THE CHURCH'S OCCUPATIONS

Seeking the Lost "As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." (John 17:10) Here in His High Priestly prayer, Jesus is praying for His apostles and all other believers as well (John 17:20). He does not ask for the believer to be removed from the world now that he has been redeemed (v.15), but just the opposite. He sends them into the world ... for what purpose? "As Thou hast sent Me ... I have sent them ..." We must clearly understand this important point our Savior is making. Luke 19:10 will help us. "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Jesus was a "seeker". The word "seek" is not passive but rather an "action" word, and as used here, means not only seek out, but seek a way to reach the lost, to minister to them...to bring them to the Savior. Note: II Corinthians 5:18,19. "Ministry of Reconciliation" The Church as a visible body, and the individual who is a part of that body, is to be in the daily business of reconciling men and women, boys and girls, to God by "seeking" ways and opportunities to minister to them from the Word of reconciliation. I repeat ... "daily" business--there is NO vacation from this work. Summer time comes and interestingly the average church begins to curtail it's ministry; the choir disbands, programs are discontinued, some even go so far as to discontinue the Sunday evening service, and on and on it goes. C'mon now! The devil doesn't take a vacation, he doesn't disband his forces and take a holiday. I'm not saying we don't need a vacation, what I am saying is, even while on vacation we must continue the work Christ has given us to do (take tracts, look for opportunities to share Christ with others, be sure to find a Bible believing, Bible preaching church while away and attend). We do not need to be reformers, not as individuals, or as a church. The Bible says that those without saving faith in Christ are "dead in their trespasses and sins". And the dead do not need reform ... they need LIFE. We learn much about our Lord as we read and meditate in the Gospels. And if we pay close attention, we will soon discover many things about Him that should be instructive to each of us. Note the following: Matthew 11:1; 15:29,30; 19:1,2; John 8:1,2; 9:4; Luke 5:16; 22:32; 26:39,42,44; and Mark 1:35; 6:34. In these few verses (and there are many more) we discover an important fact about Jesus; He spent more time praying, teaching and sharing Himself with others than He did resting. As a matter of fact, Jesus got very little rest. Often we hear Him saying: "Up, let us go hence". Why so active? Why so busy? Because He saw a world that was perishing, a world that needed help, a world that needed Him. "Others I have who are not of this fold, them too I must bring." The apostle Paul said "For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren." (Romans 9:3) Paul saw the souls of men and women as so important to God that he must not rest nor be slack until he reached all that he possibly could with the message of "reconciliation" through Christ. Therefore he labored tirelessly. Christ knew the time was short and the harvest was great therefore He spent Himself for man's sake, not resting, but praying, teaching and sharing Himself. And we hear Him say so succinctly ... "I must work while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work." Christ was a Seeker, the apostle Paul was a Seeker, Peter, John and others were Seekers. Beloved, the time is so very short ... will we not do all that we can to SEEK and minister the WORD of RECONCILIATION? "For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost." That was the very purpose for which He came. That was the very purpose for which He sent us into the world.

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