Sent

Luke 24:44-49

Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46-47, ESV)

HINTS THROUGHOUT THE Old Testament make it clear that Israel’s God was interested in more than just Israel—that his Word would be a light for Gentiles, that Israel would be the firstborn (not the only-born) of nations, that God’s glory would eventually cover the earth, and that many would be drawn to God through the Jews. Before Jesus, that global mission was more of a centripetal force than a centrifugal one; it was focused on the center, with nations being drawn in toward the work God was doing. People like the queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem to see the marvels of its Temple, the wisdom of its king, and the blessings its God had bestowed on it. Prophets declared that God would make Jerusalem a cause for praise in all the earth. Even when God’s people were scattered in exile, their hearts still turned toward the Holy City as the center of God’s work.

In the New Testament, that centripetal force shifted into a centrifugal one, moving believers outward, driving the message into all nations. Jesus told his disciples to go into all the world, and persecution, trade, and missionary trips took the gospel far away from its geographic origins. Instead of drawing people in, the church focused on sending people out. The global mission became truly global.

We still live in this outward-moving age, when the geographic center of the gospel has moved locations several times, when missionaries are being sent to distant countries (and others are being sent to us), and when the Bible is still being translated into the languages of remote people groups. But the mission is more than geographic. It takes us outside the walls of our local church into the workplace, the marketplace, community organizations, and everywhere else we go. Our mission is integrated into every aspect of our lives, sometimes subtly and creatively, to draw in, reach out, and lift up until God’s glory really does cover the earth—through us.

{Lord, work your mission into my identity. Open my eyes to see myself as a vital, integral part of your global redemption. May I carry your presence—your wisdom, power, and love—into every area of life. Amen.