THE BIBLICAL BASIS OF MISSIONS Victor Knowles We must never be so pragmatic as to just do church or do missions without first asking the important question, What is the biblical basis for doing what we are doing? Ralph Winter, U.S. Center for World Mission, said, "The Bible is not the basis of missions; missions is the basis of the Bible. We have been known as a people who call Bible things by Bible names and do Bible things in Bible ways. We should always want to be a people who think, feel and act in a biblical manner. So, then, what is the biblical basis of missions? Missions never originated in the mind of man. Missions began first in the heart of God. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:26, 27 NIV). John R. W. Stott said, We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God. From Adam to Abraham, God wanted man to inhabit the whole earth. From Eden to Eternity, God has desired for His people to be global to spread across the face of the globe. MISSIONS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it (Genesis 1:28 NIV). Following the Great Flood, God repeats this FTE ( fill the earth ) Commission. Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth (Genesis 9:1 NIV). Notice that in both cases God blessed His people in order that they might fill the earth. Inhabit the whole earth. Fill the earth. Why was God so concerned that His people be a mobile and missionary people? We have already seen the answer to this important question in Paul s message to the Athenians: God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him. God longs for mankind to seek Him, reach out 1
to Him, and at last find Him. Finding God, in the final analysis, is what missions is all about. After the flood, Noah became a farmer, planted vineyards, and died at the age of 950. His son s families became nation builders and started to spread out (Genesis 9:32). Everyone spoke the same language (Genesis 11:1) How convenient! Was the commission about to be fulfilled? Not quite yet. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there (Genesis 11:2). The NIV has a footnote for Shinar: Babylonia. Notice that they settled there. This is not good! Then someone came up with a bright idea. Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:4 NIV). How quickly and easily they were diverted from God s fill the earth commission. It makes you wonder who planted that sinister seed thought in their collective minds. Someone who did not want God s commission to be fulfilled, for sure! And that would be Satan. James O. Fraser (1886-1938), missionary to China, said, I know enough about Satan to realize that he will have all his weapons ready for determined opposition. He would be a missionary simpleton who expected plain sailing in any work of God. God had to personally come down from heaven to alter their plans. To knock down their arrogant altar, as it were! So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth (Genesis 11:8, 9 NIV). There is only one letter s difference between Babel and Bible. When we don t do it the Bible way, Babel (confusion) is the result. Babel is the way of human wisdom and endeavor when it comes to missions. We are here today to discern the biblical basis of missions, not to foolishly follow the Babylonian base of building cities, towers and making a name for ourselves. God s people have always been rather reticent and resistant to the divine plan for missions to inhabit the whole earth. We are getting ahead of ourselves here, but for a quick moment let me remind you of the young church in Jerusalem. The apostles had been given the Great Commission. All nations. All the world. To the end of the earth. It took a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem before they were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1) the first two regions the apostles had been commissioned to evangelize back in Acts 1:8 but even at that it was the church and not the apostles who did the scattering. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went (Acts 8:4). The life lesson in both stories is that God wants us to scatter but the sad truth is that many times we would rather settle. 2
Oswald J. Smith observed, The church that does not evangelize will fossilize. Back to Genesis. Chapter 12 is so pivotal in God s plan for missions and redemption. He had told Adam, fill the earth. He had told Noah, fill the earth. Noah s sons started to fill the earth, but got bogged down at Babel. So God Himself came down and scattered His people to give them a jumpstart. But they still needed a leader, an example, someone who would take God at His word and get this business of inhabiting the whole earth a serious shot. So God chose a man, one man, Abraham, to become a channel of blessing to all peoples of the earth. The Lord had said to Abram, Go from your country, your people and your father s household 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. (Genesis 12:1-3 NIV) God chose this remarkable man because He knew his heart. He knew he would uphold his end of the bargain. I like God s musings in Genesis 18. I wonder if I should hide from Abraham what I am about to do. After all, Abraham will become the father of a great and powerful nation, and all the other nations of the earth will find their blessing in him. I have chosen him for a reason, namely that he will carefully instruct his children and his household to keep themselves strong in relationship to Me and to walk in My ways by doing what is good and right in the world and by showing mercy and justice to all others. I know he will uphold his end of the covenant, so that he can ensure My promises to him will be fulfilled and upheld as well (Genesis 18:17-19, The Voice). I think God chose Abraham because Abraham had a missionary heart. He rescued his troublesome nephew Lot; he pleaded with God for the wicked citizens of Sodom. I think that he would have liked the song, Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave; weep o er the erring one, lift up the fallen, tell them of Jesus the Mighty to save. 3
Even Jonah was a reluctant missionary. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to it the proclamation which I am going to tell you. So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the Lord (Jonah 3:1-3 NASB). I like what Thomas Carlisle said about Jonah. And Jonah stalked to his shaded seat and waited for God to come around to his way of thinking. And God is still waiting for a host of Jonahs in their comfortable houses to come around to His way of loving. How God wanted the entire nation of Israel to be mission-minded! Psalm 67 has been called the missionary chapter of the Old Testament. May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. (Psalm 67:1-2 NIV) Why did God bless Israel? So they would make God s ways known on earth; so that all nations might come to know God s redemptive love and experience God s saving grace. I love the response of Robert Morrison to a skeptic. The man looking at him with a smile that only half concealed his contempt, inquired, Now Mr. Morrison do you really expect that you will make an impression on the idolatry of the Chinese Empire? No sir, said Morrison, but I expect that God will. Has God made His impression on China? Eminently so! The prophets were faithful in proclaiming this all nations message to the nation of Israel. Isaiah (a prophet during four administrations) declared that all nations would stream to the Lord s house (2:2). In chapter 52:10 he said, The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. Jeremiah prophesied, At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord (3:17 NIV). Habakkuk said, For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (2:14 NIV). Haggai declared, I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory, says the Lord of hosts. (2:7 NKJV). Zechariah announced, He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth (9:10 NIV). 4
Malachi rounds out the Old Testament with this all nations pronouncement from Almighty God: My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty (1:11 NIV). But, tragically, Israel did not fulfill their mission to be a blessing to the nations. In fact, according to Jesus, they killed and stoned the prophets who were sent to them! O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God s messengers! (Matthew 23:37 NLT). MISSIONS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT So, in the fullness of time, God sent His own Son, Jesus the Christ, to earth the greatest missionary the world has ever known. David Livingstone said, God had only one son and He was a missionary. A poor, poor example of Him I am. But in this work I now live. And in this work, I wish to die. An angel in the little town Bethlehem made the global announcement: Don t be afraid! Listen! I bring good news, news of great joy, news that will affect all people everywhere (Luke 2:10, The Voice). Jesus Christ quickly identified His search and rescue mission to earth. Jesus told him [Zacchaeus] This shows that salvation has come to this home today. This man was one of the lost sons of Abraham, and I, the Messiah, have come to search for and to save such souls as his. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Henry Martyn said, The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become. Our Lord laid great emphasis on the importance of unity in the matter of missions. He prayed for oneness among His disciples. He even prayed for our oneness so that we would be effective in evangelism! Twelve hours before He went to the cross, He offered this powerful prayer: I m praying not only for them But also for those who will believe in me Because of them and their witness about me. The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you, So they might be one heart and mind with us. Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me (John 17:20-21 MSG) 5
His first commission to the twelve apostles was a limited commission. Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: Don t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but only to the people of Israel God s lost sheep (Matthew 10:5-6 NLT). His Great Commission was given moments before His Ascension. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19 NLT). The first commission was limited to Israel. The second, final, and Great Commission was greater in scope for all the nations. This is because God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. J. Hudson Taylor noted, The great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed. It is my firm conviction that the apostles took very seriously this global commission. Around the third century, Origen of Alexandria (ca 185-254) wrote that the apostles divided up the world between them. Eusebius (ca 260-341) also wrote about this division of labor. The apostles and disciples of the Savior scattered over the whole world, and preached the Gospel everywhere. Probably the first countries visited were those mentioned in Acts 2:9-10. According to tradition, Peter took Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Bithynia. We do know that Peter did write to Christians these same places (1 Peter 1:1). Thomas is said to have been assigned Parthia (today s India); Andrew went to Scythia (today s Ukraine), Turkey, and Greece; Philip went to North Africa; Matthew went to Persia (today s Iran) and Ethiopia; Bartholomew went to Armenia and Southern Arabia; and James (son of Alphaeus) went to Spain. ( Leadership Lessons from the Apostles, Victor Knowles, The Lookout, September 22, 2013). The apostles did not think in terms of closed countries. Brother Andrew cut to the chase: You can get in anywhere if you go to serve. The book of Acts has been called, the authorized missionary manual of the church. The full title is The Acts of the Apostles. The key verse is Acts 1:8 (NIV). But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The Holy Spirit is the catalyst. Power from on high fell upon them on the Day of Pentecost (Chapter 2) after the Upper Room Prayer Meeting. A. T. Pierson has observed that every step in the progress of missions is directly traceable to prayer. In chapters 2 through 7 we see the church as Christ s Spirit-filled witnesses in Jerusalem. Acts 5:8 says they filled Jerusalem with the teachings of Christ! Day after day, in the temple courts and from 6
house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 5:42). In chapters 8 through 12 we find Spirit-filled believers witnessing for Christ in Judea and Samaria. The key passage here is Acts 8:1 (MSG). And Saul just went wild, devastating the church, entering house after house after house, dragging men and women off to jail. Forced to leave home base, the followers of Jesus all became missionaries. Wherever they were scattered, they preached the Message about Jesus. In chapters 13-28 we find the church expanding their Christian witness to the ends of the earth. The key passage in this section is Acts 13:1-3 (NIV). Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Someone has said, The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity. David Sitton has noted, We do not truly understand the gospel if we spend all of our time preaching it to Christians. The gospel is a missionary gospel. It is a communication of Good News to people and in places where the name of Christ is unknown. This was certainly Paul s method of missions. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else s foundation (Romans 15:20 NIV). The epistles are largely letters from missionaries sent to newly established churches and young church leaders. Let me share just one selection, which seems to say it all. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6 NIV). The mystery of the gospel is solved in missions! This is what God desired from day one in Genesis one, when He said, Fill the earth. This is what God wanted when He told Abraham that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. John R. W. Stott said, The nations are not gathered in automatically. If God has promised to bless all the families of the earth, he has promised to do so through Abraham's seed (Genesis 12:3, 22:18). Now we are Abraham's seed by faith, and the earth's families will be blessed only if we go to them with the gospel. That is God's plain purpose. Indeed, it could not be plainer. 7
Finally, the last book of the Bible, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, was written by a missionary-in-exile. Notice what John the Revelator saw. And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world to every nation, tribe, language, and people. Fear God, he shouted. Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water (Revelation 14:6-7 NLT). The eternal Good News of Jesus Christ is for every nation, tribe, language and people. But, as Carl F. H. Henry said, The gospel is only good news if it gets there in time. This is the urgency of evangelism. THE FINAL CALL I believe that God is calling His church for one last time to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. C. S. Lewis said, Jesus Christ did not say, Go into the world and tell the world that it is quite right. God did not make a mistake when He chose you to bear Christ's name at this hinge of history said David Shibley. He knew exactly whom He wanted to carry the light of the gospel in the twenty-first century. He wanted you. Isobel Kuhn, missionary to China and Thailand, said, I believe that in each generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth. It is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond! Do you hear the call? William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, said: Not called! did you say? Not heard the call, I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the Gates of Hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father's house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face whose mercy 8
you have professed to obey and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world. This is the biblical basis of missions. Three things we must do: Identify the mission. Help people around the globe find God. Believe the mission Like Abraham, believe God and walk by faith. Fulfill the mission. Emulate Paul, who could truthfully say: I have trailblazed a preaching of the Message of Jesus all the way from Jerusalem far into northwestern Greece. This has all been pioneer work, bringing the Message only into those places where Jesus was not yet known and worshiped. My text has been, Those who were never told of him they ll see him! Those who ve never heard of him they ll get the message! (Romans 15:19-21 MSG). Fifty years ago, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. (CST), John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Within a few hours virtually the whole world knew that the young American president had been slain. Yet God forgive us! 2000 years have come and gone and still there are millions who have never heard that Christ died for their sins on a hill called Calvary in Jerusalem, Israel. Together as one body, let s do our best to ensure that those who have never heard of Christ will get the message before He comes again! VICTOR KNOWLES is founder and president of POEM (Peace on Earth Ministries), Post Office Box 275, Joplin, MO 64802. www.poeministries.org. This message was delivered November 15, 2013, at the International Conference on Missions in Kansas City, MO. 9
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