Sent Ones
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” –Romans 1:1–3
Called to be an apostle, a “sent one”…
A person who crosses barriers whether they be cultural, class, linguistic, or geographic for the sake of the good news…
The entrepreneurs of the spiritual realm…
Those who create the new and innovative…
Pioneers who take new ground…
Ones who explore and experiment…
They grasp structure and ministry architecture…
Think Star Trek, “Going where no one has gone before!”…
Adventure… Risk… Sacrifice.
Scottish poet Robert Service captured it well in verse (my edited version):
There's a race of people who don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So, they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.
If they just went straight, they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
These are the people who don’t fit in,
For whom the world is too small a place.
Apostolic people are usually misunderstood. Under-appreciated. Often rabble-rousers in institutional settings. Agitators. Provocateurs. Dreamers. Always pushing the envelope. Advocating for what could be.
Pastoral and teacher types don’t know what to do with apostolic folks. Getting rid of them is one solution.
In Acts 9, the Jewish leaders in Damascus and then Jerusalem conspired to kill Paul because he was causing such an uproar wherever he went. Typical apostolic trouble maker! Finally, Paul’s compatriots spirited him out of the city and sent him off to Tarsus (v. 30).
And then there is this amazing description (v. 31) about what happens when the setting is finally relieved of Paul’s apostolic presence and pressure. “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace.”
Apostolic people don’t bring peace. They stir the pot!
To be sure, only certain people share apostolic calling. Certain people are set apart (as Paul describes himself) as a sent one. This is a specific and not a universal calling. It is only one of the fivefold functions in Ephesians 4.
So, what are the implications for those of us serving with Novo?
1) When I serve as a member of a missionary order, such as Novo, whether my role is vocational or volunteer, I share in an apostolic calling because Novo is an apostolic entity. No different than what Paul articulates here in Romans 1, I am a sent one, set apart for the good news of Jesus, the Christ.
Not everyone, but most of us serving with Novo have some degree of apostolic fervor in our calling and in our giftedness. Let’s embrace it. Revel in it.
2) I should never disregard, look down, or denigrate such a high and holy calling. Sure, it may make a lot of people uncomfortable. Let ‘em squirm! It’s a God thing. Apostolic people are so important they are considered foundational for the whole of the Church (Ephesians 2:20)! When exercised with sanctified boldness, apostolicity is the fire in the furnace for the earthly body of Christ.
As Floyd McClung so magnificently described it, “If you have apostolic passion, you are one of the most dangerous people on the planet. The world no longer rules your heart. You are no longer seduced by getting and gaining but devoted to spreading and proclaiming the glory of God in the nations.”
Therefore, in the name of Jesus, I pray blessing on my brothers and sisters in Novo throughout the globe. May the Holy Spirit pour holy gas on your apostolic fire and ignite new passion in our shared calling as spiritual entrepreneurs.
I bless you to live into and out of that calling. The Church needs you! The world needs you even more to be the ones who dare to “rove the flood and climb the mountain's crest” for the sake of the Holy One.
I bless you as you read these words with a fresh upgrade of apostolic vigor and apostolic passion. May the Lord fill you afresh with that fire for those who are far from Jesus and who have never heard.
Amen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sam Metcalf served as the President of Novo-US from 1985 until 2022. When the president’s role was passed on to Mark Thrash at the beginning of 2023, Sam’s responsibilities shifted to coordinating our CoNext partnerships, meaning those Novo-like mission organizations around the world that are led by nationals. Patty has continued her ministry of healing prayer, mentoring younger women, and loving on Novo staff. The Metcalfs live in Southern California and have two grown children—David and Christy—who are both married and have three children each.
