“…I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’” Acts 26:17-18
Every one of us has an irreplaceable part in the greatest rescue mission the world has ever known. In this world, there is no shortage of news coverage on hostage exchanges or special forces going into closed countries stealthily on rescue missions. These scenarios are important, and their successes or failures have far-reaching impacts. The rescue mission Christ-followers have been enlisted in has eternal impacts, and the mission is to save souls from spiritual darkness and eternal separation from God.
Our mission doesn’t look like a rescue mission depicted in movies such as 007 or Mission Impossible where a handsome secret agent has neigh inhuman skills, escapes lots of explosions and gets the girl in the end. In fact, the hero of our story was rejected, scorned, and discounted. Isaiah 53:3 says, “He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.” CSB
Meekness is sometimes mistaken as weakness, yet the definition is something akin to power under control. Self-control and mercy, turning the other cheek when struck, are sometimes thought of as powerlessness. Forgiveness and grace maybe seen as naivety or gullibility.
To the world (of darkness), even today, Jesus seems like an oddity. Jesus was a humble man how traveled desert and dangerous roads to speak of qualities the world saw as weakness. He had no home, no wife or children. He had and humble trade and simple life. He chose to invest His time teaching outcasts, no counts and showing compassion to broken and flawed ones. What weird choices people would have thought. He’s wasting His time others would’ve said. Jesus knew, however, that it’s in those stories of overcoming trauma and hurt and shame that true transformation is seen and can be trusted, because the change is so profound.
He touched lepers. He allowed unclean people to approach Him and gain healing by the hem of His garment. He spoke to demons to drive them out. He set unbalanced minds to equilibrium. He woke dead people from their eternal slumber. He didn’t count sin against people when they didn’t know there was a better way. He called out hypocrisy. He healed blind eyes and opened deaf ears. Even after the horrendous ordeal of His trial and crucifixion He chose love and forgiveness, speaking, Father, forgive them. They don’t see. They don’t know what they are choosing to do. Give them another chance.
Strange. Unheard of. Never before were these qualities seen.
There is no doubt the Pharisees were proud, self-righteous, hypocritical, and scheming, but imagine Jesus coming and ushering in the Kingdom of Heaven. His ways were ways of love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. Emotions and states-of mind that must be cultivated; ones that don’t just happen in the natural human mind.
These ways were unheard of when the old law was eye for and eye, stoning for disrespect or infidelity, in order to eradicate sin through fear of physical punishment. The old law was harsh and called for humanity to offer blood sacrifices because there wasn’t a better way yet. We live under the new law. We live under grace and forgiveness. Through no actions of our own and through no works that we could ever do, we were offered grace and forgiveness when we were caught up and covered in sin.
God’s rescue mission started before the creation of time and was put into motion by the birth of the ultimate victor, Jesus. Our job as redeemed, blood-bought priests is to recruit as many ambassadors for the kingdom of light, for our victor, Jesus, as are placed in front of us.
We might not understand why we are in the place that we find ourselves presently because it’s a place of difficulty. Maybe it’s a place of hardship or stress. We can take heart from another great missionary, Paul. He told King Aggripa about His meeting with Jesus. Jesus told Paul clearly, “…I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
The same is true for us today. God is saying that same message to us, through Paul’s testimony. Think about it. Do you see souls needing hope and redemption in your workplace. Do you see them in your neighborhood. In your home? This is a call to all of us. No matter where we find ourselves today, tomorrow, this week, we have the same commission to evangelize for Christ.
Perhaps writing this verse somewhere we will see it often will remind us that the place we find ourselves currently placed is not by accident, and God is calling us to plant seeds of Salvation. Pray for those hearts of stone to be made tender for those spirits to be made fertile soil and the message Christ to take root and grow.
Let’s summarize and personalize this verse so we can remember it’s a call to us too. Repeat after me: God is sending me to them. (Personalize “them”. Name them as your friends, in-laws, students, bosses, etc.) God wants to use my testimony to open their spiritual eyes. He desires to turn them (my mission field) from darkness to light- the stakes are life and death. His glorious, pure, and powerful Spirit working through me can move a lost soul from the power (bondage) of Satan to (the freedom found in) God. He wants all souls to receive forgiveness of sins. God wants all His people to find their way home, to the place among those who are sanctified (seeking to be holy and set apart) by faith in our precious Redeemer, Jesus.
