Jesus, Himself Being The Sent One, Encouraged Those He Sent To Also Be Senders

What Did Jesus Do?

Jesus, Himself Being The Sent One,

 Encouraged Those He Sent To Also Be Senders

                                                                       

“…As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”

                                                                        John 20:21

Who was the first Christian missionary?  Jesus, of course!  For before Jesus ever sent out any of his disciples, he himself was sent on a mission by the Father.  Christianity is, and always has been, a missionary enterprise, about sending and being sent.  None of us would be Christians today if not for mission and missionaries.  How else would there ever have been witnesses to Christ beyond the Twelve apostles to “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) if not for the repeated cycle of being sent and sending?

Sometimes it is people who are sent (Acts 8:26; 13:1-3), and sometimes it is material aide (Acts 11:27-30).  Whatever form it takes, the Church cannot be the Church apart from its sending and being sent.  And, I would argue, it is hard for us to make a case for our being  Christians without our willingness to send and to be sent.    The being sent may be no further than down the hall to the bedroom of a daughter or son, or across the street to a neighbor.  Or, we might be sent halfway around the world, the mission field being anywhere between “Jerusalem” and the “end of the earth.”  Our sending can also range from the near-at-hand, to several continents away.  Near or far it doesn’t matter, as long as we respond to the call to send and to be sent.

Oftentimes, and Jesus well knew this, those being sent simply cannot get to where they need to go by foot.  The spread of the Gospel has always benefited from improvements to transportation.  From camels and horses and mules, to Jeeps and mountain bikes, believers have used whatever works to carry the Good News wherever it needs to be heard.  And, even though modern technology permits many of us to transmit Gospel messages around the world through the ether via the internet, nothing can top the face to face encounter of those who are saved with those who have yet to hear about and receive salvation.

My friend in India, Pastor Ray, has a calling and passion to reach the lost in his country.  But India is a pretty big nation, and getting around by foot means being limited to a rather small circle of ministry.  A few bicycles would help Pastor Ray and his fellow Gospel workers immensely.  So, in addition to its mission of raising money to assist disable children and adults, 2 For The Ride will also be raising money to send bicycles to India for the work of the Gospel.

I frankly pray that, if it is the Father’s will, I may yet be sent to India to assist Pastor Ray.  But in the mean time I intend to send Pastor Ray and his colleagues help in the form of two-wheeled transportation that will facilitate their work of carrying the Gospel throughout all of their “Jerusalem, and Judea and Samaria.”

If you would like to learn more about 2 For The Ride please visit our website at http://psalmfoxx.wix.com/2-for-the-ride.