Luke 15.7 records, Count on it—there’s more joy in heaven over one sinner’s rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.

For many Christians, God’s words in this lesson are offensive. God in Jesus, in this chapter of the Bible, tells three stories all making the same point. In the last story, the Christians portrayed by the oldest son, are offended by God’s doings. What is offensive to Christians in these stories?

It is not all Christians who are offended either, only those who are not actively obeying His command to go and make disciples. Those Christians who don’t understand why they are left here on earth instead of being taken immediately to heaven, those who don’t realize they are fishers of men, those who don’t understand their purpose is to seek and save the lost are offended by God. The offense?

God takes greater delight over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine good Christians who are not working at building His kingdom. The harvest is plentiful. Few would argue the world increasingly demonstrates its need for a Savior. The workers are few.

Blessed is the man whose hand is firmly fixed to the plow and doesn’t look back to his old way of life from which he repented in order to follow Jesus. Jesus invites us to follow Him and those who know Him, serve Him. God has always been at work in the world. What is His work?

The work of God is to believe in Him and the One Whom He sent. This belief is a total and radical commitment to the ways of God in order to accomplish the work of God.

Those who bring joy to God, those who are welcomed as hero’s in heaven, are those who have worked heartily to see people born again into eternal life.