A. What Is Biblical Mission? “Biblical mission means more than simply going overseas to plant churches or spread civilization. It means the church participating in the ‘mission of God (Missio Dei)’ and seeking the restoration of God’s rule and glory throughout the whole earth. Mission is not a program that begins with human enthusiasm; rather, it is the heart of God that runs throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and is a fundamental reason for the church’s existence. Let me clearly summarize five essential principles of true mission as presented in Scripture. 🌍 1. The Mission of God (Missio Dei) The subject and initiator of mission is not human beings but God. In order to save fallen humanity, God first comes to us, sends His Son, and sends the Holy Spirit. He is the “missionary God” who sends. Biblical basis: “As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” (John 20:21) Key meaning: The church acknowledges that God has the initiative in mission and serves as His agent, obed...
‘You may know that you have eternal life.” (5) [1 John 5:13-21] In today's text 1 John 5:13, the Apostle John explains the purpose of why he is writing this letter to the recipients. Its purpose is that “you who believe” in Jesus Christ, “the Son of God,” may “know that you have eternal life” (v. 13). Interestingly, in John 20:31, written by the same author, the Apostle John, the Apostle John explains the purpose of why he wrote the Gospel of John: “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.” Here, the Apostle John is talking about the twofold purpose of writing the Gospel of John: (1) “you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God”, and (2) “by believing you may have (eternal) life in his (Jesus’) name. However, the Apostle John explains why he wrote the book of 1 John in 1 John 5:13 and the purpose is that those who belie...