Every movement of God begins with a sending.
The Father sends the Son. The Son sends His apostles. And now, in these last days, He sends His body—the church—to finish the testimony of His Kingdom. To understand our calling, we must first understand His sending, for no one can walk in apostolic power who has not first seen the pattern of the Father.
Thesis
Because the Father sent the Son into the world, and because the Son now lives in His body—the church—every true believer is likewise sent to speak the Father’s words, bear witness to the Son, and participate in His ongoing work of reconciliation.
The Father Sends the Son
The foundation of all mission begins with this: the Father sent (apostellō in the Greek) the Son. Christ did not come of Himself; He came as the Father’s emissary, carrying the Father’s words, the Father’s works, and the fullness of the Father’s Spirit. Scripture declares, “Yahweh was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself,” meaning that the sending of the Son was the sending of God’s own presence into human flesh. When we believe that the Father truly sent the Son, we are positioned to understand our own sending, for the pattern of divine mission begins in Him and extends through His body. (2 Corinthians 5:19; John 3:17; John 20:21)
The Son Sends His Body
Because we believe the testimony of His resurrection, we are placed in the Son—made partakers of His life, His Spirit, and His mission. The church is not merely an assembly; it is the body of Christ, animated by His indwelling Spirit. Thus, the sending of the Son becomes the sending of His people. The prophet John the Baptist said, “He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives not the Spirit by measure unto Him.” If Christ lives in us, then His sending becomes our sending, and His words become our words. We are not sent in our own strength but in His resurrection life, bearing witness to the truth as members of His body. (Galatians 2:20; John 3:34; Romans 10:9; John 20:21)
Purging the Old Leaven to Speak God’s Words
Yet a sobering question arises: If the one whom God sends speaks God’s words, what happens when believers speak error? Many claim to speak for God while teaching doctrines born of human tradition. This is why Paul commands us to “purge out the old leaven,” the leaven of insincerity, falsehood, and fleshly reasoning. The Father prunes every branch in the vine so that Christ—not the old man—may speak through us. Only a purified vessel can carry the words of God with accuracy. To be sent is not merely to go; it is to be cleansed, pruned, and filled with the Spirit so that Christ Himself may speak through His people. (1 Corinthians 5:7–8; John 15:1–5; John 3:34)
Sent to the Lost Sheep of the House of Israel
Christ declared that He was “sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” If we are His body, then His mission becomes our mission. Yet few in the modern church understand what this means. The lost sheep are the ten lost tribes of ancient Israel. Who are they today? The mind of Christ is still thinking about them. And the Great Shepherd will find them and restore them in our day. As Christ walked, so must we walk: sent to proclaim the Kingdom, sent to heal the brokenhearted, sent to preach deliverance to the captives, sent to open blind eyes. John the Baptist was sent to bear witness of the Light; Christ was sent to preach the Kingdom; and now His Spirit sends us to continue His work. (Matthew 15:24; Luke 4:18–19; Luke 4:43; John 1:6–7; John 10:16)
Apostolic Power Through Indwelling Presence
Apostolic sending is not a title—it is a manifestation of Christ walking in His people. When He walks in us, then we are apostles, not by office but by participation in His mission. The same Spirit that sent Christ now sends His body. When the Holy Spirit moves through us, His power is sent forth to reconcile, to heal, to proclaim, and to reveal the government of God. We are not sent to speak our own ideas but to speak the words of the One who lives within us. As the Father sent the Son, and as the Son sends His church, so the Spirit sends His power through yielded vessels who walk in resurrection life. (John 20:21–22; Acts 1:8; Luke 4:18; John 14:12)
Conclusion
The sending of God is a divine chain: the Father sends the Son, the Son sends His body, and the Spirit sends His power through those who believe. To walk in this sending, we must believe the testimony of His resurrection, purge the old leaven, and yield ourselves as vessels through whom Christ continues His work. We are sent to bear witness of the Light, sent to proclaim the Kingdom, sent to the lost sheep, and sent to speak the Father’s words with purity. The mission of Christ did not end at His ascension—it continues in His body. And as long as He lives in us, we are sent.
