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...
“What then shall we say?” [Romans 9:14-29] We have already meditated on Paul's heart for the Israelites, centered on Romans 9:1-13, under the title of “Inseparable love.” We learned that because of God's inseparable love, Paul had "great sorrow" and "unceasing anguish" toward his brothers, the people of Israel, his kinsmen according to the flesh. Why did Paul have great sorrow and unceasing anguish when he thought of the Israelites? The reason was the unbelief of the Israelites who refused to believe in Jesus. Even though there were privileges that God gave only to the Israelites, they did not accept the only begotten Son as their own Savior. Therefore, Paul had great sorrow and unceasing anguish. However, in the meantime, there was something that comforted his heart. It was the word of God's covenant that could not be failed (v. 6). The core ...