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Author: Arthur Bardis Since the fall of our progenitors and throughout the generations, God has been actively engaged in trying to accomplish His mission of reaching out to humankind. Hebrews 1:1 states “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. It has been suggested that missionary activity is a partnership and fellowship with God, for the living God we Christians worship is a missionary God. A Biblical preview of the character and activities of God, His promises, continuing purposes for humankind, and the correlation between missions and the Bible will aid in the investigation of the validity of the above statement. Interconnection between the Bible and Missionary Activity“Mission is the divine activity of sending intermediaries, whether supernatural or human, to speak or do God’s will so that His purposes for judgment or redemption are furthered.” “The Biblical concept of missions comprehends the authority of the sender and a purpose within the moral framework of God’s covenantal working of judgment or redemption.” It is articulated by the use of verbs meaning, “to send”, whether in Hebrew or Greek. These verbs highlight the commissioning association concerned. The written Word of God has a central theme that runs through, and pulls the Old and New Testaments together so that it is not a disjointed collection of various books dealing with many diverse things. It revolves around the major theme: God’s missionary purpose to purchase and restore to Himself a people from every nation on earth. It relates history from God’s perspective, beginning with His plan to redeem the lost world to Himself, and ending with the fulfillment of this missionary purpose, with one from every tribe and tongue and people and nation gathering before the King of all ages. Examination of Scripture divulges that Yahweh’s yearning was to bring into existence a people for Himself, bless them and then through them to bless all the people of the earth. Psalm 67 is a missionary prayer of King David soliciting to Yahweh to grant His blessings on all of Creation with the purpose that all nations may know His way, and from observing God’s blessings on His people to be able to deduce His royal sovereignty and acknowledge Israel’s God as God. Furthermore that they nations too may enjoy the fullness of His salvation, which pertains to all the benefits of God: His kingship, rule, blessings and promises. This prayer reiterates the element of hope in God’s universal rule. When God blesses His people, it is with the goal of provoking the nations to jealously so that they too come to know Him, share His blessings, and have a reason to praise Him. In reading the Word of God scrupulously it is not possible to escape the missionary message of God. This universal theme that demonstrates God’s concern for the entire world, runs throughout the Bible and reaches its peak at Calvary. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God’s great love compelled Him to reveal Himself to mankind by the spoken and Incarnate Logos, then transform them and simultaneously empower them with the purpose that His people participate with Him in bringing His redemptive rule to all peoples of the earth, and “ultimately reclaim His total kingdom by destroying Satan and His kingdom.” Yahweh overcomes the twofold problem of a satanic counter Kingdom, and mankind’s rebellion with one unifying approach of re conquers redemption and reconciliation. The Lord loved the world from the time of its foundation. The plot of the Bible is based on the chronicle of God bringing about His mission, and consequently God’s operation is the vertebrae upon which the Bible is constructed and comprehended. John 20:31 says, “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” The theme of the gospel is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is presented as the Messiah; the One who is send on a mission by the Father, and is the fulfillment of the Old Testament covenants. Jesus is the one who would consummate God's purpose for the nation and the world. The method God achieves His mission is to reveal Himself to men by the spoken and Incarnate Word. A Preview of God’s Character, Promises and His Continuing Purposes for Humankind A Biblical theology of mission should consider Christ’s mission, and the entire redemptive work of God from a Trinitarian standpoint. Jesus’ mission “originated by the purpose of God the Father manifested in His creation and continuing role.” Christ was the messenger of the good news, and the kingdom was realized and actualized in His person and ministry, and His mission was fulfilled by the work of the Holy Spirit. The ‘Counselor’ gives gifts to the believers and blesses them in order that they are also a blessing to the whole world. The triune God is concerned for the emancipation of sinners, their development, and expansion of the Kingdom of God “on earth as it is in heaven.” The conception of the nature and character of God is undoubtedly a very important concept and aid in trying to Biblically determine His plan for humans. “On one hand, God is supremely powerful, the creator and sustainer of all that is. On the other hand is the loving caring, personal nature of the Lord. He is not mere abstract power, but is a loving person.” The prophet Isaiah proclaims that God’s purpose will stand, that He will bring about all His plans, and that He will fulfill His purposes, for Yahweh is Almighty. The Old Testament perspective of God is that He had created the universe, and He was the one directing history, which was the unfolding of His plans that were related to the Lord’s purpose of fellowship with people. Missions flow from the fullness of God’s passion and great love for humankind. God’s goodness can be seen in the expression and desire that He has in redeeming and having a people for Himself. An attempt to discern something of God’s plan will assist in the quest of the living and missionary nature of His. The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. God’s composite promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, reveals and simultaneously highlights that He is the God of history, the God of covenant, God of blessing, God of mercy, and the God of mission. The Father demonstrated His mercy to the human beings through sending his own Son, Jesus Christ to be their redeemer, and then Jesus entrusted His people with the commission of proclaiming the euangelion. Evangelism is “the proclamation of the historical and Biblical Christ as Savior and Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to Him personally and so be reconciled to God.” Thus His missionary character of the Bible is evidently observed in its expressed purpose and plan. The Old Testament portrays the progressive development of the twofold purpose of God in order to destroy Satan’s kingdom and redeem the fallen humanity. The great “I Am” chose Abraham, made a covenant with him, and gave him the promise of blessings. “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.” Jesus Christ will finally bring the world from sin and chaos into order. This will consist of the conquest of all the earthly kingdoms and spiritual powers. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet. “Christ will finally present this reclaimed kingdom back to the Father. That presentation will constitute the fulfillment of His commission from the Father. He will have reclaimed that Kingdom through His redemptive love.” Mission is originated and initiated upon the holistic plan and action of God as manifested in the Scriptures. Christian mission is essential and lays at the nucleus of Biblical concern. It is of vital importance to understand the grounds on which Christian mission lies. BIBLIOGRAPHYElwell, Walter (ed). Theological Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books 1996. Kenneth Barker & John Kohlenberger (eds). NIV Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1996. Zondervan reference Software (32 Bit edition) version 2.6. NIV Bible. Copyrights The Zondervan Corporation, 1989-1998. Ralph D. Winter & Steven C. Hawthorne (eds). Perspectives On The World Christian Movement (3rd edition). Pasadena, California: William Carey Library, 1999. Steven C. Hawthorne. Perspectives On The World Christian Movement (Study Guide). Pasadena, California: William Carey Library, 1997. Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology, 2nd edition. Rand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2001.Murray, H. Iain. Spurgeon Versus Hyper Calvinism. Pennsylvania, USA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1995.
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