26 Jun 2026, 09:51Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom
Grounded in the Bible, Focused on the Mission
Pastoral Letter, 26 June 2026
Dear Church Family,
The Newbold College of Higher Education is celebrating one hundred and twenty-five years of existence this weekend. The President of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will be with us. The theme of the GC, ‘Grounded in the Bible – Focus on the Mission,’ epitomises his passion for every member to be involved in actively sharing their faith with those who they come into contact. Luke 19:10 states, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” This verse is so important to Christians today. There are many Christians who do not realise that they have been called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. In Jesus’ words, He was seeking the lost when He came to earth, and today we Christians are called to continue His work of seeking the lost as well and helping them to salvation.
I want to explain this verse a bit better and how we can live it out as Christians today. This was Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth in the first place: He came for the lost, for all those who did not know Him. These are the people who are lost or separated from God and do not even know it. The fact is, all of us were lost before we accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. Lost people do not even realise that they are not living life to their full potential. In some cases, they are even more lost because they are living according to their own will and thoughts and ignoring God’s guidance and the holy Spirit. Jesus came to this earth for these types of people. This is the Jesus we love and that we Christians follow today, and we should be living our lives in such a way as to continue the work of seeking and saving the lost here on earth.
The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 states that “go and make disciples of all nations”. This command given to Jesus’ followers is not just to select a few individuals within a particular group, in a specific part of the world, but instead to all individuals from all nations. Therefore, when Christians go about their daily lives, they have the potential of encountering anyone at any time to share the Good News of salvation with them. They have the chance to bring others to Jesus and bring them into His spiritual family. Therefore, the call to search for the lost is a call that forms the centre of a Christian’s life and work.
Further proof that we Christians have a mission to spread the Gospel comes from the verse in Mark 16:15 that says Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Obviously, this does not limit us to preaching to people in our community or to our Christian friends. Our duty is to find opportunities to preach the Gospel in school, in the workplace, in restaurants, and even when making casual conversation with someone who does not know the Lord. This call to spread the Gospel to every soul on earth demands that we be willing to search out people who would be open to our message, but who are outside of our comfort zone as well. That is to say that we must actively seek out the “lost” if we are to be true to our duty.
The significance of seeking and saving the lost is further emphasised in 2 Peter 3:9, which says that God is not slow in keeping His promises but is patient, wanting everyone to come to repentance. This is the heart of God towards the lost. He does not want anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the attitude and heart that Christians must have towards the lost. They must have a genuine concern for the souls of those who do not know Jesus. This concern will drive them to share the Gospel with them. Sharing the Gospel with others an act of love. It is an expression of God’s love to a lost and dying world.
First, it is very important to us that every person can be saved from sin. We have seen the work of salvation in our own lives, and we know that it is the best thing in the world. We have to tell others about this salvation. So that they can experience the same thing as we have. They can have the same happiness and peace. They can be saved just like we have.
Secondly, there is often a misconceived view that it requires much experience or knowledge to share the Gospel message. It is well to realise that simply telling of one’s personal experience of coming to Jesus can bring great blessing to those who hear of it. Such are called personal testimonies and are just as acceptable as any other Gospel message to the hearer. To reach someone for the Lord is one of the greatest things that can happen for anyone, and it can become very easily a part of one’s life bringing great satisfaction and success. People may often say that they don’t know how to witness, but God has given the human spirit the greatest natural ability to respond to people and situations. The biggest part of witnessing is to love people and share Jesus with them through your own life. The Holy Spirit will provide the words when the time is right.
The task that Christians have to search for the lost is a very urgent one. The writer of the letter of James says that if the sin of one person is overcome by another spiritual person, then he will save that person from death, and he will cover a multitude of sins. So, as Christians, we must act quickly and purposefully in trying to share with the lost the importance of salvation.
So then, we must recognise that the work of seeking and saving the lost is crucial to the nature and call of the Christian. As we proclaim the Good News of salvation through Jesus to the world, as we are commanded to “go and make disciples of all nations” in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20, as we “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” in Mark 16:15, and as we await the return of Jesus when all of creation will be brought to a close in 2 Peter 3:9, we must make the seeking and saving of the lost a core component of our lives. We can only do this as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in sharing the Good News with the world, and as we realise that we are but mere representatives of the loving God who longs for the return of all His wayward children. Go! SEC and be inspired by the mission!
Dear Church Family,
The Newbold College of Higher Education is celebrating one hundred and twenty-five years of existence this weekend. The President of the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church will be with us. The theme of the GC, ‘Grounded in the Bible – Focus on the Mission,’ epitomises his passion for every member to be involved in actively sharing their faith with those who they come into contact. Luke 19:10 states, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” This verse is so important to Christians today. There are many Christians who do not realise that they have been called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. In Jesus’ words, He was seeking the lost when He came to earth, and today we Christians are called to continue His work of seeking the lost as well and helping them to salvation.
I want to explain this verse a bit better and how we can live it out as Christians today. This was Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth in the first place: He came for the lost, for all those who did not know Him. These are the people who are lost or separated from God and do not even know it. The fact is, all of us were lost before we accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. Lost people do not even realise that they are not living life to their full potential. In some cases, they are even more lost because they are living according to their own will and thoughts and ignoring God’s guidance and the holy Spirit. Jesus came to this earth for these types of people. This is the Jesus we love and that we Christians follow today, and we should be living our lives in such a way as to continue the work of seeking and saving the lost here on earth.
The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 states that “go and make disciples of all nations”. This command given to Jesus’ followers is not just to select a few individuals within a particular group, in a specific part of the world, but instead to all individuals from all nations. Therefore, when Christians go about their daily lives, they have the potential of encountering anyone at any time to share the Good News of salvation with them. They have the chance to bring others to Jesus and bring them into His spiritual family. Therefore, the call to search for the lost is a call that forms the centre of a Christian’s life and work.
Further proof that we Christians have a mission to spread the Gospel comes from the verse in Mark 16:15 that says Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Obviously, this does not limit us to preaching to people in our community or to our Christian friends. Our duty is to find opportunities to preach the Gospel in school, in the workplace, in restaurants, and even when making casual conversation with someone who does not know the Lord. This call to spread the Gospel to every soul on earth demands that we be willing to search out people who would be open to our message, but who are outside of our comfort zone as well. That is to say that we must actively seek out the “lost” if we are to be true to our duty.
The significance of seeking and saving the lost is further emphasised in 2 Peter 3:9, which says that God is not slow in keeping His promises but is patient, wanting everyone to come to repentance. This is the heart of God towards the lost. He does not want anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the attitude and heart that Christians must have towards the lost. They must have a genuine concern for the souls of those who do not know Jesus. This concern will drive them to share the Gospel with them. Sharing the Gospel with others an act of love. It is an expression of God’s love to a lost and dying world.
First, it is very important to us that every person can be saved from sin. We have seen the work of salvation in our own lives, and we know that it is the best thing in the world. We have to tell others about this salvation. So that they can experience the same thing as we have. They can have the same happiness and peace. They can be saved just like we have.
Secondly, there is often a misconceived view that it requires much experience or knowledge to share the Gospel message. It is well to realise that simply telling of one’s personal experience of coming to Jesus can bring great blessing to those who hear of it. Such are called personal testimonies and are just as acceptable as any other Gospel message to the hearer. To reach someone for the Lord is one of the greatest things that can happen for anyone, and it can become very easily a part of one’s life bringing great satisfaction and success. People may often say that they don’t know how to witness, but God has given the human spirit the greatest natural ability to respond to people and situations. The biggest part of witnessing is to love people and share Jesus with them through your own life. The Holy Spirit will provide the words when the time is right.
The task that Christians have to search for the lost is a very urgent one. The writer of the letter of James says that if the sin of one person is overcome by another spiritual person, then he will save that person from death, and he will cover a multitude of sins. So, as Christians, we must act quickly and purposefully in trying to share with the lost the importance of salvation.
So then, we must recognise that the work of seeking and saving the lost is crucial to the nature and call of the Christian. As we proclaim the Good News of salvation through Jesus to the world, as we are commanded to “go and make disciples of all nations” in the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20, as we “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” in Mark 16:15, and as we await the return of Jesus when all of creation will be brought to a close in 2 Peter 3:9, we must make the seeking and saving of the lost a core component of our lives. We can only do this as we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in sharing the Good News with the world, and as we realise that we are but mere representatives of the loving God who longs for the return of all His wayward children. Go! SEC and be inspired by the mission!
