Count Again, For Heaven’s Sake | Who’s Missing From Your Church?

Have you ever sat in church and felt invisible, like no one would notice if you never came back? In "Count Again, For Heaven's Sake," Pastor Ray Phillips of Stratford Heights Church of God continues our series on belonging with the Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:1-7. We're good at counting attendance, baptisms and crowds. Heaven counts differently. Heaven counts who is missing. Pastor Ray shares the night his family drove home without his little sister and why nothing was okay until she was home. He shows how Jesus "receives sinners and eats with them," how the woman at the well was pursued, and why the holiness of God is strong enough to handle the brokenness of lost people.

This message calls the whole church, not just pastors, to carry the heart of the Good Shepherd (Ephesians 4:11-13). Pastor Ray closes with five practical commitments: ask who's missing, learn names, deepen relationships, contact one missing person, and fill an empty chair. Whether you're searching for a church family in the Middletown, Ohio area or watching from anywhere in the world, you belong here. Subscribe for more sermons on faith, Christian community, church family, grace, and following Jesus.