Tom preaching at Harvest Evangelism Conference in Mankato.

By Tom Shanklin

“… for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10, NKJV.

Why did Jesus come to earth? To seek and save the lost. This is His mission statement.

A mission statement summarizes the purpose of a company, organization or individual. It should be clear, concise, and useful. A mission statement will help you to stay on task and to inspire vision for your future.

Jesus’ life was a constant march forward toward the fulfillment of his mission. He was not confused or distracted from his purpose, but steadfastly walked out his purpose day by day. In fact, His death on the cross was the ultimate fulfillment of His earthly mission to “seek and to save the lost.”

He came for “the lost,” those who are away from God. The Greek word is “appollum” (to destroy fully, to perish). We see the same word used in John 3:16 (“should not perish”) and in Luke 15:24 (“this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”) Everyone on earth is either lost or found, either headed to heaven or hell. 

Jesus did not come to condemn. He came to save. In everything He did (healing the sick, preaching, teaching, instructing His disciples, contending with the religious leaders, feeding the multitudes, or having lunch with a tax collector), He never lost sight of His true purpose—to seek and save the lost. He gave Himself for that cause, ultimately dying on the cross for our sins. 

Today, Jesus’ mission statement has not changed. He is still seeking and saving the lost. Now, it is through you and me. We are His agents to fulfill His mission. Before He left the earth, He passed on His mission to us. Nothing has changed. We still are charged to seek and save the lost. 

It’s easy to become distracted from the mission. We can get caught up in the cares and concerns of life and get off task. We can become busy with church life or maintaining our ministry and lose a sense of our true purpose. There are many “good” things that we can do, but we must ask ourselves, “Is this my true purpose? Does this fit the master’s mission? Am I reaching the lost or just walking on a treadmill of religious activity?”

The Bible says that Jesus endured the cross “for the joy that was set before Him.” His joy was seeing people restored to fellowship with God and finding eternal life. We share in that joy as well, when we set our course and fulfill our purpose to “seek and save the lost.”

I want to challenge you to examine what you are doing in your life. Does your life, your business, your ministry line up with Jesus’ mission statement. Here are some of the practical ways that we can align ourselves with God’s purposes:

1. Pray that the Lord will send laborers into the harvest of souls.
2. Study the Word of God, especially the Gospel message.
3. Be filled with the Holy Spirit and pray in the Spirit.
4. Share the Good News of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection.
5. Give people an opportunity to receive Jesus as Lord.
6. Pray for, support, and encourage ministries who are fulfilling the Great Commission.
7. Encourage Christians to evangelize and make disciples.