THE MISSION STATEMENT by Larry W Peebles December 6, 2019 19.43
A mission statement is defined as “a formal summary of the aims and values of a company, organization, or individual”. Those who study and help write mission statements give this simple explanation–it is the what, how and why of the organization. For what purpose does the organization operate? How does it operate? What are its core values, or the goals which drive it to do great things?
Here are a few examples of mission statements from some great organizations:
Google– “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”. Google is a good place to begin to quickly answer any question or gain knowledge of any topic. Google now handles 63,000 queries per second.
Microsoft– “Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” The company’s top-of-the-line technology products-software and computers, drive communications and information rapidly where it is needed, which affects productivity around the world.
American Red Cross– “The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.” In the aftermath of a devastating hurricane, tornado or flood, it can be hard to know where to begin. Experience, organization and commitment bring hope and resources until there is recovery.
Life Is Good-“To spread the power of optimism”. This t-shirt company spreads a lot of positivity. “Life is not perfect or easy, but it is good”, they say. Try reading a slogan on their t-shirt without smiling, such as- “Life is good because I decided to make it that way”, or “Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.”
When my wife and I were called to launch our own ministry, we chose this as our mission statement- “To know God, and to make Him known.” Actually, we prayed and the Lord gave us this mission statement. We knew at the outset we were called to write, so we are about to enter our sixth year of writing Christian articles and posting them weekly on our ministry website. As we pray, study, and focus on the Lord, He makes Himself known to us. We travel to the nations and teach what He has given us to share. He then demonstrates His word and makes Himself known to others. We observe, learn and gain new insights. This in turn leads to more material on which to write. God is infinite in power and wisdom, so I am confident we will not be done any time soon.
Jesus also had a mission statement. Actually, several come to mind. In Matthew 18:11 Jesus said- “For the Son of Man [Jesus] has come to save that which was lost.” Mankind has lost so much of what God had originally given him. Through sin, man has lost the glory of the image of God. He had lost relationship (standing) with God. Bondage replaced freedom, and immorality replaced holiness. Indeed his very spirit was doomed for an eternity without God. Jesus certainly came to save/redeem all of that and more.
Another statement comes to mind- “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3: 8. When man sinned, he gave the devil the authority God had given to man. Wickedness, poverty and sickness entered the world. Jesus came to take back the ground given to the devil, and to destroy his works.
But the statement I truly believe to be His mission statement is the one found in Isaiah and adopted by Jesus. In Luke 4: 16-21, we read- “So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And He opened the book. He found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because he has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.’ Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
Jesus read Isaiah 61:1 and a part of verse 2 as His mission statement, but if we read on through verse 7, we see He also came to comfort those who mourn, and to give them the oil of joy [Holy Spirit]. He came to cover our heaviness with a garment of praise, so that we can once again be called trees of righteousness. As such, the Lord is glorified.
In short, He came to alleviate everything that had become pitiful concerning the condition of man. This pitiful condition was the result of sin, so He defeated the power of sin and the devil. He set us at liberty in the process. He lifted up the poor and the poor in spirit. He healed the sick and brokenhearted, comforted the mourning, and opened the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf. He lifted the heaviness, and restored us as trees of righteousness. That is to say, righteousness is imputed to us through His blood sacrifice. His work continues today, because the Spirit that was upon Him was intentionally left behind to teach us all truth, and for us to find comfort, wisdom, and the power to do the works of Jesus. Now we are called to preach the gospel, and to defeat the works of the devil.
For further evidence that this passage from Isaiah was an important statement of His mission, consider this. Jesus said of John the Baptist “there was no one greater.” Matthew 11:11. John’s purpose was to prepare the way for Jesus upon the earth. His ministry (“the voice of one crying in the wilderness ‘prepare the way of the Lord”) was also foretold by the prophet Isaiah (see Isaiah 40:3). He baptized Jesus at the Jordan River, the audible voice of God was heard by the crowd gathered, and the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus. Jesus’ ministry was officially launched. John continued to preach repentance, and ultimately confronted King Herod. The king had John arrested. While in prison, and facing certain death, he sent a message to Jesus. He asked- “Are You the One who is to come [the Messiah], or are we to look for someone else?” (Luke 7:20). John was about to die, so he wanted to be sure. Jesus answered in verse 22- “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of me.” At the critical hour the greatest man to have ever lived was facing death, Jesus went right back to the mission statement, and assured John the mission was being accomplished. John’s life was not wasted. The Messiah, Savior of the World, had come and mankind would never be the same.
John’s life had a purpose, and it fit right into Jesus’ plan. Jesus also had a mission, and it fit right into the Father’s plan. Whether we realize it or not, you and I also have a God-given mission. Our job is to discover that mission, and execute it to completion. Our lives have an eternal purpose. God says in Jeremiah 29:11- “I know the plans I have for you…” He also says that if we lack wisdom on what that mission or purpose is, we should ask. (James 1:5). Our mission should become so clear we can write it down in a simple statement such as those illustrated in this article. (Habakkuk 2:2). My prayer is that with the help of the Holy Spirit we all find our God-given life purpose. Then we become so very clear on it that we can write it down in a plain statement to use as a guide for those times when we might drift from our mission. When we know and operate in our eternal purpose, we find satisfaction in fulfilling that unique mission for which we were created.
