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...
Thanksgiving in suffering “Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, … But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving That which I have vowed I will pay Salvation is from the LORD” (Jonah 2:1, 9). Suffering is painful and distressful. And when we are in pain and distress, we usually groan in wounds and tears. We even make a grudge. We blame on others. We have to blame somebody for it. We blame a situation too, not just the people. We blame the people and the situation, but we do not blame ourselves. The reason is that if we are so painful and distressful, we tend to become more selfish. And if we are selfish, we will not only able to think that suffering has come because of ourselves, but we cannot. That’s why we cannot learn ...