Reaching the Lost Sheep With the Love of Christ

Hear from TWR Canada President Dan Reese as he shares the story of Shamshad, a lost sheep who was saved by the power of Christ.

Perhaps, like me, you were born into a Christian home and had the opportunity to make a profession of faith at an early age. Or maybe you came to faith later in your life. No matter how you were introduced to Christ, did you have a sense of being lost and in need of a saviour? Several places in the Bible describe God as our Shepherd, and in Luke 15, Jesus illustrates this through the parable of the lost sheep. He says, “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” (vs. 4-5, ESV). Like the shepherd in this parable, Jesus seeks the lost sheep and rejoices in their salvation.

At TWR Canada, we have the opportunity to hear the stories of Jesus seeking and saving the lost all around the world. One example is the story of Shamshad, a lost sheep in the spiritually thirsty soil of the Persian-speaking world. Raised in a Muslim family, Shamshad performed his religious duties because he wanted to have a close relationship with God. But he lived in fear of a vengeful God that would punish him. As he grew older, he felt his religious duties were done out of compulsion, not out of a genuine desire. He turned away from Islam but still had many spiritual questions.

After leaving Iran with his family, Shamshad was invited to church by a friend. This friend gave him a Bible and the link to our Persian web radio. He began to read and listen because he wanted to know who Jesus was, but he was still resistant toward God.

Faced with some familial challenges, Shamshad felt hopeless and directionless. But one day, his phone rang: “The number was anonymous. The man introduced himself and said, ‘I am a Christian and I know you need help; I can help you sleep and eat for a while.’ After inquiring, I found out that one of my friends who knew of our problems had contacted this person. He invited me to come to his house for dinner.

“In the first week we were welcomed into the home of Mr. N and his wife, we felt comfortable and started calling Mr. N our uncle. The love of this family appealed to us, and we wanted to behave like them. On Saturday they offered to take us to church the next day. Something compelled me to go. I was nervous and excited; it was like I was meant to be there. In that moment, the Lord Jesus Christ invited me to really know him.

“And now that I had this beautiful and pleasant feeling, I spent my time reading the Bible, listening to the radio programs, going to church and researching Christianity. The more I learned about Christianity, the more I became interested in the Word of God. My heart trembled when I reached the story of the lost sheep in the Gospel of Luke. I felt that Jesus told me, ‘You are the sheep and I am the Shepherd.’

“Within three months, my brother and I were baptized. I feel the hands of God on my shoulders daily. I owe it to my friend who gave me the Bible and radio link, and I owe it to Uncle N, the Church and the purpose of Christ.”

Praise God for how he seeks and saves the lost! Whether you came to Christ at a young age like me or later in your life, I trust that this story warms your heart like it warms mine, as we see the evidence of how Jesus the Good Shepherd seeks and saves his lost sheep.

Will you help us continue to reach the lost with the hope of the gospel? With your support, we can continue to expand our reach. Your gift today means so much to those who need biblical knowledge and encouragement as they grow in faith through our media content, training, technology and personal relationships which Jesus uses to seek and save the lost.

With a grateful heart,

Dan Reese

President

TWR Canada

P.S. Your partnership allows us to continue producing programming, broadcasting on the radio, sharing content online and more to reach the lost with the good news of Jesus. Please call our office at 888-672-6510, or visit www.twr.ca/lost-sheep to give today.