2. He Sends You
To recap, we have turned on the spotlight on the master in the Parable of the Talents. We learnt that the master represents God and that as the master, God has certain obligations to His servants. We turned to Luke 10:1-21 to identify these obligations. Last week we learnt that it is His role to appoint you, by His Spirit. Today, we learn that He sends you.
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
Luke 10:1
Note the sequence of events, He first appoints and then He sends. What does it mean to send?
The Greek word used here for send is Apostello, which in this instance means to order (one) to go to a place appointed.
The Lord sent them to specific place(s) i.e. to the towns and places He was about to go. Let us look at other examples where God sent His servants:
i) Abraham
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make you great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
So Abram left, as the LORD had told him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran.
Genesis 12:1-5
There are a few lessons we can learn from the sending of Abraham (then Abram):
- God is no respecter of age. You are never too old or too young for God to send you.
- Your blessings are dependent on your obedience. If Abraham refused to follow God’s instructions, he would have lost out on the blessings.
- Sometimes, God may not tell you exactly where He is sending you. You will have to trust Him each step of the way.
ii) Moses
So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.’ “
Exodus 3:10-14
The Lord and Moses continued their conversation. But from these few verses, we see the following:
- God does not consider your status or profile before He sends you. Moses was in exile from Egypt, yet God was sending him back. Do not disqualify yourself based on your status.
- God does not consider your weakness(es), He considers His strength. As we learnt last week, you need the Holy Spirit to do whatever the Lord requires of you.
- God has an answer for all your doubts and fears. Don’t let fear stop you.
- God is always with you. He does not send you and then abandon you to figure out the rest of the journey. He shall never leave you nor forsake you.
iii) Peter
When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” Again Jesus said, ” Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.
John 21:15-18
These verses show yet another angle of the sending by the Lord:
- He does not hold our past against us. Jesus reinstated Peter in spite of the fact that Peter had denied him three times. Do not disqualify yourself from what the Lord wants you to do based on your past sins. The Lord does not hold them against you.
- Let your obedience to the Lord be as a result of your love for Him. Everyone who is sent faces challenges and is tempted to quit. But if you hold on to love, you will find strength to continue on the journey.
- Being sent is not limited to a location. Sometimes, you may be sent to people, in spite of their location. (See Peter’s call from Cornelius, a gentile in Acts 10.)
Your Turn
God sends you for the benefit of others. There are always lives and destinies attached to you. Lives that God wants to reach through you. And no, you do not need to be in the five-fold ministry for God to send you.
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles?
1 Corinthians 12:27,29
If you be in Christ, you have been sent to spread the good news to your spouse, children, friend,colleague, manager, security guard, driver, city, nation, world.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising then in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
You are the smile of God that someone needs to see. You are the hands of God that will meet someone’s needs. You are the feet of God that will visit the forgotten.
PS.
God will never send you outside of His Word. The Spirit and the Word ALWAYS AGREE.
If you sense the Lord is sending you a particular direction, ask Him to confirm it to you using Scripture. Preferably, ask for at least one of the confirmation Scriptures to come from the New Testament, for we are under the new covenant.
As Kenneth Hagin once said, “There are many voices in the world and none is without significance.”
Scripture is God’s voice to man. Do not veer away from it listening to voices.