Our identity plays a significant role in shaping our actions… Or at least it should.
If I were a heart surgeon, it would be a regular practice of mine to perform heart surgeries on patients. But I am far from a heart surgeon. And because I understand that “heart surgeon” is not part of my identity, I therefore make no attempt to perform such surgeries. On the flip side, if I were employed by a hospital as a heart surgeon, then I would be expected to regularly engage in such surgical procedures. A failure to do so would indicate a failure to live out my identity.
In the same manner, it is of utmost importance for Christians to understand their identity as followers of Christ, and all that it entails. One such aspect of a believer’s identity in Christ is seen in John 20, which records Jesus’ words to his disciples after his resurrection:
“Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’” (John 20:19-21)
Jesus says that he “sends” his disciples. The reality that disciples are “sent” people is vital to properly understanding what it means to be a Christian. If we fail to understand that being “sent” is part of our identity in Christ, then we will inevitably fail to truly live out the gospel.
But why is that? What is it that we are sent to do?
Jesus says to his disciples in Luke 24:46-48, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”
As disciples, we are sent as “witnesses.”
Acts 1:8 further substantiates this truth: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Christians’ role as “sent” people is seen clearly in their identification as “witnesses.” As Jesus is sending his disciples out, he identifies them as witnesses of the gospel. Thus as they are sent, they naturally assume the function of a witness.
Consider the judicial role of a witness. While it may seem obvious, the role of a “witness” is to testify about the events that have been seen and heard. We must not fail to understand the implications this has for the Christian life. Christ has sent us to testify to events of the gospel.
If we fail to understand that we are “sent” people, we will fail to carry out the role for which we were sent. Jesus does not save us, and then simply let us do our own thing. Rather, he saves us and then sends us out into the world as his witnesses.
So consider this: What good is a witness if he never testifies?
May we stand with the Apostles Peter and John in saying, “we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)
Clint Barefoot