Jesus was a man clearly focused on his mission. He had a goal: To save the world from the consequences of sin. Over and over Jesus said, "I must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, be killed and on the third day be raised to life" (Matt. 16:21; Mark 10:33; Luke 9:51, 18:51). He always kept his life focused on that goal. Everything He said, everything He did, was in connection with completing that goal. Many times Jesus was tempted to lay aside His passion for going the way of the cross. But He did not lose His focus. To the cross he went. And because of that focus, that passion for the souls of the lost, we have reaped the harvest of God's undeserved grace--the forgiveness of our sins, life, and salvation.

God has given His church a very similar goal: to save the world by telling every man, woman, and child the good news of life and salvation in Jesus Christ. If we are going to accomplish the mission that our Lord has given us, we too, must be single-minded, passionate and goal oriented. We must always set before us the work that God has given us to do. Everything that we do as a congregation should be understood and accomplished in light of our mission.