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I was asked recently about the naming of the SENT NE Multiplication Church Planting Network. I said that "SENT" is the simplest way to summarize the Great Commission. Jesus SENT His followers to the ends of the earth with a mission in mind-of proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God and its King, Jesus! He SENT them to MULTIPLY themselves in the lives of others that would follow after Jesus as well. As they did this, CHURCHES were PLANTED and the impact was global in nature. But before Jesus SENT His disciples, He Himself had been SENT. Being SENT is the basis on which He SENT His disciples as we read in John 20:21 "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." Notice the statement- "as the Father SENT Me..." for therein lies the way in which His followers are SENT.
The Christmas story gives us the first understanding of how Jesus was SENT to us, and how we live as those SENT to the world. The incarnation reminds us that being SENT is synonymous with being a servant. The entrance of the Newborn King went unnoticed by the multitudes of people in Bethlehem that first Christmas.No doubt it was the fast pace of life as people journeyed to their hometown for the census that kept His entry into our world hidden. But as time would prove, it was also because of the people's perception. They were simply looking for the Messiah in the form of a conquering king. No doubt, Jesus, the eternally existing King could have come that way. But that was not the mission of the incarnation. The mission was a mission of servant-hood. As such, God entered our broken, sin filled world as a baby King who would grow up to seek and save the lost by first serving them. The Christmas lesson of being SENT is that just as Jesus was SENT to serve, so He sends us-to serve.
Unfortunately I sometimes see those SENT, believing that they were SENT to be served, as if the very people they minister to are there to serve their vision. Disagree? Take a simple test. How often are we satisfied with those God has given us to serve right now? How often do we think or even speak negatively about those we serve in reference to the roadblocks we face in our vision? How often do we seek to communicate the success of our ministry based upon our weekly attendance averages? How often is the first thing we want to know about a ministry is- how many people attend that church?
This Christmas, if you are an Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor or Teacher, be reminded that you have been SENT by Jesus to SERVE like Jesus.
