How are we sent?

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, we find His disciples locked away in a room. They had shut the doors because of fear. However, Jesus appeared in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you’. John 20:21. This was not just a word for those first disciples. It is a word to each one of us. We are sent by Jesus to do His will, in exactly the same way that He was sent by the Father. This does not necessarily mean that we will travel the world to serve Him. For most of us, we will stay exactly where we are now. Nevertheless, according to this mandate, we are all equipped and empowered to be His disciples.

So how did the Father send the Son? Our consideration is not so much about His birth, how He lived the course of a human life and died on the cross. It is a much broader and deeper subject then that. Jesus was sent firstly as the Father’s helper or ‘paraclete’. In the New Testament, ‘paraclete’ is translated as helper, comforter or advocate. It simply means ‘one called beside’ to help. Christ was committed to be the Father’s helper. Hence He said, ‘The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing’. John 5:19. This doesn’t mean He was incapable of taking initiative. Rather, it highlights His commitment to reveal the Father and do the Father’s will. After fulfilling His ministry, Jesus said to the disciples, ‘I will ask the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever’. John 14:16. We know He was speaking of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who empowers us to be witnesses and helpers of Christ.

Becoming a paraclete is the beginning point for all of us in fulfilling the Lord’s will. One of the most fundamental questions for any Christian is, ‘How am I established in the will of God’? The answer is found in the following principle. ‘By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ Matt 18:16. There is a witness concerning our calling and predestination that we must obtain, and it comes by the mouth of two or three. We see this principle in the Godhead. The Father did not simply take the initiative to send the Son. Love is demonstrated by giving and receiving, never by taking. The Father was given the authority to send the Son by the witness of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Likewise, we must be established in the authority of who we are by the witness of others. Having received a witness from two or three, our response should be the obedience of faith. This is the way that God Himself proceeds. Therefore, we are sent in this very same way.

David Falk

Return to top

Feature Articles
June 2008

Sleepless nights

Alive to praise

How are we sent

Wonders for the dead

Faith for our children

The way of wisdom

Light from darkness

Giving to the end

Gathering all Israel