Sent Ones
“As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
John 20:21
Whenever I cast the vision to those I’m coaching that they need to live with an outward focus, the issue often boils down to the challenge of finding time.
“I get it,” they say. “I know I should be more intentional about this, but I’m simply swamped. I can’t imagine having any space in my schedule to engage lost people.”
Author Hugh Halter offers a response that I’ve begun using:
“Anyone has time to be a part-time missionary.”
A missionary is simply a “sent one.”
A Sending God
The story of God is the story of sending. He sent Abraham to Canaan. He sent Joseph to Egypt. He sent Moses to the Israelites. He sent Jonah to Nineveh. He sent John the Baptist to prepare the way.
And then, God went “all in.” He sent His Son to redeem the world.
To be part of God’s plan is to be a “sent one” – a missionary. Jesus put it plainly when He told His disciples: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
To be part of God’s plan is to be a “sent one” – a missionary. Jesus put it plainly when He told His disciples: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
Part-time Missionaries
So how can any person be at least a part-time missionary?
You have to see everywhere you are as a mission field.
Everywhere you are is a mission field.
For instance, most parents who have kids in soccer, baseball, volleyball, or cheerleading are on the same set of bleachers with the same parents of the same kids at least 2-3 times a week. That’s hours of missionary time.
If you go to the gym to work out or frequent a local coffee shop, there are opportunities to get to know those around you. These can become opportunities to engage in missionary time.
Then, of course, there is the street we live on. Walks taken can be missionary time. Talks engaged in can be missionary time.
The point is simply this. Rather than adding to your already over-crowded schedule, what if you looked for opportunities to engage people within that schedule?
People of Peace
You might be wondering, “What if they aren’t interested in engaging?” The short answer is, “Then move on.”
The “people of peace” principle that Jesus taught in Luke 10 suggests that God has individuals out there who are interested in engaging. Our job is to identify them by casting a wide net of friendliness.
And when that net snares the “schooling fish,” you might find an opportunity to listen for how you can visualize the Good News. That living example may in turn result in an occasion where you can verbalize the Good News.
But it all begins with an understanding and acceptance of the fact that all of us are “sent ones.” And this starting point can be a kick-off to a life of adventure.
PRAYER
Lord, I have to admit that all too often I excuse any sense of evangelistic engagement because I’m so busy. So I leave that to the professional missionaries. Help me to see that I can be a part-time missionary by making the most of my daily encounters. Remind me that I have a role to play and a responsibility to assume as one who is sent.
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