INTRODUCTION

This paper will address the biblical and theological basis of global missions. The term, “Missions have been regulated to the specific work of the church and agencies in the task of reaching people for Christ by crossing cultural boundaries.[1] It is ordained by God and founded upon biblical doctrine found within both the Old and New Testament. Missions is inspired by God, who uses the church as his extension to serve as the Holy Spirit directs. 

“Missio Dei is another term used regarding mission. Taken from the Latin for “mission of God,” its central idea is that God is the One who initiates and sustains mission.”[2] This alludes to the idea that mission has a goal, which result has been established by God. This result is the knowledge of God being spread to those that have not heard the Gospel of Christ. It is the emphasis of the cross that is at the very heart of mission work. “Evangelicals have also recognized the validity of the incarnation as a paradigm for mission.”[3]

MISSION ACCORDING TO BIBLICAL TEXT

Old Testament

There are both Old and New Testament passages that allude to missionary activity. This activity is played out in the lives of many that have been called by God throughout the pages of the Bible. In the book, Introducing World Missions, authors Moreau, Corwin and McGee call this activity as “divine drama.”[4] “Mission in the Old Testament is best encountered by exploring it as a divine drama in four acts: (1) the creation and the fall, (2) God’s calling and setting apart a people for himself, (3) God’s work in rescuing his people, and (4) God’s work in sending his people into exile.[5]

From the time of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, can we find God’s initial plan for mission. “Our purpose as people made in God’s image remains even after the fall and the flood, as God repeats the command to multiply and subdue the earth in Genesis 9:1–7. The covenant that God established with Noah and his sons encompasses all humankind (Gen. 9:8–19).”[6] This covenant makes possible the blessings of God that were originally intended for a specific group of people, to now be extended to the stranger as well. This is more evident in the Abrahamic

Covenant.

According to Genesis 12:1-3, God calls Abraham out of his country to an unknown land. It is in this land that God promises to bless him, make his name great and through Abraham, bless all the families of the earth. “Abraham was chosen, and through him Israel was called to become the people of God. The initial choice of Abraham, however, was for the benefit of all peoples (Gen. 12:3; 22:18).”[7] Through Abraham, not only was God’s chosen the Israelites were to be blessed, but also “all” the nations of the world.

“Isaiah calls Israel a “light for the Gentiles” (Isa. 42:6; 49:6). God did not bring Israel out of Egypt without reason; God’s people are to serve in a mediatorial role. They are God’s priests out of the whole world (Exod. 19:5–6), which makes them the servants of God (see also Deut. 14:1–2).”[8] This expresses not only the plan that God had from the beginning of time, but also his love for mankind.