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“Again Jesus said,"Peace be with you!
As the Father has sent me,
I am sending you”
(John 20:21)

When speaking about “sending” it is implicitly understood that there is a purpose, because each act of “sending” has a specific and particular purpose. For this reason, SENDING AND PURPOSE are inseparable because “sending” without a purpose wouldn’t have a reason to be and it would lack value.
As a way to get in to the topic at hand, we will analyze different types of “sending”:

• A COUNTRY that sends a group of people to another country where there has been a natural disaster (earthquake, tsunami, flood), with the purpose of helping with all the needs of the people affected by the disaster (medical, medicine, food and water).

• A JOURNALIST sent by his/her company to cover the news in a determined place with the purpose of giving precise information about a   particular event.

• A SOCCER TEAM that is sent to represent its country competing against other teams as is the case of Argentina in South Africa 2010.

• THE GOVERNMENT OF A COUNTRY that sends an ambassador to another country with the purpose of carrying out a diplomatic function and   representing the country that sent him/her.

The examples we just analyzed have something in common, THEY ALL HAVE TO DO WITH SENDING. However, these acts of “sending” differ in PURPOSE as well as in the TASK TO BE PERFORMED and THE AUTHORITY. At the same time, they are all produced from a human realm and are linked to the world we inhabit.
When Jesus was on earth he made a transcendent declaration that includes the disciples of all times:

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you
to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.
Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name".
(John 15:16, NIV).

In this verse we can see that Jesus establishes an order:

• He is the one who chooses and calls people. In this context, “chosen and called” are synonyms.
• He is the one who designates (designate: to mark or to destine someone for a determined goal).  The act of designating is the same as the act of assigning God’s purpose for that person.
• He sends the people.

The results produced by following this order are:

• Bearing fruit
• The fruit lasts
• Within this context and order, the sent ones are given all that that they ask the father to give them.

Judges 6:11-14 (NIV)
…I chose you…

 

Verse 12 shows God’s sovereignty by choosing Gideon, which is demonstrated by sending His angel and telling Gideon that the Lord was with him.

You did not choose me…: Verse 13 shows that Gideon was not waiting for God to do something special to him; neither was he pretending to be “chosen as a servant of God”. Simply, the principle of sovereignty was confirmed: God chooses.

The verse we are analyzing in John 15:16 says: “YOU DID NOT CHOOSE ME, I CHOSE YOU”…

And I appointed you…: If we compare this phrase from the verse in John to the Judges 6:14, we will find perfect similarities. Verse 14 says: “THE LORD TURNED TO HIM AND SAID, "GO IN THE STRENGTH YOU HAVE AND SAVE ISRAEL OUT OF MIDIAN'S HAND. AM I NOT SENDING YOU?"
Here it is confirmed that the Lord has a determined goal for Gideon and for that goal He was choosing him. It is necessary to highlight that the purpose or “determined goal” which Gideon had to fulfill, was a sovereign decision and unilateral of God, without the influence of the desires, will, thoughts or feelings of Gideon.

Jesus continues saying this in John 15:16: “…to go…: The end of Judges 6:14 shows that once the angel of the Lord spoke the command given, then he ratified the “act of sending” with the words “Am I not sending you?”.
To continue we need to identify who the angel of the Lord is. Let’s note something important: In Judges 6:11, it says: “THE ANGEL OF THE LORD CAME AND SAT DOWN UNDER THE OAK…”

Then verse 12 says:
“WHEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD
APPEARED TO GIDEON…”

Who is this “angel of the Lord”? This is what is called a Theophania, which is a physical manifestation of the Lord himself; this happened in determined occasions in the old days; it was the manifestation of Christ himself.

To confirm this, we see that in verse 14, it says: THE LORD TURNED TO HIM…
Ah! Now it specifies WHO THE ANGEL OF THE LORD IS. He is the Lord himself. This is evident since the only one with the authority to send is the Lord himself and not an angel, regardless of the rank he may have. That is why he says: AM I NOT SENDING YOU?

The verse in John 15:16 continues and Jesus says: …bear fruit—fruit that will last…: Verse 16 shows that the “act of sending” Gideon will bring specific fruit as a result: the defeat of the enemy. By saying that he will defeat them as if they were only “one man” it refers to a victory that will be decisive, total and permanent.

In John 15:16 it refers to, …whatever you ask, the Father will give you…:  Judges 6:17 and 18 shows that the one “sent” by God has the favor of God and whatever he asks will be given because all of the requests are related to the commission the Lord gave him.
Gideon then asked the Lord to not go away before he comes back with an offering, and the answer of the Lord is that He would wait for his return.

A question of spiritual importance arises here: Why did Gideon want to give the Lord an offering?
First of all, every person that has been truly “sent,” has in his spirit the conviction of acknowledging the Lord and recognizing His Person. When the angel of the Lord appears before Gideon, he recognizes himself as part of the people of God; hence the Lord as his God. However, he has many doubts about the works of God with His people, which is the typical and poor mentality of those who believe that God manifests himself only when they are RECEIVING.
But after this encounter there is a substantial change; now Gideon wakes up to a superior reality since he understands that God had a plan of action and He was choosing him to send him to fulfill that plan. In other words; before, he recognizes himself as part of the people of God that are there only waiting to receive; now, he knows he has been CHOSEN (called) and SENT and is willing to give.

Secondly, based on the previous point, according to verses 20-21 when the Lord burns the offering, this allowed Gideon to see that from that moment on HE HIMSELF WAS AN OFFERING TO THE LORD. Verse 24 demonstrated that Gideon understood completely that he himself had become an offering because in that place he built an altar for God. In addition to this, the name that Gideon gives to the altar is important: THE LORD IS PEACE (SHALOM). This word (Salom or Shalom) includes: integrity, security, wellness, peace and fellowship.  With this declaration, Gideon shows that he is completely confident in the absolute provision of God for life, for the place and for the task for which he was sent. It is due to his conviction and he himself being an offering that the first thing he does is give an offering to honor the Lord.
From the declaration of Gideon, it appears that the total confidence in the continuing provision of God depends on having and demonstrating a spirit of being “sent” in daily practice. In summary, “being a person “sent” by God,” without having the spirit of the person “sent” operating in him, is like if he had never been sent in the first place.

Now, let’s see on Judges 6: 36-40, it says: GIDEON SAID TO GOD, "IF YOU WILL SAVE ISRAEL BY MY HAND AS YOU HAVE PROMISED- LOOK, I WILL PLACE A WOOL FLEECE ON THE THRESHING FLOOR. IF THERE IS DEW ONLY ON THE FLEECE AND ALL THE GROUND IS DRY, THEN I WILL KNOW THAT YOU WILL SAVE ISRAEL BY MY HAND, AS YOU SAID." AND THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED. GIDEON ROSE EARLY THE NEXT DAY; HE SQUEEZED THE FLEECE AND WRUNG OUT THE DEW—A BOWLFUL OF WATER.  THEN GIDEON SAID TO GOD, "DO NOT BE ANGRY WITH ME. LET ME MAKE JUST ONE MORE REQUEST. ALLOW ME ONE MORE TEST WITH THE FLEECE. THIS TIME MAKE THE FLEECE DRY AND THE GROUND COVERED WITH DEW." THAT NIGHT GOD DID SO. ONLY THE FLEECE WAS DRY; ALL THE GROUND WAS COVERED WITH DEW.

Here it shows Gideon’s new request for 2 signs related to God’s purpose for his life and the fulfillment of that purpose. Gideon said to the Lord: “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised…” which verifies that Gideon’s only interest in the Lord granting his requests, was the successful fulfillment of the purpose or goal the Lord had determined for his life. Gideon’s words to God have nothing to do with lack of faith or tempting God, but rather a sincere desire for a confirmation in advance of the victory as the one who was “sent” by God.
It is remarkable to observe that the same man who earlier was concerned about “his provision,” protecting his little provision so that the enemy wouldn’t steal it, now he has completely forgotten his own interests  and has all of his interests in fulfilling the purpose and the commission of the Lord!
All of the Lord’s acts of granting Gideon’s requests became prophetic signs that would allow Gideon to be “CONFIDENT IN ADVANCE” of his success in order to act with conviction of faith and having the certainty that the Lord Himself had chosen him, sent him, and assigned him with a specific task to do.




DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CALLING AND SENDING

In the introduction we mentioned that there are different types of “acts of sending”.  Now we are referring specifically to the calling and sending made by the Lord to people that exercise some of the five ministerial gifts described in Ephesians 4:11.

Let’s take a look at Paul’s calling and sending.

• Acts 9:15, Romans 1:1: Paul is chosen or called to be an apostle.

Saul of Tarsus even without knowing it, even working in opposition to the Lord himself and persecuting the Church, “was an apostle” of the Lord inside    because of the sovereign choice of the Lord. However, God himself allowed     several years to pass, to the point that Jesus himself revealed to him and let him know that he had been called by HIM to fulfill a specific and predetermined purpose.

• Acts 22:14-15: The first thing the Lord did after Saul’s conversion was    to send him a prophecy through Ananias in which the commission the Lord           had reserved for him was described.

• It is important to highlight that between the choosing or calling and the sending, there is the Word of the Lord, as it is in the case of Ananias in which it is described as part of the purpose that Paul was to develop.

• Acts 13:1-3: we can observe that the act of sending becomes effective     through the prophetic word and the imposition of the hands by the presbytery.  

It is true that Paul began preaching Christ immediately after his conversion, but it wasn’t until the presbytery laid hands on him by sending him to exercise the ministerial task of an apostle as it is written from Acts 13 when Paul was sent. It is evident that it was through the act of sending that Paul was enabled and     received the authority to exercise the ministry entrusted to him.

Summarizing, the “CALL” represents the sovereign choice of God and the manifestation of his purpose for the life of a person. The act of “SENDING” it the authorization or “divine official legalization” that gives the person called the empowerment and authority to develop the task that was entrusted to him/her.

THE LEGALIZATION OF A CALLING

We just proved that there is a fundamental difference between being CALLED OR CHOSEN and being SENT. Many times there are people who think that having been chosen or called is sufficient and for that reason they have the “divine official legalization” to start executing the task immediately. This happens because they usually don’t know that it is the act of “sending” that enables the one who is called or chosen to begin developing the task entrusted by the Lord.

Acts 6:1-6 shows that the very first Church had a clear spiritual understanding of the fundamental importance of “SENDING” because even for tasks that one could call “practical or domestic,” the people that were chosen had to be assigned to their tasks before they could execute them. In other words, they had to be sent to execute their tasks by the laying of hands by the apostles.

By going through the Scripture and observing some of the people that God chose and sent later, we see that a period of time passed in which important events happened that contributed to their formation:

• The example of David: 1st Samuel 16:13, 2nd Samuel 5:1-5
• The first Bible passage describes the moment in which David being a teenager between the age of 15 and 17, was chosen and anointed as king. It is clear that this anointing was what confirmed God’s choice or calling for David to exercise the kingship. However, he did not exercise the kingship immediately after he was anointed by Samuel.
• 2nd Samuel 5:1-2 confirms that in between the calling and the act of  sending is the word of God, as the tribes of Israel are those that express to David that even though Saul was still the king, God had already revealed that he will become the king of Israel.
• Verses 3-5 describe when the elders in Hebron anointed David as king of Israel. The Scriptures specify the times in which the events happened in the life of David. When he was about 30 years old he began to rule in Hebron over Judah and he ruled for 7 years and six months.  Later, he reigned in Jerusalem over all of Israel for a period of 33 years. His total time of kingship was 40 years.

The example of David describes the big difference between the CALLING and the act of SENDING. When Samuel anointed David to be king over “all of Israel” (1st Samuel 16:1), the CALLING and the purpose that God had for David, were manifested. However, there had to be TWO acts of SENDING for that calling to be ratified. We need to highlight that between the CALLING and the TWO acts of SENDING, David had to wait between 15 and 22 years approximately. It is evident that the act of SENDING IS THE ONLY THING THAT ENABLES THE PERSON CALLED TO COMPLETELY FULFILL WHAT GOD COMMISSIONED UNTO HIM.

THE PERFECT COMMISSIONING

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me,
I am sending you."
(John 20:21)
.
Having as a foundation these examples of acts of sending – the examples we studied at the beginning of the teaching – and also the previous analysis about being CALLED and SENT, and having read the verse with Jesus’ words, we could ask ourselves: How did the Father send Jesus and what is the reason why we should be sent into the world in the same way as Jesus was?

HOW DID THE FATHER SEND JESUS?

But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above…
(John 8:23a, NIV)

Jesus was from heaven

“…You are of this world; I am not of this world.”
(John 8:23, NIV)

Jesus was not of this world.

“Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me”.
(John 8: 42, NIV)

Jesus did not come into the world of his own initiative, but was sent by the Father.

Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
(Matthew 12:47-50, NIV)

Jesus classifies those who do the will of his Father as his family.

WHY SHOULD WE BE SENT INTO THE WORLD IN THE SAME WAY AS JESUS WAS?
When Jesus talks about how he sent us into the world in the same way He was sent, he is not referring to the human or natural. In other words, he is not saying that we needed to be born of a virgin as happened in his case.  What Jesus is affirming is that the same divine nature was to live in us as we were made children of God.

“In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
(John 3:3, NIV)

The new birth is the supernatural work of the Spirit, for which the human spirit that was dead to God, receives divine life.
Because the human nature that we received fell into sin and received a foreign nature that is the satanic nature, it was imperative that Christ would deliver us out of that fallen nature and would make us partakers of His divine nature.
This expression of Jesus shows us that by being born of the Spirit there is a transformation that changes our nature and purpose in life.

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ "
(Philippians 3:20, NIV).

The new birth is the “heavenly birth certificate” that makes us children of God and citizens of heaven and that is why Jesus said that in order to see the Kingdom of God it was necessary to be born again.
Christians understand in their spirits that their new place of origin is heaven, and now their true homeland is heavenly, all service and purpose in the Lord is developed from the divine nature received.

“And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”
(Ephesians 2:6, NVI).

Each member of the body of Christ has not only received the divine nature and the heavenly citizenship, but He has also seated us in heavenly realms through Christ by which he exercises authority and power to live and act in the world, carrying out the will of God on earth.

According to all that we have analyzed so far we could affirm with certainty that the Church as well as Jesus is from heaven.

“If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
(John 15:19, NVI).

“They are not of the world, even as I am not of it” (John 17:16 NIV). 
Since we are in Christ, WE ARE NOT BORN OF THE WORLD NEITHER WE BELONG IN THE WORLD, like Jesus.

“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Mathew 10:37, NIV).

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household ”
(Ephesians 2:19, NVI).

Because the children of God share the same divine nature of Christ, they are called for all of their relationships and emotions to be under the divine order, giving priority to the ties that come from the “blood of Christ” for which they have been made “Family of God”, over the relationships and emotions that come from the ties of blood of the “earthly family”.

“…because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God…”
(Revelation 5:9b-10a, NIV).

These verses show all of the purpose of the sacrifice of Jesus to redeem us with his blood. REDEMPTION means paying a ransom price in order to BUY US BACK TO GOD AGAIN and to free us from the power of darkness and to shift us to the Kingdom of God.
Usually the word redemption is only applied to the forgiveness of sins. But this basic concept minimizes the totality and the reach of the sacrifice of Christ in our favor.

When the Scripture talks about redemption this implies:

• to be purchased from all lineage because God does not care about the earthly family we come from, but he himself became our parent for us to be able to become members of His Family. 
• to be purchased from every people because God does not take into account the place of birth that places people under a certain way of living particular of a specific place, but he deliver us from all the ties of the culture, customs, traditions and ways of living that tie us to a certain place.
• to be purchased from every language because God does take into account the affinity that human beings feel when they speak the same language, but He made Christ the source of our affinity and identity that breaks all other kinds of connections based on the human and earthly.
• to be purchased from every nation because God does not take into account the territory borders that define citizenship and the homeland of an individual, but He establishes heaven as the place to where each and every child belongs. When it has been revealed to the believers that heaven is their homeland they long to get there and even though they live in their country of origin, they do not act guided by human and earthly nationalism but by the principles that govern their heavenly homeland.    

The goal of redemption in all those born again is to uproot them from all that binds them to earth.

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people”
(1ª Peter 2:9a, NKJV).

What is described in this passage is portrayed as imperative because this is the only way in which the Church could experience an uprooting from all that ties it to earth in order to fulfill the objective that God has commissioned it with. Through his words, the apostle confirms the substitution of the Earthly for the HEAVENLY in order for the church to see itself and act accordingly to what it truly is: generation, (but now) chosen generation; nation, (but now) holy nation; people, (but now) special people belonging to God.
To summarize, people of every generation, tribe, nation and tongue have been CHOSEN, SET APART AND BOUGHT in Christ.

“…that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.”
(1ª Peter 2:9b, NKJV).

However, all the greatness of the work of Christ in favor of humanity cannot be confined to a personal enjoyment of the benefits of salvation that God gives us. The Lord himself produced all of this transformation in his children in order to have a qualified and prepared Church to manifest, implant and extend the Kingdom of God.

Previously, we analyzed how the Father sent Jesus with particular characteristics as the one sent by God. Then, we observed that the same characteristics are applicable to the Church for it to be the one sent by Jesus Christ. This means then that God’s plan from the beginning has been the same:

THE BEGINNING OF THE PLAN OF SENDING:

God sent Jesus Christ as the one “SENT” from heaven to earth; meaning, from outside this earthly world because only the heavenly can affect the earthly.




THE CONTINUATION OF THE PLAN OF SENDING

By dying on the cross, Jesus redeemed and purchased millions of human beings whom he established as HIS CHURCH and he gave them his divine nature and redeemed them and “took them out of this world” (tribe, language, people and nation) to later “send them back in the world but from a heavenly home”. The particular characteristics of Jesus Christ that were transferred to His Church, are the divine official legalization that enables the church to be the ONLY ONE SENT WITH POWER AND AUTHORITY TO REPRESENT HIM IN THE WORLD.

From a legal perspective, all the particular characteristics of Jesus Christ have been granted to the Church, which was indispensable for the Church to be enabled in His authority and power to do the same or even greater works than the ones He did when He lived on earth. (John 14:12)

The “greater works” to which Jesus Christ is referring to are not limited to the performance of miracles or feats, but they go beyond these acts. It was for this reason that before ascending into heaven, Jesus gathered his disciples and blessed them and said to them: Because all authority is given to me in heaven and earth so GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES.
The making of disciples is mainly linked to the greatest feat that could be performed: RADICALLY TRANSFORMING PEOPLE’S LIVES BY BECOMING DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST.

Important reflection: If “legally speaking” the Church has the authority and power that Jesus Christ gave it, why is so little manifested in the transformation of life within the Church itself and outside of it?
The answer to this question requires differentiations between “legal” and “real or experimental.” Legally, the church is COMPLETE and it has it all, because Christ gave it all. However, every legal and biblical truth must “become flesh” in a personal and corporate way so that the life and Person of Christ can be manifested through His people manifesting His authority and power in the world. If the Church does not go from the legal to the real, its act of sending becomes barren and unproductive.

• Why do I intercede before the Lord with greater passion for the conflicts in my country or for the situation with the immigrants in the United States?
• Do we pray with the same intensity and interest for our nation, city, family, Church as we pray for other nations, cities and families?

If Christ “took us out of the world to send us back into it” from a heavenly homeland and nature, it is evident that he did it so that the act of SENDING entrusted would not be affected, or  encumbered by any earthly tie or human lineage, people, tongue or nation.
When the Church recognizes and lives its redeemed condition, it can operate in the world with the authority and power that Christ conferred it; which is an authority that is above all human authority and that has the power to transform everything. 

 

 

 

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