“SENT WITH A PURPOSE”

18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.“ 

John 17:18

Jesus has commissioned His followers to enter the surrounding culture with the same purpose and authority the Father gave Him when He entered human history. Living in Cecil Lake means we are surrounded by wide-open spaces and a distinct community, but the mandate remains the same as the one given to the disciples in the first century. We are not meant to isolate ourselves from the culture, but to actively step into it with a very specific, divine goal in mind.

John chapter 17 is a heartfelt prayer known as Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer.” After delivering His Farewell Discourse, Jesus now prays for Himself, the disciples, and future believers. This moment is also the start of Jesus’ “time.” In this series, we will see several important truths relating to our calling, sanctification, and witnessing. 

In John 17:18, Jesus prays to the Father, saying, "As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world." The Greek word for "sent" here is apostellō. According to Greek linguistic scholar Bill Mounce, this word doesn't simply mean telling someone to leave a location. It means sending someone on a commissioned errand or as an official envoy. It is a superior assigning a task to a subordinate and backing him with full authority. When a believer understands this calling, he realizes he does not navigate his daily life on his own authority or for his own agenda. He goes precisely because he has been dispatched by Christ.

Jesus did not come to earth to blend in. He came with a mission to declare truth, call out sin, and provide the way of salvation. We are commanded to do the exact same thing in our own neighborhoods and workplaces. Fulfilling this calling requires sacrificing personal comfort. We cannot accomplish our commission by staying inside our homes or only associating with other Christians. The world is deeply fallen and often hostile to God's truth, but Jesus sends us into it anyway.

A helpful way to view this is through the role of a local courier. A courier does not write the message, nor does he alter the package if he thinks the recipient might dislike it. His sole responsibility is to deliver the package exactly as the sender instructed, going wherever the address dictates. We are gospel couriers in Cecil Lake. We deliver the truth of Scripture precisely as it is written, without softening the message to make it more acceptable to the culture.

We see this exact mandate reinforced later in John, where Jesus tells His disciples face-to-face:

21 "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you." 

John 20:21

This is not an optional suggestion for a select few; it is the basic job description of every Christian. You are placed in your specific home, workplace, and community as a deliberate envoy of Jesus Christ, fully expected to represent him to the people around you today.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Citation: Mounce, William D. Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006.

Entry: See "Send, Sent" (Greek Dictionary section under GK G690 / Strong’s G649).