Ua rave Iesu i te ohipa e tia i te hoê tiai mamoe maitai ia rave. Ua faaamu e ua haapuai Iesu i te mau mamoe. Ua tapo'i oia i te mea parari, faaora i te feia ma'i, ua imi i te feia i mo'e, e te faaho'i-faahou-raa mai i te fare mo'e. Jesus commanded His disciples to follow His example. He commanded the believers to preach the gospel in all the world. Nō te aha? To seek the lost and bring the lost home and reconcile them with God and be part of His flock. But do Christians still bring the lost home?
The shepherds of the house of Israel caused the sheep to go astray and scattered them
My people hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their restingplace. All that found them have devoured them: and their adversaries said, We offend not, because they have sinned against the Lord, the habitation of justice, even the Lord, the hope of their fathers (Jeremieh 50:6-7)
Although the leaders of the house of Israel had a lot of knowledge by tradition, they didn’t know God and His ways. Because they didn’t know God and His ways, they walked in ways that were not God’s ways and preached things that didn’t lead to righteousness and life, but to sin and death.
Through the deceiving words and the behavior and lives of the leaders, who deviated from God, God’s people deviated from God. (A tai'o atoa: Te varua o Eli).
The sheep were scattered and went their own way, just like their leaders went their own way. They got involved with the pagan nations and adopted their idols, pagan practices, Fa'a'itira'a, e te mau peu.
Through their ignorance and lack of knowledge of the truth, they thought they walked on the right path and pleased God. (A tai'o atoa: E ti'a mai te mau hiro'a tumu atoa i roto i te Mesia).
The shepherds had forsaken their task. They were too busy with themselves and didn’t care about the sheep and their well-being. Therefore they left the sheep to their own fate.
The shepherds didn’t care when a sheep erred and drowned in water. They didn’t care when a sheep fell into the abyss or was wounded or killed by a wolf. And so the flock became smaller and smaller. (A tai'o atoa: E rave rahi orometua o te aratai nei i te mau mamoe i roto i te abuso).
The shepherds of the house of Israel didn’t listen to God and His prophets
God saw everything and tried to reach the shepherds through His prophets. But the prideful and stubborn shepherds didn’t want to listen to the prophets. They didn’t want to be corrected by God’s words and they certainly didn’t want to humble themselves before the Lord. No reira, they brought the prophets to silence by killing them, so that they wouldn’t hear the admonishing words of God (a.o.. Ezekiela 34, Mataio 23:31, Luka 11;47).
I te tahi taime, someone arose, who listened to the words of the prophets and cause the people of God to return to God and walk on His ways. But then after some time, others arose, who became unfaithful to the words and the law of God and left God and took the people with them.
John the Baptist did bring the lost back home
Ua haere mai o Ioane Bapetizo i taua mau mahana ra, poro i te medebara no Iudea, ā; maita'i, A tatarahapa: ua fatata hoi te basileia o te ra'i. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, ma'ohi'ohi, Te reo o te hoê taata e ta'i ra i roto i te medebara, A faaineine i te e'a o te Fatu, make His paths straight (Mataio 3:1-3)
Before Jesus took on His role as Shepherd and fulfilled His mission, John came to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus.
I roto i te medebara, separated from the people of Israel, John was equipped and prepared by God for his task and the message he would preach, Peneia'e, the coming of Jesus the Christ, te piiraa ia tatarahapa, Eaha te tahi mau bapetizoraa of repentance.
John was the precursor of Jesus and with his message, which he preached with such a formality, te îraa, and authority that the people had to listen to and obey, he called the people to repentance and brought many of the lost of the house of Israel back home (Mataio 3:1-12, Mareko 1:1-8, Luka 3:1-20, John 1:19-34).
Except the leaders, who were prideful and stubborn. They refused to repent and be baptized. John saw their wickedness and because of his boldness, he didn’t shy away from telling them the truth.
Despite the criticism and resistance of the leaders, John continued his work, wherefore he was appointed by God and brought the lost home. (A tai'o atoa: Ioane, te taata aita i maoro a'e).
Iesu, the Good Shepherd
Na ua tupu te reira i taua mau mahana ra, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him: And there came a voice from heaven, ma'ohi'ohi, Te ta'u Tamaiti here ta'u i here, in Whom I am well pleased (Mareko 1:9-11)
In contrary to the leaders of the house of Israel, Iesu, o vai peritomehia i te va'uraa o te mahana, humbled Himself under the mighty hand of God, by giving heed to the call of John and being baptized by John. God saw it, and He was well pleased with His Son and the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus (a.o.. Mataio 3:13-17, Mareko 1:9-11, Luka 3:21-22).
Jesus received the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the wilderness. I roto i te medebara, Jesus was prepared for His task for which He was appointed, and the work, Ua haere mai oia no te.
Nō 40 mahana; mahana, Jesus was tempted by the devil. Tera râ,, Jesus was not tempted by the devil’s words but resisted the devil by refuting his words with God’s truth. (a.o.. Mataio 4:1-11, Mareko 1:12-13, Luka 4:1-13 (A tai'o atoa: E horo'a vau ia outou i te mau tao'a o te ao nei)),
I muri mai 40 mahana; mahana, Jesus began His mission in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus preached the Kingdom and called the people to repentance. By His words and works, Jesus fed the sheep, nurtured the sheep, bound up the broken, healed the sheep. Jesus sought the lost sheep, and brought the lost sheep home. E i te pae hopea, Jesus gave His life for the sheep. (A tai'o atoa: Te mauiui e te faaoooraa ia Iesu Mesia).
Jesus did bring the lost home
I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, Te Atua. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment (Ezekiela 34:15-16)
His words and works proved that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and that He and His words are reliable. Jesus was moved with compassion and cared for the sheep and didn’t leave them to their fate. (A tai'o atoa: Iesu te hoê taata aroha).
O vau te Tiai mamoe maitai: Te horo'a nei te Tiai mamoe maitai i to'na ora no te mau mamoe (John 10:11)
Jesus fed and nurtured the sheep with His truthful, te faatitiaifaroraa, and admonishing words, no ǒ mai i te Metua.
The people listened to Jesus and were astonished at His doctrine. Because Jesus taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes (Mataio 7:28-29).
And so Jesus restored the flock and brought the lost home.
Jesus commanded His disciples to follow His example.
Before Jesus returned to His Father, Jesus gave this responsibility to His disciples. Jesus commanded them, i rotopu i te tahi atu mau taata, to preach the gospel in all the world and bring the lost home and feed them with the truth of God; the uncompromised words of God and to make them disciples of Jesus Christ, who walk in His way (a.o.. Mataio 10:27-28, Mareko 16:15-18, Luka 24:46-49, John 20:21-23).
The disciples did bring the lost home
Te mea ta'u e parau atu ia outou i roto i te pouri, o te paraparau nei ma te maramarama: e te mau mea ta outou e faaroo ra i roto i te tari'a, o te poro nei i nia i te mau fare. Eiaha râ e mǎta'u i te feia e haapohe i te tino, aita râ ratou e nehenehe e haapohe i te varua: a mǎta'u râ ia'na o te nehenehe e haamou i te varua e te tino i roto i te hade (Mataio 10:27-28)
Na reira, a haere outou, e te mau nunaa atoa, te bapetizoraa ia ratou i te i'oa o te Metua, e te tamaiti, e te Varua Mo'a: Te haapiiraa ia ratou ia hi'opo'a i te mau mea atoa ta'u i faaue ia outou: e, R, Tei pihai iho vau ia outou i te mau taime atoa, Tae atu i te hopea o te ao nei. mā'ea'ea (Mataio 28:19-20)
The believers and disciples of Jesus took on this responsibility. They obeyed the words of Jesus and did what Jesus commanded them to do. (A tai'o atoa: Te mau taata faaroo i ni'a i te mau rave'a).
After they received the Holy Spirit, they went into the world. They preached the gospel of Jesus Christ and the way of salvation (gospel of salvation) e te faaho'i-faahou-raa mai i te fare mo'e.
And this message of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the way of salvation has not changed. The words and the commission of Jesus Christ have not changed either. They still apply to all believers, who are born again in Christ by faith and have become a new creation; e tamaiti na te Atua (e tano te reira no te tane e te vahine), and belong to God and live as obedient sons of God and do His will.
Do Christians still bring the lost home?
Te mau kerisetiano atoa, who supposed to be a believer, ought to preach the gospel and the unfeigned words of God, so that lost souls be saved. Because without the preaching of the gospel, many souls be lost. (A tai'o atoa: Mai te peu e e vai noa te mau Kerisetiano, E ti'a i te taata ia haamau i te mau mea o te pouri?)
If souls are not saved, they shall be lost and go to hell. E i te Mahana Haavaraa, when all the people are judged according to their works, they will be cast into the lake of fire. No te mea, who is not written in the Book of Life, will be cast into the lake of fire, o te piti ïa o te pohe (Tō'o'a 20:11-15).
And of their blood, some shall be held accountable. Because they didn’t do what Jesus commanded them to do.
'Ia riro ei miti no te fenua’
