John 1:40-46, 4:28-30; Luke 24:4-53; Acts 1:6-8; Matthew 9:36-38; Luke 15
Lost. Flight 370 that took off from Malaysia for China with 239 passengers on board is lost. The scenario that began on March 8 is being called the most puzzling aviation mystery in history.
About 40 minutes after takeoff, as the plane was leaving Malaysian airspace and entering Vietnamese airspace, someone in the cockpit communicated with air-traffic controllers. “All right, good night” were his final words. Controllers are familiar with these words when pilots leave one airspace and enter another. So all seemed well.
But then, just one minute later, the transponder that sends signals to radar systems regarding the plane’s flight number, altitude, airspeed, and course, was apparently switched off. Air-traffic controllers then lost all contact with the plane. It is now known that even before the verbal signoff, the ACARS—Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System—ended communication. Only someone who knew the aircraft well could have handled this procedure. Approximately 45 minutes later, military radar tracked the plane that was now hundreds of miles off course.1
How can a Boeing 777 get lost? Terrorism, hijacking, and the possibility of pilot suicide are all being considered.
According to Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak, 26 countries are now involved in the search for Flight 370. But it’s like searching for “a needle in a haystack.” Data gathered from satellites suggest that the plane, which had enough fuel to fly for eight hours, did in fact fly for over seven hours after takeoff. So the search must cover an enormous area that encompasses 11 countries and two corridors, stretching thousands of miles. Ships, planes, and satellites are meticulously combing the vast area.2
After studying this week’s Sabbath school lesson, we can’t help but think about the “lost” people of this generation. Imagine the impact if we as a church came together with the same intensity as the searchers for Flight 370 to search for the spiritually lost. The lost that have never known Jesus, as well as the lost that have left the church. What if we made it our passion, our mission, to discover where they are, and then make a plan to rescue them?
Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 9:37 and 38: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (NIV). There are a variety of ways to reach out to those who are lost: public evangelistic meetings, community outreach programs, vacation Bible schools, small group home Bible studies, or simply befriending them, are a few ways. It depends on the individual. But whatever method we use, we must be sincere.
“The harvest is plentiful.” That’s not the problem. The problem is that “the workers are few.” Jesus wants us to be “finders.” Not sitters, and not sleepers, but a people who will actively search and rescue.
Lost. Flight 370 that took off from Malaysia for China with 239 passengers on board is lost. The scenario that began on March 8 is being called the most puzzling aviation mystery in history.
About 40 minutes after takeoff, as the plane was leaving Malaysian airspace and entering Vietnamese airspace, someone in the cockpit communicated with air-traffic controllers. “All right, good night” were his final words. Controllers are familiar with these words when pilots leave one airspace and enter another. So all seemed well.
But then, just one minute later, the transponder that sends signals to radar systems regarding the plane’s flight number, altitude, airspeed, and course, was apparently switched off. Air-traffic controllers then lost all contact with the plane. It is now known that even before the verbal signoff, the ACARS—Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System—ended communication. Only someone who knew the aircraft well could have handled this procedure. Approximately 45 minutes later, military radar tracked the plane that was now hundreds of miles off course.1
How can a Boeing 777 get lost? Terrorism, hijacking, and the possibility of pilot suicide are all being considered.
According to Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Najib Razak, 26 countries are now involved in the search for Flight 370. But it’s like searching for “a needle in a haystack.” Data gathered from satellites suggest that the plane, which had enough fuel to fly for eight hours, did in fact fly for over seven hours after takeoff. So the search must cover an enormous area that encompasses 11 countries and two corridors, stretching thousands of miles. Ships, planes, and satellites are meticulously combing the vast area.2
After studying this week’s Sabbath school lesson, we can’t help but think about the “lost” people of this generation. Imagine the impact if we as a church came together with the same intensity as the searchers for Flight 370 to search for the spiritually lost. The lost that have never known Jesus, as well as the lost that have left the church. What if we made it our passion, our mission, to discover where they are, and then make a plan to rescue them?
Jesus told the disciples in Matthew 9:37 and 38: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (NIV). There are a variety of ways to reach out to those who are lost: public evangelistic meetings, community outreach programs, vacation Bible schools, small group home Bible studies, or simply befriending them, are a few ways. It depends on the individual. But whatever method we use, we must be sincere.
“The harvest is plentiful.” That’s not the problem. The problem is that “the workers are few.” Jesus wants us to be “finders.” Not sitters, and not sleepers, but a people who will actively search and rescue.
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