Ruth 1:16-21; Acts 10:44-48; John 10:7-16
Introduction
Then Jesus says, “I have other sheep… not of this pen. I must bring them also” (Jn 10:16).
Beloved in Christ, imagine that the people we see or assume to be “outside” of Christ are precisely the ones Jesus is walking toward today, and He is asking us to walk with Him? Maybe it’s someone from a different tribe, religion, class, or even a neighbor whose lifestyle makes you uncomfortable. Now imagine Jesus whispering: “That one too is mine.”
God Welcomes Outsiders.
Ruth, a Moabite (a historical outsider), binds herself to Naomi and to the LORD. Ruth's determination to go with Naomi reveals a divine open door for the "outsider" to come in: "Your people shall be my people, and your God my God."
Even though God had explicitly indicated that “No... Moabite may enter the assembly of the LORD," (Deuteronomy 23:3), He received Ruth, a Moabite, into His "pen." This testifies that, coming into the "sheep pen" of God, superintends any bloodline, tribe, nationality, gender, or race connection. Covenant loyalty in Christ opens a future that biology could never. "...He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said,
“The Church is the Church only when it exists for others.” If God could receive Ruth into His plan, how much more is He ready to weave the people we least expect into His family?
Who are today’s “Ruths,” people we don’t connect with in our faith family? The Immigrants? Different races or tribes? The addicts? The ex-convicts? The unchurched person on your street?
God Ahead of the Church
A Gentile was considered an outsider and had no share in the fellowship of God. In Acts 10:44, while Peter was still preaching and teaching, the Holy Spirit fell on the uncircumcised Gentiles. The church had held a tradition that segregated the Gentiles as "outsiders" but had a surprise for them. "And the believers from among the circumcised ... were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles." (Acts 10:45).
John Stott observed, “The Spirit came down before the Church went in. God was ahead of the Church, forcing it to catch up.”
God’s generous love overrides our laws, guiding principles, gatekeeping, and our fence of discrimination. Upon seeing the reception of outsiders into the "sheep pen," the Church catches up to baptize those God has already welcomed. Peter asked, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” (Acts 10:47) By no means NO!
One Shepherd, one flock.
Looking at Ruth, the outsider coming in, and the experience of Peter, Jesus shows us the door we ought to enter by saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep... I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:7,11). Jesus calls Himself both 'the door' and 'the Shepherd.'
Jesus' mission here is both drawing people in (centripetal), "If anyone enters by me, he will be saved" and sending them out (centrifugal) "...and will ...go out and find pasture." (John 10:9). Jesus says, "...I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd." (John 10:16).
This statement by Jesus, "I must bring them also..." agrees with what Charles Spurgeon once said, "We are not responsible to convert the world, but we are responsible to reach it."
Key Lessons for us
1. God’s love is bigger than our fences
The Ruth event demonstrated God's covenant love that transcends ethnic lines. This is a call for us to begin figuring out who is conspicuously missing in our 'pen'?
2. The Spirit often moves before the Church organizes
The Acts 10 experience teaches us that revival may begin in a living room, market, school, workshop, or even on a WhatsApp group before it lands on a church program. When we spot people's curiosity about things of God, let's not brush them off but shepherd them.
3. Jesus’ mission puts strangers into siblings
It must be understood that “One flock” is not “one culture.” Unity in diversity under the Shepherding of Christ Jesus. Those 'outside' should not be in our tribe, colour or speak our language before they can be received, Christ receives all.
4. Every Christian is a missionary where they are.
If you find yourself in the market stalls, trotro routes, campus halls, farms, office, street, etc., these are your mission fields.
I once heard of a Presbyterian who ran a small shop near a bus station. For years, she quietly prayed for her customers. One young man, known for being troublesome and dismissive of the Christian faith, would come by daily to shop. She treated him kindly, even when he mocked her. One day, the young man lost a close friend, which broke him down in front of her shop. She prayed with him right there. Weeks later, he showed up in the woman's church, saying, “I want to know the God of the woman at the shop.”
That young man eventually became a member of the Church and ministered in the ushering wing later on. Though he was once seen as an outsider, God was already calling him one of His sheep.
Conclusion
My dear Christian, the Good Shepherd is still saying, “I have other sheep.” That means:
- There are people we assume are outside, but God says they are His.
- Our job is to build bridges to welcome and not to build walls to prevent.
Evangelism is not a reserve for pastors and church groups; it is for every Ruth, every Peter, every ordinary believer who listens to the Shepherd to welcome everyone into the 'sheep pen.'
Shalom aleikhem...
