(Jhn) 20:21-23 CJB “Shalom aleikhem!” Yeshua repeated. “Just as the Father sent me, I myself am also sending you.” Having said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Ruach HaKodesh! If you forgive someone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you hold them, they are held.”
Your Christian purpose is not a mystery—it was clearly given by Jesus immediately after His resurrection.
This moment defines why you are still here. If salvation were the end goal, God would have taken you to heaven the moment you believed. But He didn’t. Why? Because your Christian purpose is to be sent—just like Jesus.
Sent Like Jesus: The Core of Christian Purpose
Jesus was sent by the Father not merely to live among us, but to accomplish salvation and declare the Kingdom of God. Now, He sends us—not as saviors, but as messengers of the Savior.
Your Christian purpose is to announce that:
- The work is finished
- The sacrifice has been made
- Forgiveness is available to all who repent and believe
We are not the source of salvation—we are the voice of it.
Empowered by the Spirit to Fulfill Christian Purpose
Jesus didn’t send His disciples out alone. He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Ruach HaKodesh.” This is critical.
The mission of proclaiming forgiveness is impossible in human strength. But through the Holy Spirit:
- God works in you (transforming your life)
- God works through you (proclaiming His truth)
- God works around you (drawing people to Himself)
You are never alone in your Christian purpose. The same presence that empowered Jesus now lives in you.
Forgiveness Proclaimed or Withheld
This is where the passage becomes weighty.
“If you forgive someone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you hold them, they are held.”
This does not mean we personally forgive sins as God does. Rather, we declare what God has already established:
- When we proclaim the gospel and people repent → forgiveness is released
- When we remain silent or people reject Christ → sins remain
Your obedience matters. Eternity is affected by whether or not you live out your Christian purpose.
How We Live Out Our Christian Purpose
If we are truly disciples, we must go the way Jesus came to us:
- Faithfully – committed to the message
- Humbly – not exalting ourselves
- Persistently – not quitting when it’s hard
- Servanthood-minded – putting others first
- Truthfully – speaking God’s Word in love
We love people not by avoiding truth, but by proclaiming it with grace.
This is how the world comes to know Jesus—not through silence, but through sent men living on mission.
Run Today’s Play
- Identify one person in your life who needs to hear the gospel
- Pray specifically for them today—that God would open their heart
- Initiate a conversation—don’t wait for perfect timing
- Share clearly—Jesus came, died, rose, and offers forgiveness
- Call for response—repent and believe
You are not responsible for the outcome—but you are responsible for obedience.
Live today with urgency. Someone’s eternity may hang in the balance of your willingness to step into your Christian purpose.
