Sent & Sending
John Piper has been famously quoted as saying, “There are three options when it comes to missions: go, send, or disobey.” This is a bold statement but it captures the urgency and responsibility that every follower of Christ carries. Missions is not a calling reserved for a select few; it is the shared commission of all believers.
Jesus could not be clearer when he commanded us to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). These words are not optional—they are the heartbeat of the Christian life–the heartbeat that is fueled by God’s missional pursuit of us. After his resurrection Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). Jesus was sent so we are sent.
God is a missionary God—He sent His only Son to redeem the world, and His Spirit continues to move through His people to reach every nation, language, and people to worship the Lamb (Rev. 7:9). And the primary means that God has established for the gospel to advance to all peoples is the local church. The sole reason we plant churches is because we believe the gospel was never meant to stop with us. The gospel came to us because it is on its way to someone else.
Our lives are not to be containers for the Good News but conduits through which this Good News flows. Therefore, missions isn't an “if” but a “how.” The question is not whether we are called to participate, but how God is calling us to be involved. So are you a sent one OR are you one who sends?
Those who are sent are called to move his/her life to a new location (whether that be a country or worship location in the city). They are called to forge new ground on the front lines of ministry. They are called to give generously to the work and to work generously with his/her time to engage family, co-workers, and neighbors with the gospel.
Before leaving for India, the great missionary William Carey told his friend and biggest advocate Andrew Fuller: “I will go down into the pit, if you will hold the ropes.”1 Fuller spent much of his life raising awareness, funds, and offering up prayer for Carey. This is the role of those who send. They are called to labour in prayer, to give generously to see the work of God supported, and to step up and serve to fill the gaps of those who left.
That means that every person at Port City is a missionary, called to meaningfully join in God’s mission. Again, the question is not if but how. Sent or sending. How will you leverage your life to see the mission of God move forward in our neighborhoods and to the nations?
Join us on Sunday, November 30th following the 11:00am gathering for an interest meeting to hear more about how you can be involved in being SENT or SENDING.
Pastor Jeremy
