The Church's Mission Statement

     Every successful business has a mission statement, something that defines who they are, what they do, and why they're doing what they're doing.  A mission statement is usually one of the first things a company comes up with, so that they have a direction to go, a course to take them where they want to go.  A company will only be successful if they keep to their mission statement.  If they stray too far from it, they risk going out of business or going in a direction they never planned on going.
     The church has a mission statement.  It's the same mission statement that its head, Jesus, had: to seek and to save the lost with the gospel (Luke 19:10).  It's that simple.  Sometimes the problems and worries of the world will confuse us or make us forget, and sometimes we get busy and lose sight of the goal, but the mission of the church is to get as many people as we can to heaven by the preaching of the gospel.  That's it.  It's not to make the church building the most comfortable place to be, the potluck meals the most appetizing in the world, or the activities the most fun and entertaining they can be.  It's to preach the gospel to all men everywhere (Mark 16:15-16).
     And the church's mission statement never changes.  From the very beginning, it's been to preach the gospel to save men.  And until Christ returns, it will always be to preach the gospel to save men.  Period.  Many today want to change the mission statement, but they do so at their own peril.  The gospel is "...the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth..." (Romans 1:16).  Hearing the gospel preached convicts the sinner to repent of his sins and be baptized for the remission of sins.  Without the gospel, no one could be saved.  But too many today want to change the mission statement to something that Jesus never intended.  They think that entertainment will save people or that people will be saved with activities and games and good food.  People may attend more services, but they're not saved.  But the only way to save is with the gospel.
     What are you doing to save the lost?  Are you preaching the gospel to them?  We may not be able to reach the entire world with the gospel like Paul did (Col. 1:5-6), but we can try to reach those around us.  If every Christian in the world reached out to those around them, we could teach the whole world.  So, let's not hesitate to do our part.  Let's strive to make 2012 the best year yet by preaching the gospel to the lost.