Mission: The risen Lord has for His people unfathomable riches (Eph. 3:8). Despite their failures and unworthiness, Jesus gave His disciples this gift: the noble assignment to proclaim the gospel of divine forgiveness of sins (John 20:23). To them He entrusted this excellent mission[1] (John 20:21). Even as God graced Isaiah with a mission when He cleansed him from sin (Is. 6:7-8), and just as He commissioned Saul at his conversion (Acts 22:16, 21), so Jesus also made His disciples the heralds of the gospel of salvation (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 26:18). Later, on the mountains of Galilee Jesus declared the comprehensive mission of making disciples for all generations since (Matt. 28:19-20), where forgiveness is the gateway to new life in Christ (Rom. 6:4; 8:28-29; 2 Cor. 5:15; Phil. 1:6; 1 Pet. 2:24). And our blessed Savior wants our service!
Imitation: Jesus also likened this mission to His own (John 20:21). This is to say, Jesus was the very first missionary, and we are to be missionaries like Him.[2] To serve like Jesus did is a tremendous honor! To be sure, we cannot imitate His work of atonement (1 Tim. 2:5-6); no sinner can atone for the sins of another. But we are to walk the way of the cross and give ourselves in self-sacrifice as He did (John 12:24-26). This is the universal call intended for all: to give up our lives (Mark 8:34-38) for the sake of His name and His cause (2 Tim. 2:9-10; Col. 1:24-29). But discipleship must begin with us first (Lk. 6:40-46) and at home (Eph. 6:4; Deut. 6:4-8). Only as we faithfully obey the Lord, can we properly plant and water (1 Cor. 3:6-7; John 4:37) and make disciples.