Sent for This Purpose
By: Alex Geisler
I don’t like saying goodbye, but what I really don’t like is being left behind. For the past 26 years of my life, I’ve lived in the same city and watched people come and go. Whether it be celebrities (looking at you, Lebron) or people close to me, I’ve always struggled to not feel personally abandoned when others moved away. It felt like an affront - what could be more important than being here with me?
Nowhere is this more painful than in the church. Five years ago, I came to know and trust in Jesus. I was fortunate enough to become part of a local church that built up that relationship. I was taught, both in word and by example, how to pray, study God’s word, be honest about my sins, pursue justice, create a hospitable home, live intentionally in community, and so much more. I was sanctified by the power of the Holy Spirit working through dear friends who quickly became my family. When the Lord uses the gifts and love of others to make you more like himself, those people are difficult to let go.
But of course, sometimes you have to. Two years ago, a family that had brought me into their home and made me a part of their lives moved away from our local church. I will never forget the night they sat me down – after a hilarious and fun evening babysitting their kiddos – to tell me they were leaving. I can still feel the muscles on my face drop from an expectant smile to heartbroken disbelief. The husband had been offered the opportunity to plan and implement church plants through a different church, and they decided to take it.
What can you say to argue with that? My pain and sorrow quickly turned on Jesus. The Lord is sovereign, why would he call people to leave when he knew how much pain it would cause me and others? God was doing such amazing things here already, why did he have to change it up? As always, I find my answer in scripture.
And when it was day, he departed and went into a desolate place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them, but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose.” And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea.
Luke 4: 42-44 ESV
For context, Jesus has just been baptized, tempted by the devil, and begun his ministry. He is doing amazing things in Capernaum like healing people, casting out demons, and preaching salvation. And yet he needs to go.
It turns out, something could be more important than being here with me – the salvation available through Jesus Christ. Though Jesus could have stayed in Capernaum and continued to heal and minister and build relationships with those in that city, he knew his purpose was to spread the gospel message to a hurting and waiting world. Ultimately, the message would culminate in his voluntary death and glorious resurrection. And once more, Jesus would leave. At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus’ resurrection, he invites his disciples into the same call that caused him to leave Capernaum.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV
Just as Jesus was sent for a purpose, so too are we. Jesus’ command, the Great Commission, defines our purpose while on this earth. Hear me, you do not have to be constantly on the move to make disciples of all nations. There is real power in being rooted in one community and making disciples in your everyday life. Whether you go or you stay, you can make disciples of those around you. This purpose supersedes our life stage, city, relationship status, or occupation and provides us with a unifying mission that is true of every believer, wherever we go and whatever we do.
This was my comfort and my mantra two years later when the tables turned. I met a wonderful man in the church and we soon were engaged. When he started looking for jobs, it became clear the odds of remaining in my city were small. While we prayed and prayed for job opportunities, none came. In fact, he got an exciting opportunity in another city, two hours away. Suddenly, I was the one leaving, and I was leaving almost everyone I knew. I wanted to stay and pour into my community, and yet faithful submission to my husband and trust in the Lord seemed to be pulling me away.
When we realize our need for the saving grace of Jesus, we also recognize our need for his kingship over our lives. If left up to me, all my favorite people would be gathered in my favorite city, preaching the gospel to me every day. Thank goodness I don’t have that authority. Rather, I trust in and submit to the Lord’s authority, and joyfully praise him for allowing me to have one stable purpose, wherever I might be.
Today, I am in a new city and surrounded by new faces, many of whom don’t yet trust in the Lord. In the hardest moments, I remind myself that I am sent for this purpose. While I look forward to the day we are all reunited at the throne of Jesus, my desire is that some of these new faces would join us there.
Until then, I find solace and stability in Jesus’ words at the end of Matthew – “and behold I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus not only gives us a mission, but he gives us the means. Through his Holy Spirit, he remains faithful with his people always and forever. Whether you are the leaver or the stayer, remember that your purpose remains the same and that you are most certainly not left behind.
