Sending is Trinitarian
Sending isn’t just a missionary task. It is a Trinitarian concept.
Consider this: The Father sent the Son (John 20:21), and the Father and the Son sent the Spirit (John 14:26 and 15:26). So when the Son and Spirit sent the church (John 20:21; Acts 1:8), it was not a new phenomenon. It was an eternal aspect of the Godhead further on display. Sending is grounded in the Trinity.
In fact, did you know Jesus is referred to as the sent one 40 times in the book of John? And that in the narrative of Cornelius (Acts 10), Luke uses send 11 times? Add to this that the final words of Jesus to his disciples, which drip with the clear command to carry on the mission for which he was sent, is described in every single one of the gospels, as well as the book of Acts? Sending isn’t an “add on” to the Christian faith. It’s at the heart of the Godhead and a core theme of the Scriptures.
This undoubtedly escalates sending among the Christian’s, and church’s, priorities. It isn’t optional, but rather essential. And while there may be a variety of ways to send or be sent, disregarding both isn’t an alternative. It’s disobedience, an action that misrepresents the very nature of God.
It isn’t surprising, then, that Jesus would assume the act of going, or being sent, when he commanded his followers to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20). “Go” isn’t really the decision at hand; it’s already concluded. It is presumed and considered underway. We are a sent people by nature of the God who redeemed us. The question is, as we are going (i.e., sent), will we make disciples of all nations?
This week, as you encounter all kinds of people, live as a sent one representing the Trinitarian God. Conduct yourself as an ambassador on-mission from your true country, God’s kingdom. Live and give as one empowered by the Holy Spirit to see Christ’s name preached in places it has yet to be heard. In the plainest of words, share your story of salvation. Testify to God’s grace. Give sacrificially. Intentionally go places to develop relationships with those who are far from God, what I’ve often referred to as relationships of reconciliation. Schedule your day and week with God’s mission in mind. In both word and action, let’s reflect the sending work of the Godhead so that all may know the saving work of the Godhead.
Pastor Todd