Every major business venture, or corporation, has a “Mission Statement.” Did you know Jesus has a “Mission Statement” for His ministry?” It is found in the Gospel of John Chapter 10, verse 10b: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” The word “life” here is the Greek word “zoe,” which means, essentially, “life like God has it, or the God kind of life.” Much like the “God kind of faith,” God wants us to have the God kind of Life! (All verses used in this article are from the New King James Version Bible, by the way.)
Think of it! Jesus said He came so that WE could have the God kind of Life, and have it in abundance! The God kind of life is nothing broken, nothing wanting, it is the kind of life that comes from “sozo,” which means, “saved, healed, delivered, protected and made whole, spirit, soul, body, financially and socially!” It covers ALL of life, and all of Life comes from God!
John 1:3, 4 “All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
The natural state of man is sad, and hopeless. It is dark. They understand this life only with their minds.
Ephesians 4:17-19 “This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
They are “alienated from the life of God.” And yet, Jesus said in His “Mission Statement” that “I am come that they may have life!” This life is the salvation of the Lord! This life will heal you, it will prosper you, it will promote you! Once a person receives the free gift of salvation life, zoe life, from the Lord, everything changes!
Ephesians 4:20-24 “But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”
If we, as believers, get into the Word of God, one can “be renewed in the spirit of your mind.”
Romans 12:1-3 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
If we will not be conformed to the spirit of the world, but renew our mind to His Word, we can be transformed! However, there are two sides to any coin.
The first part of John 10:10 says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” The thief spoken of here is satan. His mission statement is the opposite of Jesus’. What do we see at work in our society today, with the Black Lives Matter rioters in major cities, and Antifa burning down businesses? The specific organization called “Black Lives Matter” is a self-proclaimed Marxist organization, dedicated to destroying our nation. Of course, lives of any color, or origin, do matter. Life matters! But, the devil has come to steal (that’s looting,) kill, that’s murder, and destroy (that’s what has happened to businesses, and buildings in our major cities. It demonstrates that all this activity is borne of a spiritual force; the attack of satan! There is a spiritual attack on our nation, designed by the devil, put forward by his minions. And, unfortunately, it is affecting the minds of many, even in the church! People’s understanding has been darkened, they have been given over to ignorance, they are past feeling and empathy, and have given themselves over to work lewdness, uncleanness, and greediness. This is why they loot, this is why they destroy, this why they want to tear down our nation’s institutions as our nation was founded.
It is a spiritual problem. And, it can only be answered with a spiritual solution! We need to join Jesus’ mission to take the Life of God to the world! Therefore, it is important to support life! I am against abortion, for instance, not because it is a political issue, but because it is a LIFE issue! I am against death in all forms, it is the last enemy to be conquered! (1 Corinthians 15:26) I will not “buddy up” to my enemy, I will not consort with my enemy!
It is for this reason I so strongly support any action to upend the scourge of abortion in our nation. I am OF Life, I am tied to Life, I am PRO-Life! Jesus came to bring us Life, and that more abundantly. I am on His side. I will never be on the side of the enemy of Life!
We must fight this as a spiritual war, with love, with prayer, with the Word! Sadly, too many in the church are being swayed by the enemy to embrace the side of death. But we have not so learned Christ! We have been taught by the Word, we need to put off any of our lingering old ideas, and prejudices, and be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Then, we can think with the Mind of Christ! (1 Corinthians 2:16) We can live in righteousness and true holiness… and, we can accept His mission to bring LIFE to the world! Stay on mission!
