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 number of believers increased? “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food” (Acts 6:1). Last night, I began reading Acts chapter 6, which is the Bible passage I'll be using for today's morning prayer meeting. As I started reading from verse 1, my attention was immediately drawn to the phrase "In those days" (6:1). I found myself wondering, "What was happening at that specific time that led to an increase in disciples (believers)?" So, I turned back to Acts chapter 5 and focused on verses 17 onwards. In these verses, the apostles were arrested and put in jail (v. 18), brought before the high priest and the Sadducees (v. 27), and sternly ordered not to teach in Jesus' name anymore (v. 28). They even intended to kill the apostles after hear...