Children's Ministry Update, April 23, 2023

A clear reality that echoes throughout the New Testament is that God sends those He saves. Jesus commanded His disciples to go and tell others about Him. (Matt. 28:18-20) The story of Jesus and a Samaritan woman in John 4 also provides reminders of this idea.

Upon the Samaritan woman’s hearing that God Himself was standing before her, she left her water—the very thing she had come to the well for—and returned quickly to her town to tell of this man.

Her response was not to run from Jesus but to expend her energy bringing others to Him: “Come, see.” At the very least, she concluded that He was the Messiah. At the very most, she had surrendered to His authority over her life and was now trusting in His power to forgive. Either way, she was moved to go and tell.

Immediately following this, Jesus used the question of His need for food to exhort the disciples to go and tell as well. After telling the disciples that He is fulfilled by doing the work of God, Jesus shared with His friends that they too were created to participate in the work of God— sowing and reaping by bringing men, women, boys, and girls to Jesus.

Ultimately, Jesus called these men to follow Him so they would experience joy in His presence forever, glorify Him, and invite others to do the same. He saved them to participate in the mission of God to make known the hope found only in Him.

And the same is true of us as well. Those whom God has saved are also sent by Him so that people in their communities and all over the world can receive the invitation to come and see the Savior—Jesus Christ.

Jesus calls us to Himself and then He sends us to go. When we take part in the mission of God, we are demonstrating that we love Jesus more than anything. Before He ascended to heaven, Jesus also promised that we don’t take on this mission alone. He will surely be with us—by the gift of the Spirit.

The Lord saves us and commands us to share the hope of the gospel. As we participate in His mission, He promises to be with us and produces joy within us as others come to faith in Him. Jesus is worthy.