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...
The testing of your faith "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance" (James 1:2-3). How do we react when trials come? How do we react, especially when the trials are not one or two, but many? Isn’t it so hard and painful that we aren’t only discouraged, but even in despair? But the Bible James 1:2 says “Consider it all joy”. How is this possible? How can we consider it all joy when we encounter various trials? The reason we should consider it all joy when we are subjected to various trials is because the testing of our faith produces endurance (Jam. 1:3). And when we are patience to the end, we will be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (v. 4). In fact, when we are faced with various trials, we sometimes realize our shortcomings. For example, when we face trials we realize th...