December 18, 2022

Luke 19: 10 (NIV)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”

Perhaps the most profound thing about Jesus’ method of discipling is its simplicity – not highly structured, but highly intentional.*

For all the seminars and workshops I have attended, I have never been able to distinguish the difference between a mission statement and a purpose statement. In Jesus’ statement here, I don’t know if he is identifying his mission or his purpose or both, but he is clearly announcing why he came to earth.

He didn’t have to look far to accomplish the first part of his mission: seeking the lost. They were all around him. They were everyone! But he didn’t just stand still and wait for the lost to come to him. He sought them out – intentionally. You might say he targeted them. He didn’t just randomly snag people as they passed by and ask them if they were saved. He taught in the synagogues (Luke 4: 15) – lots of lost Jews there. He sought and found Zacchaeus in a tree (Luke 19: 4, 5). He found Levi (Matthew) at his job (Luke 5: 27). He called Andrew, Peter, James, and John while they were fishing (Matthew 4: 18-22). And his call came to Paul as he was on his way to Damascus on persecution business.

Jesus preached to a lot of crowds but he modeled one-on-one ministry as well. His mission was to seek and save the lost and he adjusted his strategy to fit the immediate need. We might not possess his versatility but each of us should apply our gifts and strengths in fulfilling his commission to us:  go, disciple, baptize, teach (Matthew 28: 19, 20). Look for the lost – in church, at work, at the lake – in trees! Your ministry might be to the random passerby - but it most likely will be those in your sphere of influence every day.

Finding the lost is not so difficult but we can’t lead them to the Savior if we don’t have a relationship with him ourselves. Jesus showed us that spending time with the Father was the most important component of his ministry. Seek and save the lost – but seek the Father first.

[Jesus’] intimate personal relationship with the Father was the source of His power.*