Goer, Sender, Mobilizer -- Which are You? 

As mentioned in last month's edition, I hope to shed some helpful light on these three roles in fulfilling the commission we have been given as Christ-followers.

For many people to be a Goer seems to be the highest calling. And if you can't go then perhaps you can fill a somewhat lesser role by helping to send someone, by praying for them or maybe by encouraging others to consider going.

But the question is not about a higher or lower role, it is about the right role for you at this time in your life. It is about fully engaging in the "good works" He has prepared for you today, not about waiting for some future role.

And roles change. Scriptural examples of God's servants show them in all of these roles at one time or another. Even the Godhead can be seen, each exercising each of these three roles at various times.

Last month we looked at being a Mobilizer and this month we'll consider the role of being a Sender. A simple definition would be: A person who uses their resources to assist Goers.

Are you a Sender, with a great concern for the lost of this world, a desire to use all you have to see that they hear the gospel, a willingness to learn to sacrifice in order that the good news of Jesus' love and redemption can be sent out around the world?

One of the patterns we see in scripture and down through history is that, through His people, God provides the resources His kingdom will need. Unfortunately, another pattern we see is that at times God's people decide those resources are primarily for their own use and the kingdom needs suffer.

The role of being a Sender is crucial to the proclamation of the message of the gospel throughout the world. God has provided the resources necessary and channels them through us. Those resources are monetary, goods, services, prayer and time. A Sender is intentional about investing these resources into the lives and ministries of Goers.

As with being a Mobilizer, we can all be Senders, regardless of the other roles we might be playing at any given time. If you resonate with the Sender role, I encourage you to engage fully in opportunities God is placing before you. There is great joy and satisfaction in discovering the "good works" God has prepared in advance for us to do. If being a Sender is one of your roles at this particular time in your life, do it well, do it fully and do it with all your heart, because it's the Lord you are serving, not just other people, as we see in Colossians 3:23.