Theological Foundation of Missions

Theological Foundationof Missions

God’s Mission, Our Mission

Theological Foundation

• Created humanity in His image• Creates out of His nature - relational• Freewill to enter relationship• Sin and rebellion break the relationship– Physically – Decay and death– Intellectually – pride and excuse evil– Socially – fractured and destroyed relationships– Spiritually – Separated and alienated from God

God - source of mission – Creation to Noah


• God of love strives for reconciliation• God’s mission is one of reconciliation (Gen. 3:15)• Adam and Eve to Seth – means of reconciliation– Physical, social, intellectual, and Spiritual seen in the story

• Mission of God addresses these an points to ultimate reconciliation – Last enemy is what

• Noah – recognition of corruption • Noah’s mission (Heb. 11:7; 2 Pet. 2:5)• Babel – humanity’s pride

God - source of mission – Creation to Noah


• O.T. reveals God intention for His creation• God’s work in the world toward His ultimate

revelation of Himself (Gal. 3:28-29)

– Abraham leaving and going in faith– Kings and Abraham, Melchizedek– Sodom and Gomorrah

• Conditional covenant –faith (Gen. 17:1-10)

– Why the delay, Amorites? (Gen. 15:16)– Blessed, Great nation, all nations blessed

God - source of mission – Abraham & Promise


“Salvation too is God’s blessing, since salvation is the fulfillment of God’s good purposes for creation, purposes already expressed in creation. But salvation is the fulfillment of creation. The Abrahamic blessing is more than the blessing of creation because it is designed to contend with and to overcome its opposite: God’s curse . . .”



“The ultimate goal of God’s promise to Abraham is that blessing will prevail over curse. It does so when the seed of Abraham, the singled-out descendant of Abraham, the Messiah, becomes ‘a curse for us . . . So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles’ (Gal. 3:13-14). It is in this light that Paul can call the promise to Abraham that the nations will be blessed the gospel . . . The gospel is that in Christ Jesus the curse has been set aside and God’s creative purpose for the blessing of his creation is established beyond any possibility of reversal.” – Richard Bauckham Bible and Mission, 34-36



• A covenant people developed to represent the one God

• Redeemed from slavery to point to reconciliation

• Holistic redemption– Spiritual– Social– Intellectual– Physical

God - source of mission – Moses & Redemption


• Moses’ preparation– Slavery to opportunity– Life experience to service– Service to spiritual fulfillment

• Moses’ call (Ex. 3:1-4:17)

– “Who am I that I should go?” (3:11)

– Whose name shall I tell them sent me? (3:13-14)

– “What if they will not listen?” (4:1)

– “I’m slow of speech and slow of tongue.” (4:10)



• God deliverance– Power, plagues, pharaoh, people– Promise and spiritual development– Golden calf: God’s patience, guidance (laws)– God’s description of His deliverance (Ex. 19:4)

• People’s call– Represent God before the nations– Chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9)

– Jethro/Ruel – priest of God, Rahab, Judges



• Prophets– Universality of God’s intent• Proclaim the will of God• Expose the sin of the people• Preach repentance and reconciliation• Warn about the outcome of non-repentance

God - source of mission – Prophets & Psalms


• Prophets– God’s people, a light to the Gentiles (nations)• Isa. 42:6• Isa. 49:6

– Deliverance by messiah and new covenant• Suffering Servant (Isa. 40-55; 52:15; 53:11-12)• Jer. 31:31



• Prophets– All nations under God’s sovereignty• Amorites• Israel: Northern Kingdom & Sothern Kingdom• Other nations• Jonah and Nineveh• Elisha and Naaman (2 Kg. 5)



• Psalms– Ps. 2:8-12– Ps. 33:13-17– Ps. 66:8-9, 16-20– Ps. 72:17-19– Ps. 98:2-3, 9– Ps. 117:1-2– Others – Ps. 67; 96; 100


Theological FoundationGod’s Mission – New Testament

God’s Mission

Christ Enacted

Holy Spirit Empowers

Church Responds

People Hear


• Fulfillment of God’s blessing– John the Baptist– God’s incarnational relationship• Immanuel – God with us• Redeemer – reconciler• Savior – provider of life• If you have seen me, you have seen the father

God’s Mission – New Testament


• Fulfillment of God’s blessing in the church– Joel’s prophecy (Acts 2:28)– Sent people (Jn. 17:18; 20:21)– That the world may believe God sent Jesus (Jn.

17:23)– Great Commission (Mt. 28:18-20)• Making disciples• “panta ta ethne” – all nations• Entering the mission of fulfilling the promise of Abraham



• Central theme of the New Testament – Redemption of people through Christ• John 3:16• Rom. 5:8• Tit. 3:4-5• 1 Jn. 4:10



• What the mission of God means:– Mission originates with God– God loves His creation– God's people cannot neglect it (ex. David Smith)– God will equip His people– God enables missionaries to understand their place

in His mission• Humility (Phil. 2:3)• Sower and waterer• God gives the growth (1 Cor. 3:6)



• What the mission of God means:– God's mission demands a love for people (identify

with people)– God's mission calls for sacrifice– God's mission will succeed (not everyone will

believe)



• Jesus preached the kingdom of God (heaven)– Matt. 3:2; Mk. 1:15; Lk. 4:43; Acts 1:8; 8:12

• Meaning of kingdom: Psalms 145:11-13 synonymous parallelism– Mt. 6:10– Mt. 12:28– Lk. 11:20– Lk. 17:21

• Kingdom = God’s ruler over our lives

Christ: The Message of Mission


• O.T. message to now is that God is sovereign ruler over all things (kingdom)– Creation shows the rule of God (Acts 14:8-18;

17:18-31).– God's judgment at the flood show the rule of God– Moses proclaimed the rule of God– Prophets proclaimed the rule of God– Jesus proclaimed the rule of God– The church proclaims the rule of God



• Christ is Lord (John 1:23; John 20:28)• God reigns through Jesus (Heb. 1:1-3)– Christ’s lordship witnessed by the casting out of demons

(Matt. 12:28)• Pray for God's rule (Matt. 6:9-10)• Church consists of those who have accepted God’s rule

through Christ– Christians have come under the rule of God.– Not everyone accepts the rule of God (see parable of the

sower Matt. 13:19; sow the word's of the kingdom.

Christ, the Lord


• Gospel of Jesus Christ (Mk. 1:1).• Savior of the world (Jn. 4:42)• Message of Peter's sermon in Acts 2:14-39,

both Lord and Christ (v. 36)• Philip preached the good news about the

kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12)



• Content of the message (1 Cor. 15:1-4)• Death, burial and resurrection• Cross-cultural communication of the gospel

(Acts 17:22-31).– Unknown God, not god of silver and gold, raised

from dead



• Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16)

• Spirit will help His followers to witness to the earth (Jn. 14:16-18, 25-26; Acts 1:8)

• Sets apart people with prayer & fasting (Acts 13:1-4)

• Spirit guides (Acts 16:6-10)

• Spirit given to us (Rom. 5:5; 1 Cor. 3:16, 6:19, 12:13; Gal. 3:2, 4:6; Eph. 3:16)

• Led by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:16, 18, 25)

• Pledge (2 Cor. 1:22, 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14)

Holy Spirit: Power of Mission


Church is the result and the means for accomplishing God's mission.

• In the world but not of the world (John 17:14-16, 18)

• Live in the heavenly realm (Eph. 1:3; 2:4-6)

• Citizenship in heaven (Phil. 3:20)

• A chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation (1 Pet. 2:9)

The "church is the distinctive people of God called by Him through His mission and set aside for His mission."

God’s Church for the Mission


Church is God's witness to the world• Kingdom will be preached in the whole world

then end will come (Mt. 24:14)

• Sent by God (Jn. 17:18; 23)

• People need to hear the gospel, people must be sent (Rom. 10:8-15)

A church actively involved in God's mission is vibrant and has purpose and direction.



Church is Displays God’s Love• Greatest and second greatest commandments

(Mt. 22:36-40)– Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul,

mind, and strength.– Love your neighbor as yourself– Sum of the Law and the prophets



Christians = Ministers of Reconciliation• Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old

things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:17-21)

The Word of Reconciliation


Christians = Ministers of Reconciliation• Christian message – answer to the world's

problems• Nature of the world – in need of the gospel– Helpless people helped (Matt. 9:36)– Change from dead to alive (Eph. 2:1-6)– Change from old self to new self (Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:9)– Dominion of darkness to the kingdom of the Son (Col.

1:13)



Christians = Ministers of Reconciliation

The ultimate mission of God is to reestablish people’s intimate relationship with Him so that they might live under His sovereign rule both in this world and the world to come.


Documents

Theological Foundation of Missions