What Does It Mean to be “From Saved to Sent”?
John 17:6-19 (18)
What did Jesus mean when He said that He was glorified in those that followed Him? The glory of God’s wonder is the disclosure of God’s presence and character. The lives of the disciples uncover the character of Jesus, and how He is available through them to the world. Is the presence and character of Jesus shown through our lives and how we live in today’s society? (John 17:26, 15:15, 16:50; 1 John 5:19; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 3:21)
Jesus is asking the Father that the disciples would be joined in congruity and love as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are joined together, the most grounded of all associations (John 17:21-23, 10:30; Romans 12:4-5; Galatians 3:28).
Joy is a typical subject in Christ’s lessons. He wants us to be cheerful (John 15:11, 16:24, 16:33). The way to unfathomable bliss is living in close contact with Jesus, the wellspring of all joy. When we do stay in close contact with Christ, we will encounter the security and care of God, and see the triumph that God brings through any situation, even if it appears that defeat is imminent. (John 6:39, 10:28, 15:11; Hebrews 2:13; 1 John 2:19)
The world detests Christians since the values that Christians have vary so much from the world’s values. Since the believers of Christ do not associate with the world by participating in their sin and wrongdoing, Christians are the living allegations against the shameless immorality of the world. The world follows the plan of Satan, and Satan is the declared foe of Jesus and His children. (John 15:19; 1 John 3:13)
A believer of Christ becomes blessed (put aside for hallowed use, purged, and made sacred) through accepting and complying with the Word of God (Hebrews 4:12). The person in question has, as of now, acknowledged pardoning (forgiveness) through the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Hebrews 7:26-27). In any case, day by day use of God’s Word affects our brains and our hearts. God’s Word purifies us. It calls attention to any sin, propels us to confess and repent of that sin, it restores our relationship with Christ, and guides us back to the correct way. (1 John 5:18; John 15:3)
Jesus did not request that God remove the believers from the world, however, that for God to utilize them in the world. Since Jesus sends us into the world, we ought to do whatever it takes not to escape from the world or stay away from associations with non-Christians. We are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16), and we are to accomplish the work God has sent us to do.
In John 20:21, Jesus distinguished Himself with His Father. He told the disciples that God had authorized Him to do His work. He has now passed this work of spreading the Gospel of salvation all throughout the world, over to His disciples, and over to us. We need to remember that whatever God has requested that we do, that the power to do the work comes from God, and that Jesus has shown us by His words and His actions, how to achieve the work that He has given us. As the Father has sent Jesus, Jesus now sends His followers.
In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus left the disciples with these final instructions. They were under His authorization to make more disciples. They were to baptize and help them to submit to Christ, and that He would always be with them. While in past missions, Jesus had sent the disciples just to the Jews (Matthew 10:5-6). Their main goal from this point forward would be to go around the world. Jesus is the Lord of the earth, and He died for the transgressions of the people from all nations and countries (Luke 24:47).
We are to go whether it is nearby or to another nation. We are to teach and preach to all that will listen and make more disciples. It is anything but a choice. It is a command to all who call Jesus “Lord and Savior.” Of course, we are not all evangelists or preachers. But we have all been given gifts that we can use in assisting with accomplishing the Great Commission. As we submit to God, we have solace in knowing that Jesus is consistently with us no matter where we go.
Jesus’ words avow the truth of the Trinity. He did not say to baptize them into the names of, yet He said to baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The disciples were to baptize others who believed because this was an outward sign of an inward change that a person was now joined with Jesus Christ in His passing from the sin of this world and to the resurrection to new life. Submersion shows that a person is submitting to Christ. That person is displaying a willingness to live in the way God directs, and that it is distinguishing proof of the association with the covenant people of God (Acts 2:38, 41, 42).
How is Jesus presently with us today? Jesus was physically with the disciples until He rose up to heaven, and afterward profoundly through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4). The Holy Spirit would be the presence of Jesus that would never depart from them (John 14:26). And, Jesus is continually with us today through the Holy Spirit.
We cannot be sent out into the world unless we have been saved. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23. To be saved from sin is to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 8:37), and to confess and believe in our hearts that Christ died for our sins and that He rose from the grave (Romans 10:9-10).
We have been conveyed into the world to give testimony of the Lord, Jesus Christ. We are to be identified with Christ in this world as Christ has identified Himself with us. We are to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15). As a Christian, a believer in Jesus Christ, we are to do our part in sharing the Gospel of Christ wherever we may go. That is the meaning of being “from Saved to Sent.”
