, and you are buying into all that the enemy is telling you despite the fact that you are 100% a sheep that is ignoring the shepherd and running after your own thing. He says, but God because of his great love for us in his mercy made us alive in Christ Jesus or through Christ Jesus both are true. [00:24:22] (35 seconds) #MadeAliveInChrist

But humans when they go out, will they always realize their will? No. Because we not God, and we are limited, and we can't say he says, don't worry about that. That's none of your business. Go out. Sow the seed. Share the gospel with the people around you that don't know me and let me deal with my relationship with them and what I'm going to do in their hearts and what they're going to do with me. [00:40:40] (25 seconds) #SowSeedNotControl

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