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...
Why should we suffer? “but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it” (Matthew 14:24). Why do we Christians suffer? How should we understand our suffering? What is God's will? Why does God make us or allow us to suffer? What is the purpose of suffering? Our God has a profound knowledge that our human being cannot fathom (Ps. 92:5; Eccle. 3:11). We cannot fathom the things that He does (Job 5: 9; Ps. 145: 3). We cannot understand His will fully. We don’t know why God allowed Job to suffer (Job 1:13-19; 2:7-8), why He threw the great wind on the sea so that the ship that Jonah was aboard was about to break up because of the great storm (Jonah 1:3-4). Who could understand the will of God fully who gave suffering to Job and to Jonah? So this is what Apostle Paul said in Romans 11:33-34...