There comes a moment in our faith journey when a change takes place. It happens at different times for everyone, but it will happen. And when it does, we will feel a different level of responsibility for our own lives and witness.
The change I am referring to is the Gospel’s example.
When we first encounter the Gospel it is a call to repentance. A call to surrender our wills to that of the Father. The Gospel is extending a rope for rescue from the black hole of sin. This is the Gospel at the start.
But, if we accept the Gospel and its demands, we begin to experience a different pull. It is no longer simply a call to repent. Even though that is still present. But now there is a different impetus for action. While we were running to Jesus from sin, we are now running from fear and toward others.
This is the essence of the Great Commission. We are drawn to Jesus by the power of the Spirit, but then we are sent from Jesus with the Power of the Spirit. This shift is the natural and, dare I say, the expected trajectory of growth.
As we mature in our understanding of Jesus, we turn from his sacrifice to his life. As we begin to embody the gift of grace we have received, we turn to Jesus to help us better understand how we should now live. This is what we should be looking for.
This is why the Gospel is not merely a message of salvation. The Gospel is also a mandate for mission.
We have been saved so that we might become witnesses to others. Not just so they can look at us, but so that they might also become beneficiaries of God’s love and mercy.
The Gospel’s example is that it calls us to salvation and then sends us to be heralds.
This is not an accidental byproduct of the Gospel. This movement from sinner to saint, from lost to found, from stranger to sons and daughters is intentional. It was built into the plan of God for our redemption from the beginning!
