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...
God who helps me [Psalms 121] Once, during a gathering of Westminster Theological Seminary alumni, I had the opportunity to have a meal with a missionary couple serving in China, along with their four children. As the children were all boys, while the missionary pastor was interacting with them, his wife shared a unique aspect of her mission work in China. She explained, showing us pictures, that she took an interest in reaching out to women engaged in the profession of prostitution. The pastor would travel by bus for about ten hours and then walk for two more hours to teach in a remote valley where foreigners were a rare sight. The people there showed genuine affection, and upon witnessing this, the pastor confessed that he, in fact, received grace from them. After a brief period of engaging in mission work, when the pastor's wife made a prayer request for us, she expressed her desire to bec...