You can divide Christians into three types.
Some are fearful of what the world thinks of their faith. Some are indifferent to whether the world even knows about their faith. But some live the sent life.
The story of the apostles’ first meeting with the risen Lord illustrates this.
After Mary Magdalene met Jesus gloriously alive, she went and told the apostles, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18.) And yet, that evening the disciples were in a house “with the doors locked for fear” (John 20:19). Why? The Gospel of Luke tells us that when Mary and other women told the apostles of their encounter with Jesus, “they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11). And so, they still behaved as if their Lord was dead and their great cause had failed.
Suddenly, they found the risen Christ in their midst, and “the disciples were overjoyed” (John 20:20). But notice: They’re enjoying wonderful fellowship with Jesus while still behind their locked door. And so, Jesus said to them, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).
In other words, Jesus was saying, “I don’t want you so wrapped up in fear that you hide from the world, but neither do I want you so focused on your wonderful experiences with me that you ignore the world. I am sending you out to tell others this good news.”
In verse 19, they were fearful of the world.
In verse 20, they were indifferent to the world.
In verse 21, they were sent to the world.
Where do you fall on that spectrum?
Jesus has put us under orders to represent him to others. The sense of being sent should influence every action we take, every decision we make, every dollar we spend, and every circumstance we face.
Read about how the disciples were transformed into a sent people in John 20:19-23. This is the life Jesus has called us to! Study these words with us this Sunday at 10am!
--Tom
Tom Goodman serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter. If someone forwarded this email newsletter to you, sign up here to receive Tom’s weekly devotional in your email inbox.