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 wise man who built his house on the rock [Matthew 7:24-29] If you live here in California, have you ever experienced an earthquake shaking your house or building? During the 1994 Northridge Earthquake (magnitude 6.7), my apartment building shook violently. At that time I was lying on the second floor in a bunker bed. I was amazed at how loud it vibrated. According to one Internet site, the Northridge earthquake in the United States did not appear in the list of the 10 most powerful earthquakes since the 20th century, but the Northridge earthquake ranked second in the disaster damage list ($44 billion) (1st place was the Kobe earthquake in Japan, estimated property damage is $100 billion) (Internet). If I share only two pieces of information, the most powerful earthquake since the 20th century was the earthquake in Chille in May 1960 with a magnitude of 9.5. The second and thi...