From start to finish, the Bible tells the story of God’s relentless pursuit of people. He created humanity in his image to show himself to us, love us and be loved in return, and he will stop at nothing to bring people the world over into relationship with himself. This became a reality when he came to live amongst us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Born as a baby in an obscure Middle Eastern village, he lived his adult life as a wandering teacher and healer, and was crucified by the Roman occupiers just outside Jerusalem. In Jesus, God certainly did come to ‘seek and save the lost’.
But the story of God’s pursuit of people doesn’t end with Jesus, his death, resurrection and ascension. It continues now through the church, those who become ‘his body‘, the people who choose to follow him – you and me. ‘As the Father sent me, so I am sending you’ defines our identity and purpose. By nature, we are people on a mission, sent into this world with the same purpose as Jesus who was sent by his father to seek and save the lost.
