Missions Blog #1

Why do we have missions?
The simple, common answer is Matthew 28:19, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” There are many other verses and themes in the Bible that point us toward missions as well. God’s heart for missions can be seen in many Old Testament stories such as Abraham being blessed, “and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 22:18). God was showing Himself to the world as a powerful and loving God in the stories of David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and many other stories. Jesus ministered cross-culturally with Samaritans, Romans, etc. Paul traveled throughout the Middle East and Europe, sharing the “good news” and trying to start a movement of Christ-like followers everywhere he went. In Romans 10:14-15, he specifically relates the need for people to be sent out, “How can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?...” And we see in Revelation 7:9 that in the end this “good news” will spread to all peoples, “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”.
We have “missions” because 1. God has been making Himself known to all peoples from the beginning of time and 2. Jesus, His disciples, and the early Christians made significant efforts to share the “good news” to men of all nations as well.

What is the task of world missions, the goal, the thing we work toward?
There are many definitions, but some of the most common are: 1. an evangelizing, discipling church movement for every language, culture, and people. 2. A church for every people and the gospel for every person. 3. Reach the Unreached people of the world.

I’d like to clarify a few words in these. Church- does not mean a building or any specific denomination. In the New Testament, “church” is used to describe a community of people who believe and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation, who gather regularly to seek Him and praise Him. These meetings may or may not: be on Sunday, have a pastor, involve preaching, and be in a church building. Gospel : This cannot just be the Bible translated into every language. More than 86% of the world is illiterate, and many languages are not yet written down. Not everyone in the world learns the way we Westerners do. Some pass on “stories” through songs or storytelling, some use different art forms (dance, painting, drawing, dramas) to illustrate their stories and assist in storytelling. For these peoples, the Gospel must first be translated into their language and then be “told” in a way they can understand and remember and then pass on to others.

The thing we work toward is to fulfill this Great Commission to “make disciples of all peoples so that all men (and women) will know the love of Christ”.

Check back soon for more on "How many tribes, nations, and tongues are there", "what are the unreached" and "where are they".