Knowing what the mission of Jesus was and is - a step on the journey

NORSK
A couple of weeks back I had the following manna: ‘To get to know the mission takes more than one step’, I did not think that I would write more about the mission in this relatively short 'Up to Jerusalem'-series.

However, today's verse is definitely one more step in the understanding of the mission:

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost
Matt 18:11

"You and I, Jesus, always you and I!" was another manna not long ago. This includes complete identification with his mission. For soldiers in the Salvation Army this identity should be part of our DNA. We wear two ‘S’-insignias on our uniform to remind ourselves that we are “Saved to save”.

Sometimes this can be quite hard. In Eastern Europe we are frequently confronted with people whose purpose seem to make life difficult for us. Last Friday on a border crossing in the pass-port control they demanded that I should give up my car because the required travel document in the car (who is filled out by the secretary each month) lacked the letter ‘u’ in Hyundai. 

When I did not agree to giving up the car, I was threatened because I opposed authority. In such situations it is good to be able to be calm, give them time and pray a little, and once again it worked out in the end. Even among people who represent regimes and systems there will be people who are lost and who need to be loved back into the kingdom of God. Like a shepherd looking for a lost sheep that has gone astray, Jesus will be looking for souls who need him. That's why I'm here too.

‘Manna’ for today:

I share the mission of Jesus