For 40 Days – Day 39: I Send You: Conclusions

Key Episode Scripture: Luke 24 and Acts 1-2

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.  (Acts 2:36 ESVUK)

Death was defeated, just like He said. Sins are forgiven, just like He said. He’s seated with His Father, just like He said. His people have His Spirit, just like He said. The wonder of the King is that everything happened just like He said. That level of trustworthiness means that what He says is important and is the priority of all who follow Him.

As He was prepared and sent, He invested His last days on earth, finishing the preparation of those He called to carry on the mission. Their first experience fulfilled what God had spoken about and bore witness to why Jesus was so important. We considered the episode surrounding those 40 days spent preparing the saints with what is important to Him. We considered the context and went on to outline the content of the episode, and previously, we explored some of the concepts underpinning what we read. Luke, in this episode, offers insights to help us understand, in conclusion, that we cannot make it without four important aspects of the mission.

We Can’t Make It Without The Father’s Story

Luke’s primary audience was not devout Jews. Yet even they had to appreciate that what He was writing was based on Jesus bringing to fulfilment a riveting and crucial story that started with a man called to leave his homeland to receive a land of promise. The Father’s story of covenant love with the people of Israel was the story in which clear signals of what He would accomplish in His Son were present. That story of Him communicating through men over time to point out His plan was pivotal to all that was celebrated.

We cannot truly appreciate what’s been done for us and to us in the Son unless we familiarise ourselves with the story of the Father. That story tells us of the promised King. That story tells us of the promised community of the King. That story tells us why the rule of this particular King has implications not just for the nation of Israel but for all who hear the good news of the Kingdom.

We Can’t Make It Without The Centrality of the Son

Luke leaves us in no doubt that the apostles’ mission was based on a revelation of who He is. The teaching of the Risen Lord was crucial for what Peter would go on to preach at Pentecost. The revelation and opening of the followers’ minds to interpret the scriptures in the light of the victorious King is why joy was such a constant quality with them as they carried out their mission. Acknowledging, believing and trusting in the revelation of Jesus as a man who defeated death and ascended to take His place next to the Father focused all attention where it should be.

We cannot meaningfully function as people of the Way unless we commit to the one who embodied the Way, the Truth and the Life. We are not to just be consumed with His crucifixion; we are to embrace the whole package. It’s the heart of the message; it propels the mission, and our ability to converse with others about Him is based on that knowledge of Him before, during and after.

We Can’t Make It Without The Gift of the Holy Spirit

Luke makes it abundantly apparent that the Holy Spirit is an intrinsic part of the story. It is the Spirit that raises Jesus from the dead. It is the Spirit that reinforces the teaching offered by the Son. It is the Spirit that equips, empowers and enables the community of grace to operate in the example of the Son to the glory of the Father. It is the Spirit that makes people bold and capable of declaring the wonderful works of God. It is the Spirit that unites people who speak different languages to understand each other and celebrate new life together.

We cannot learn of Christ and pursue the story of the Father without the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in us and among us. We cannot operate in a way that pleases the Father and reflects the Son without total reliance on the precious gift promised to all called by God. The Spirit is no lesser part of the story than the Father and Son. The Spirit is fundamental to everything about our mission, message, ministry, and membership.

We Can’t Make It Without The Community of Grace

Luke outlines how different people take on different roles in this part of the mission. The women are the first to discover and declare the good news of the Resurrection. Peter, the one who denied Jesus three times, is the one who follows up on what the women say. Cleopas and his buddy play a key part in their insight into how Jesus brought them an understanding of the story. The Twelve may operate in certain giftings, yet it’s the gathered community who pray that prophesy. The story is about how the Father and Son, through the Spirit, cultivate a family unlike any other on earth.

We cannot gain all there is to learn from the risen Saviour, the story of the Father and the power of the Spirit without the community of grace. We cannot understand our key role in the ongoing story unless we’re actively engaging as family members. This is why the Son points us to our Father by the Spirit that makes us one.

Next, we will look at the consequences of us today of what Jesus means when He says, “I Send You ….

For His Name’s Sake

C. L. J. Dryden

Shalom