With-ness and Sent-ness…
As FORGE Men, we know we have been sent into the world. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world…..John 17:18.
But, there is a certain way we are sent.
The Old Testament is full of examples of God sending men out. 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’…..Exodus 3:12. Over and over we see a pattern of this being sent. Almost every time, before being sent, we see that they experienced God with them. We see this with His covenant promises to Abraham. We see it again with Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, David, Solomon, Isaiah and Jeremiah.
But let’s take a moment to focus on the ultimate with-ness and sent-ness!
The prophet Isaiah foretells the coming of the
Messiah who will be called Immanuel, which
means God with us. Jesus shows up in the flesh,
sent by God the Father. He is Immanuel sent to be with His people, to accomplish redemption and bring His people back into the
with-ness for which they were designed.
Luke 10:1-21 tells this amazing story of Jesus sending out 72 disciples in pairs to every city where He was going to go. I hope you will go read the whole story, but hear how they returned. Now the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!” Then Jesus responds in a way I find surprising. He says…Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. Did you catch that? As excited as you are about the success you had in being sent, rejoice more in knowing you are mine, the most important thing is living as a Son, understanding I am with you!
See how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called sons of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are sons of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope set on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure…1 John 3:1-3
We have been adopted by God Himself through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are God’s son! We have been brought into the amazing relationship that already existed in the midst of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we experience what it is to be with God, we live in all the realities of our life with Great Hope. God then sends us out to share that hope with those we meet. And why, because that hope is their only hope.
Thankful to be SENT with FORGE Men…Kelley
