The Bible basis of missions is the glory of God. He is worthy of being made known to every person in every part of the world. Sometimes people think of missions as something a local church does on the side, relegated to a department and assigned to a few individuals. But as a Body under Jesus Christ as our Head, the global ministry of proclaiming the glory of Christ to all people is a primary reason for the presence of the Church — a central theme of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
Is the Bible the basis of missions? …or is God’s mission the basis of the Bible?
What you believe very much affects your view of God, His mission in the world, your role in His work, and the urgency of it all. Is it difficult to find people who will fully engage in ministry? Does God’s mission seem like a side show? Could it be that there is a low view of God and His word? Two questions affect much of the way we think and act: Who says? and Whose glory?
Who says?
The identity of a person very much affects how we perceive their authority. If his mother tells little Johnny, “You may not eat any cookies before dinner,” then, when his hand is in the cookie jar, the words “your mother is coming” have meaning and relevance. Traveling at double the posted speed limit may be pleasurable until we realize we have gained the attention of someone with both the power and the inclination to change our behavior. Having a better understanding of the identity, personality, word, and power of the God of the Bible will likely bring about a change of behavior — upon the realization of who is talking. Our mission is to accurately communicate to all people in all the world: Who says.
Whose glory?
Glory is about giving credit where credit is due — recognizing and attributing worth to the person to whom it is due. God’s glory is the sum of all that He is, the manifestation of His character. Satan’s work is to take and diminish the glory of God through lies and deception, and since Adam’s disobedience we have all been following Satan’s lead. Missions is about leading people to know and believe the truth about God’s person — His glory. “I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another.” (Isaiah 42:8)
Five roots of global missionary work
- 01
Rooted in God’s Person
Do we want people working together with a heart for sharing the Good News with the whole world? Then we should teach them the identity of their Creator. In Him we find our own identity; because of His value, our own value and the value of other people; because of His purpose, significance; because of His plan, direction. To know Him is to recognize His worth. He is the treasure. (Hebrews 1:3; Exodus 34:6; Jeremiah 9:23-24)
- 02
Rooted in God’s Purpose
Since before the foundation of the world, God’s purpose has been to bring us into His fellowship with pleasure and complete acceptance. Sin made us unfit for His presence, but God made provision through the lavish gift of Jesus Christ — paying our debt and clothing in His own perfect righteousness every person who will choose confidence in His provision by faith. His purpose has not changed: He will fill the earth with people who believe Him. (Ephesians 1:4-6; Isaiah 45:18-22; Numbers 14:21; Revelation 21:3)
- 03
Rooted in God’s Plan
God plans — that is what Bible prophecy is about. He fulfilled His plan to provide a Redeemer in minute detail, and He plans to have worshippers redeemed “out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” (Revelation 5:9) His plan is certain; He is not weak, but patient. (2 Peter 3:9) And His plan is that those who have believed Him should tell those who have not: “How shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” (Romans 10:13-17)
- 04
Accomplished through God’s People
God could have written His message in the sky, or upon every rock under it. Instead He chose personal couriers — people who have heard and believed, with willing hearts, offered as living sacrifices. God takes volunteers. And there is much lamenting today about people, especially young adults, leaving the churches — but is it possible that while they were exposed to church, preaching, and good morals, they were never introduced to our Savior? Who took the time to show them His person, purpose, plan, people, and process?
- 05
Accomplished in God’s Process
People do not instantly become maturing, reproducing, Bible-believing Christians overnight. There is a Biblical pattern and path from spiritual infancy to ambassadorship: learning from God’s written word, exercising knowledge in practice, prayer, and interdependent relationships with other believers. The more quickly a believer is exposed to the truths of God’s word and begins applying truth to false assumptions, the more rapidly that person can grow in faith and engage in God’s mission. (Romans 12:2; Hebrews 5:12-14; Ephesians 4:11-16)
What is Foundational Bible Teaching?
God was not random in the way He introduced Himself over the time since creation. Yet we tend to read the Bible as if it were a treasure chest of gems to be pulled out, examined, and put back in the box — no wonder many Christians are confused about the identity and relevance of the God of the Bible. The Bible is God’s story: it has an introduction, a plot, and a conclusion. When people are taught to know God following the pattern of His revelation of Himself in history, they gain the foundation of knowing His identity, their own identity because of His, and their purpose within His plan.
Consider the common advice to “just read the book of John.” Ed Skowron, author of The Bible Taproot, points out that John chapter one alone contains dozens of people, places, and concepts — the Word, the light, the law, Moses, priests, Elijah, the Lamb of God, the Messiah, baptism, grace — that are almost impossible to understand without at least a basic grasp of the Old Testament. “The person that was trying to understand the Bible by only reading the book of John might give up before starting chapter 2.” That is why foundational teaching begins where God begins: in Genesis. See also The Bible Taproot: Should We Start with John?
Foundational Bible Teaching resources
These past forty years I have observed the fruit and heard testimonies of Foundational Bible Teaching in many countries, languages, and cultures. My own first exposure was through the Bisorio testimonies. This is not about “storying” or merely teaching in chronological order; it is about carefully laying foundations for faith rooted in what God has revealed about Himself. (2 Corinthians 4:1-7; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; Luke 24:25-27) You will likely not see the value of these treasures until you actually use them:
- Building on Firm Foundations (Vols. 1-9) — used by missionaries worldwide for forty years; Volume 1 free.
- Firm Foundations: Creation to Christ — adapted for western churches; highly effective when taught with God as the hero.
- The Establish Series — my new favorite; interactive, adapted for North America, best taught at least twice weekly.
- God’s Narrative: Creation to Christ and His Story: The Rescue — AccessTruth (Australia).
- Rock Solid Kids by Jill Goring — excellent, excellent resource for parents discipling children; start with the free Teacher’s Guide.
- Interlocked — 52 two-hour lessons through the whole Bible; and the shorter Come and See.
- The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus (GoodSeed) — “I’ve been in church fifty years. Why didn’t anyone teach me this way before?” Also By This Name (post-Christian/eastern worldview) and All That The Prophets Have Spoken (Islamic worldview).
- The Lamb — the whole Gospel foundation for children in a 40-minute read; also as a videobook.
One of my greatest concerns, if not my greatest concern, is the subtly dangerous attempt we have to manufacture a heart for missions while missing a heart for Christ. — David Platt
An ambassador cannot share what the ambassador does not know. The starting point of mission is knowing who we are following, obeying, and representing. Continue to Why ME: Why Engage?