The Dynamic Apostolic Essential elements of the great Sending
Elements essential to the Great Sending include the Sender, the Sent Ones, the Sending Authority, the Leaving, the Going, the Sending Task, the Sending Message, the Sending Purpose, the Sending Target, and the Sending Resources, as outlined:
The Sender
The Heavenly Father – John 3:16-17, 4:34; John 17, John 20:21; see also John 12:44-50
Jesus – John 17:18; John 20:21; Matthew 10:5, 16; Luke 9:1-6, 10; 10:1-4
The Son of God Who goes into the world, gets His own hands dirty, leaves the comfort of heaven, descends into a world that for the most part (by our sinful human nature) does not welcome Him but that rejects Him
The Sent Ones
Jesus, the Apostle – John 13:16; 17:3,8 18; 21-25; John 20:21; Hebrews 3:1; Luke 4:18-19; Galatians 4:4-5
The Holy Spirit – John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; Luke 24:49; Galatians 4:6
The angels – Luke 1:19,26 (Gabriel); see also Hebrews 1:14
The baptized, the disciples, the apostles, the believers – John 13:20; John 17:18; John 20:21; Matthew 10; Luke 9:1-6, 10;10:1-9; Matthew 28:18-20; 1 Corinthians 3:21-22
As the “image bearer” – all representing Jesus with His authority and in relationship to and with Him
The Sending Authority
The Father –John 3:16-17; John 17:18; 20:21
Jesus – Matthew 7:29; Matthew 10:1; Matthew 28:18; Luke 6:13; Luke 9:1-2; Luke 10:1-3; John 17:2; John 20:21; also see Luke 4:31-44
Note the official authoritative relationship and representation
The Leaving
The disciples leaving their nets and boats
The Israelites leaving Egypt, (not just a physical act of leaving but a mind-set, as well – a leaving of culture, traditions, comfort zone, etc.)
Leaving from behind locked doors – see Matthew 4:22; 10:9- 10; Luke 9:3-4; 10:4; John. 4:28; 16:28; John 20:19,26; recall the “exit velocity” metaphor
The Going
Abraham – Genesis 12:1
Disciples – Matthew 10:5-6; Matthew 28:7, 10-11, 19; Luke 9:60
The Sending Task
The “as” (καθώς or kathōs) of Christ’s work in the Gospel of John has a bearing on the believer’s responsibility (see the use of “as” in John 17:18 and 20:21)
Key words include “salvation,” “life,” “bear witness,” “utter the Word of God,” “do the Father’s will,” “reap,” “that the hearers know,” “see and believe,” “teach,” “glorify God,” “bear the truth,” “cleanse,” “forgiveness,” “give peace and eternal life”
The “as” in consideration of Christ’s task in other passages also have a bearing on the believer’s responsibility
Matthew 10:7 (see also Luke 24:47) – Key words include “proclaim” and “preach”
Luke 15 – Key words include “seek” and “search”
Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8 – Keyword “witness”
Matthew 28:19-20 – Keywords include “disciple,” “baptize,” and “teach”
Matthew 18:15-35 – Keyword “forgive”
Matthew 16:16 – Keyword “confess”
1 Peter 2:9 (see also Luke 9 and 10) – Keywords include “declare,” “tell out,” and “show forth”
The Sending Message
What God has done – 1 Peter 2:9
Jesus, the sent one with eternal life – John 17
The kingdom of heaven – Matthew 10:7
Repentance and forgiveness – Luke 24:47; John 20:23 Christ’s suffering and death – Luke 24:46
Reconciliation and the righteousness of God in Christ – 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Christ’s Resurrection and the resurrection of the dead – Acts 4:10-12; 1 Corinthians 15
The Gospel – Romans 1:16
The Sending Purpose (ἵνα [hina])
That Christ be glorified
To be sanctified in the truth To have eternal life
To be forgiven
To believe in the sent Christ
The knowing of Jesus, the true God
To be ONE with God, with Jesus and with one another To be filled with Christ-centered joy
To be kept from the evil one while living in (sent into) the world
See John 17 and John 20:31
The Sending Target (scope, recipient)
Bearing the image of the Sender, going into the world which does not welcome us, getting our hands dirty, leaving our comfort zones, and even being rejected
The world (all people and cultures, all tribes and languages)
The lost where they are (in physical location but also in worldview, in values, in behavior, in doubt, etc.)
See Luke 9:1-6; 10:1-7; 19:10; John 17:18; Luke 24:47; Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; Revelation 14:6
The Sending Resources
Jesus, who is with us always (Matthew 28:20)
The Holy Spirit, who is the power from on high (Luke 24:49; John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; John 20:22; Acts 1:8)
The Word of Truth (John 17:17)
The Sacraments (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26)
Prayer, but not a means of grace (Matthew 9:38; Acts 2:42; Acts 12:5)
A New Testament Scriptural Apostolic (Sending)Track
The Apostle Jesus – Hebrews 3:1; John 3:17; Luke 4:18-19, 43-44; John chapters 3-17 and 20
Holy Spirit – Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35, John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8
The angels – Luke 1:19,26 (Gabriel); see also Hebrews 1:14
John the Baptist – John 1:6-8, 15, 19-34; 3:22-36
The calling of the twelve disciples – Luke 5:1-11; 6:12-16; Mark 1:14-16; 3:13-19
The training of the twelve disciples, during Christ’s three-year ministry
Sending training – Matthew 9:35-10:42; Mark 6:7-12; Luke 9:1-6; 10:1-24
Teaching training – Luke 14:15, 15, 20:9; John 4:27-38
The formal “Great Sending” of the apostles and all Christians
– John 17:18; 20:21-23
The sending of the Apostle Paul – Acts 9:15; 13:2-4; 22:21 (also note the sending of Barnabas and others)
Great Sending elements – Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-49; Acts 1:1, 8; 2
CONCLUSION
The Missio Dei is the central thrust of the Gospel, regardless of which translation or in which language one reads Scripture. The driving force of a sent one (a sent individual or a sent Church) is an open and willing heart and mindset under the power of the Gospel and the Great Sending. With a transformed heart, the great sending of God takes place squarely within God’s apostolic authority in and through Christ’s “one holy, Catholic (Christian) apostolic church.” It is through the Church and the Christian community of faith and mission that the Holy Spirit does His work. (See Luther’s Large Catechism, Third Article, paragraphs 61-62 and Robert Kolb’s Book of Concord, Concordia Publishing House 2000.)
A Sending Creed (based on the Apostle’s Creed)
God, the sending Father, the Almighty creator of the cosmos,
Sent His only Son Jesus Christ to be conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He was sent to proclaim freedom. He then suffered at the hands of many, including Pontius Pilate. He was crucified, died, and buried. Within three days, He descended into hell to proclaim victory and rose to life granting God’s righteousness by grace through faith. Forty days later, He ascended to heaven. He now eternally reigns at the right hand of His Father. He is judge of all the living and the dead, and He gives life to all who believe in Him.
After the ascension, the Father and Son sent the Holy Spirit to boldly make and call all followers of Christ to His holy apostolic church. He calls us, a community of believers, who are sent to all people with power and strength, courage, and gifts to proclaim the Good News. As the apostles were sent, people believed. As those people believed, they, too, were sent. As they were sent, now we believe. And as we believe, we are sent. AMEN.
