Our world encompasses many religions, races and nationalities; yet there remains but two distinctively important categories of men.  “He that hath the Son and he that hath not the Son.”  Man is either saved from the penalty of his sin or he is under condemnation;  He is a Believer or he is an Infidel.  Every individual has either been born-again and has new life in Christ Jesus or they are still dead in trespasses and sins.
     The question arises, What is the Mission of the Church? What primarily are we supposed to be doing? What should be our CHIEF goal and MAIN objective? First, let us examine what is not our primary mission.
     Our mission is not  “primarily” to bring people to church.  This is unquestionably good but this is secondary.  Nor is our main objective to make people socially and morally acceptable.  Certainly we are concerned with these responsibilities but they are not our preeminent task.  Our mission is NOT to teach DEEP spiritual truths to unregenerated hearts, because they are not spiritually discerning.  NEITHER is the thrust of our work to be centered on saturating the believers in the church with the riches of God’s grace while untold millions are perishing.  All of the above have their place, but it is NOT FIRST place in the heart and desire of God.
   The mission of God’s church is to present the saving gospel message of Christ to the lost and dying masses.  “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. “ (Mark:l6:l5)  Jesus wants the message of His death, burial and resurrection to be proclaimed as the substitutionary death and the redemption for every person who will receive this truth by faith believing.  “But if our gospel by hid, it is hid to them that are lost.” (2 Cor.4:3)
   True believers recognize that the world is alienated from God, and with blinded minds they advance towards their eternal damnation and torment in Hell.  Man without Christ is like a sinking ship;  it is only a matter of time before the inevitable submersion into regions below.  Our mission is not to clean up nor to polish the sinking vessel, rather our mission is to rescue the perishing and care for the dying while there is still time.  We must work the work of Him that sent us while it is day, “the night cometh when no man can work”.  (John:9:4)
    How do we accomplish this mission of ours?  First of all, “Without Christ we can do nothing”.  We must pray for the souls of others, praying for God to speak to hearts.  However, no one is excused from the responsibility to personally witness to others on the basis that only Christ can save.  Indeed, yet we are CO-WORKERS with CHRIST in presenting His gospel.  “Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, BUT MINISTERS BY WHOM YOU BELIEVED...  I have planted, Apollos watered;  but God gave the increase... FOR WE ARE LABORERS TOGETHER WITH GOD” (1 Cor. 3:5-9).
    Also, we are to be COMPASSIONATE workers in our mission.  As ambassadors for Christ, beseeching the perishing to trust in the Savior, we must present the gospel message in tears.  ‘He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps. 126:6).  As children of God, safe in His sheltering arms, we should look out upon the Hell-bound masses with a broken heart.  Jude, the brother of our Lord Jesus, said in his epistle, that having compassion makes a difference, “and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire”.  (vs. 22, 23)  If we would but consider the grace of God that saved us and transformed us, we would be more sympathetic and concerned about the perishing. 
    Then too, our mission is advanced by CONSECRATED, holy lives.  Our living example of Christianity must corroborate the Word of God.  “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature, old things are passed away, behold all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).  The world and its alluring attractions must be put behind us.  Remember Lot’s wife...  Our aim is not to adapt Christ to fit  the world’s “favorable” mold.  Christ and the world are enemies diametrically opposed.  “.... whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).  Our testimonies speak the loudest when we abstain from the dark deeds of our former manner of life.  When Zacchaeus came down from the sycamore tree, Christ changed his life.  He promised to give one half of all his goods to the poor and to restore four fold to any man from which he took by false accusation.  (Luke 19:1-10)  When the Gadarean, full of demons, met the Lord he was wild and wore no clothes.  But Christ changed that man and he was found calm and with clothes on.  Our mission will be better accomplished when the church dresses modestly, and lives a holy, sacrificial, separated life, which is our reasonable service.  (Rom. 12:1) The world needs to see an alternative life-style in Christianity, not a supplemented extension of worldliness.   The  “new-changed” Gadarean went on to win souls to Christ...
We should remember that Christ’s own mission into this world was not to fix it all up, nor to solve all of its social, political and economic problems.  Rather, the Lord came to redeem and reconcile man unto God.   “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS...” (1 Tim. 1:15).
   Our DUTY, our RESPONSIBILITY and HIS GREAT COMMISSION to us is, to proclaim and herald His message of salvation by grace through faith.   “As my Father hath sent me even so send I you.  (John 20:21)  In the gospel of John chapter 3, Christ presents the doctrine of belief in the son of God as the means unto salvation.  However, in antithesis, He states His doctrine of unbelief;  “but he that believeth not IS CONDEMNED ALREADY...” (vs. 18)  This is the ultimate reality!
  We must do our part to rescue those that are sinking in sin’s tragic ship.  Paul knew the mission of the church.  King Agrippa said to Paul, “ALMOST THOU PERSUADEST ME TO BE A CHRISTIAN” (Acts 26:28).  Regardless of where the great Apostle was, he was always trying to win others to the Savior.  We too, must get our lives and our priorities in order and not allow ourselves to become sidetracked by other well-meaning purposes in our Christian service.  Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God into salvation TO EVERYONE THAT BELIEVETH...”  (Rom. 1:16).  What about you, are you ashamed to share the gospel with others, family and friends...  Although we are unworthy creatures to represent the God of Glory and invite others to receive His salvation, this is His ordained mission, which He has entrusted to the church.   The results of our feeble efforts are in God’s hands.
                                                                                                                                                         Tom Meador