The Trinitarian Call To Missions

January 4, 2016 Year C

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me.” (Isaiah 6:8, HCSB)

The voice of the Lord calls out for missions from His people. In a terrific vision during a difficult and emotional time in the life of Isaiah, God calls out to him.

God calls out to ask for anyone who would be willing to go to speak God’s word to the people. First, God asks:

“Who should I send?”

This shows that God is a sending God. He wants people to voluntarily share His message to others. (As one notices later, the people who receive the message may not understand it (Isaiah 6:9-10)).

But then God asks:

“Who will go for Us?”

I don’t think God is talking about the angels in this text. Instead, I think that the call to missions is spread in a trinitarian fashion. Just as God in His Trinitarian nature created humanity (Genesis 1:26), God as Father, Son, and Spirit also calls people out to share the Gospel with the lost.

As the Great Commission mentions in Matthew 28:19-20, it takes the authority of God, the work of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit to engage in missions. Even when people identify with the Gospel, there is a Trinitarian form to fellowship: “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

The Holy Spirit is involved in the calling and leading process. The Spirit called out Barnabas and Paul for mission work in Acts 13:1-3.

To be engaged in missions means that one is not alone. A person who performs the mission of God has the Father, Son, and Spirit to support them in every endeavor.

Prayer: I am thankful the fact that God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit area involved in helping me share the Gospel with others. Here I am. Send me.