Mission as Witness

“The first means of
evangelization is the
witness of an authentically
Christian life”
Mission as Witness

The church’s greatest problem
today is that its witness does
not measure up to its teaching;
it does not always
“practice what it preaches.”

“The missionary who, despite
all his or her human
limitations and defects,
lives a simple life, taking
Christ as the model, is a
sign of God and of
transcendent realities. But
everyone in the Church,
striving to imitate the
Divine master, can and must
bear this kind of witness…
In many cases it is the only
possible way of being a
missionary.”
WITNESS
Personal

• Communal
– “community is mission”
– “Take… a handful of Christians who, in the midst
of their own communities, show their capacity for
understanding and acceptance, their sharing of
life and destiny with other people, their solidarity
with the efforts of all for whatever is noble and
good… Why are they like this? Why do they live
in this way? Such a witness is already a silent
proclamation of the Good News and a very
powerful and effective one. Here we have an
initial act of evangelization.”
MISSION AS WITNESS

“Proclamation presupposes and
requires a dialogue method in
order to respond to the
requirements of those to be
evangelized and to enable
them to interiorize the
message received. ”
Mission as Dialogue

“It is the norm of every form of
Christian mission whether one speaks
of simple presence and witness,
service or direct proclamation. Any
sense of mission not permeated by
such a dialogical spirit would go against
the demands of true humanity and
against the teachings of the Gospel”
What is Dialogue?

We should do mission today
through dialogue with
Respect
Openness
Willingness to learn
Attentiveness
Vulnerability
Hospitality
Humility

This translates into…
Learning the language
Bonding with the local
people
Respecting and studying
the culture
Learning about the local
religions
Connecting with other
religious leaders

So Mission is always done in dialogue, but it
must also be a real evangelization….
Living out and
proclaiming the Good
News of the Gospel

Evangelization and Human Liberation
David Bosch said that
“the relationship
between the
evangelistic and the
societal dimensions of
the Christian mission
constitutes one of
the thorniest areas in
the theology and
practice of mission.”

Evangelization & Human Liberation
First, there is a connection in the
anthropological order: humans are not abstract
beings but persons subject to economic and
social factors.
Second, there is a connection in the theological
order: God’s plan of creation cannot be isolated
from God’s plan of redemption which requires
the establishment of justice.
And finally, there is a connection in the order of
charity: the Good News cannot be proclaimed
effectively unless it promotes justice and peace.

Evangelization & Human Liberation
As regards the question as to “How should the
relationship be understood in terms of priority?”
“the church proclaims liberation and cooperates
with all those who are suffering on its behalf.
She affirms that primacy of her spiritual
function and refuses to substitute for the
preaching of the kingdom of God a proclamation
of liberation of the merely human order. She
declares that her advocacy of liberation would
not be complete or perfect if she failed to
preach salvation in Jesus Christ.”

“The missionary
must be a
contemplative in
action.”
Prayer and Contemplation

• Relate to the world “on a deeper
level of attention” (W. Teasdale)
• To see the world through God’s
eyes
• “allows one at once to
acknowledge one’s own
wounds…and to learn to wait,
watch, and listen.” (R. Schreiter)
Prayer and Contemplation

“The church lives
from the center
with its eyes on the
borders.”
Prayer and Litrugy

“The church in mission has two
eyes, one always looking at
Jesus, the other at the
world… Only when the two
eyes are opened, will reality
be seen clearly and in its full
dimension.”
Prayer and Litrugy

Conclusion: Missionin ManyModes
“Mission is a
multifaceted ministry,
in respect of witness,
service, justice,
healing, reconciliation,
liberation, peace,
evangelism, fellowship,
church planting,
contextualization, and
much more.” (TM 512)

Question …
Which of the five
aspects of mission
(proclamation, witness,
dialogue, human
development, prayer and
liturgy) do you think is
least evident in the
church as it goes
about its mission in
your City or region
today? What problems
does this cause?

Redemption from Bondage
Exo 15:
• Then Moses and the Israelites sang this
song to the Lord:
• “I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
he has hurled into the sea.”

 Social Change
 Is God active inn secular society?
 Is he equally present in all religions?
 Does he work primarily through the
structures of society?

Salvation
Church ad state tension
Agents of change

Preparation
Identification
Education
Evangelism
Redemption
Liberation

The Covenant
Covenant and cultures

The God who demands - Ch. 19 - 24
“The law was given to a redeemed
people not to redeem people”
The God who Dwells - Ch. 25 - 40

The Issue of Ecology
Is God or Humanity to Blame?

Global Ecological Crisis
some Christians to blame because
they treat the earth as
expendable?
Our peace was to be with God – not
nature…God was going to make all things
new – not redeem nature along with man

Revelation 21:1
‘I saw a new heaven
and a new earth; for
the first heaven and
the first earth had
passed away, and
the sea was no
more’
(See also Joel 2:30-
3:21; Mark 13)

God’s consideration extends to the land and plant and
animal life.
Deu 22:6…it was permissible to eat the young birds, but
the mother bird must be set free….

"When you are attacking a town and the war drags on, you
must not cut down the trees with your axes. You may eat the
fruit, but do not cut down the trees. Are the trees your
enemies, that you should attack them? Deuteronomy 20:19

God’s principle of Ahimsa is intended to
prevent the rape of the land
Every seventh year the land was to lie
fallow (a sound conversationalist and
agricultural principle)
but let the land be renewed and lie uncultivated
during the seventh year. Then let the poor among
you harvest whatever grows on its own. Leave
the rest for wild animals to eat. The same applies
to your vineyards and olive groves. Exodus 23:11

Possible response – creation has a
destiny
Isaiah 11.6-8; 6517-25
 new heavens and earth
wolf and lamb, leopard and kid, lie down
together
lion eats straw
child and asp

Possible response – creation has a
destiny
Colossians 1:15-20
‘ ...through him God was pleased to
reconcile to himself all things, whether on
earth or in heaven…’
Romans 8:18-23
‘ ….the creation was subjected to
futility…..in hope that the creation itself will
be set free from its bondage to decay and
will obtain the freedom of the glory of the
children of God

Possible responses – Green Christianity
Creation accounts
Laws about land
Psalms of praise
Promise of new
earth
Creation-centred
Christ
Cosmic redemption

Global Ecological Crisis and Bible
Possible responses – Green wash??
 Jesus, his ministry and his
teaching embedded in nature
 The role of animal sacrifice
 tendency to view through
‘green-tinted glasses’?

God (sacred texts) or human
greed and selfishness to blame?
 need to read the texts in our current
situation
 need to read humbly, to acknowledge our
‘spectacles’ and let the text challenge us
 need to read in community

Cape Town Commitment
Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization
The whole Bible reveals the mission of God to
bring all things in heaven and earth into unity
under Christ, reconciling them through the blood
of his cross. In fulfilling his mission, God will
transform the creation broken by sin and evil
into the new creation in which there is no more
sin or curse. God will fulfil his promise to
Abraham to bless all nations on the earth,
through the gospel of Jesus, the Messiah, the
seed of Abraham.

Biblical Theology of Missions
COACH Institute of Intercultural Studies
Dr. Pothana

Worship & Mission: A Thematic
Study of the Book of Psalm

Let the Nations Be Glad
The Supremacy of God
in Missions Through
Worship

Author
 John Piper
 He was Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church;
Minneapolis, Minnesota
 Head of Desiring God Ministries
– www.desiringgod.org

 Missions is not the ultimate goal of the
church. Worship is. Missions exist because
worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not
missions, because God is ultimate, not man.

 Worship is the fuel and goal in missions. It is
the goal of missions because in missions we
simply aim to bring the nations into the white-
hot enjoyment of God’s glory.

 The goal of missions is the gladness of the
peoples in the greatness of God.
 Psalm 97:1 The LORD reigneth; let the
earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad
thereof.
 Psalm 67:3-4 3 Let the people praise thee,
O God; let all the people praise thee. 4 O let
the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou
shalt judge the people righteously, and
govern the nations upon earth.

 Passion for god in worship precedes the offer
of God in preaching. You can’t commend
what you do not cherish. Missionaries will
never call out, “Let the nations be glad,” who
cannot say from the heart, “I rejoice in the
Lord…I will be glad and exult in thee, I will
sing praise to thy name, O Most High.”

 If the pursuit of God’s glory is not ordered
above the pursuit of man’s good in the
affections of the heart and the priorities of the
church, man will not be well-served and God
will not be duly honored.
 I [Piper] am not calling for the diminishment
of missions, but a magnifying of God.

 When the flame of
worship burns with the
heart of God’s true worth,
the light of missions will
shine to the most remote
peoples on earth.

 Albert Einstein’s skepticism
 “The design of the universe…is very magnificent and
shouldn’t be taken for granted. In fact, I believe that
is why Einstein had so little use for organized
religion…He must have looked at what the
preachers said about God and felt that they were
blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than
they had ever imagined, and they were just not
talking about the real thing.” – Charles Misner

 In our worship services God simply doesn’t
come through for who he is. He is unwittingly
belittled.
 For those who are stunned by the
indescribable magnitude of what God has
made, the steady diet on Sunday morning of
practical “how-to’s” and psychological
soothing and relational therapy seem
dramatically out of touch with Reality – the
God of overwhelming greatness.

 It is possible to be distracted from God in
trying to serve God.
 “We commonly represent God as a busy,
eager, somewhat frustrated Father hurrying
about seeking help to carry out His
benevolent plan to bring peace and salvation
to the world…Too many missionary appeals
are based upon this fancied frustration of
God.” – Tom Wells

 Isaiah 40:25-26 25 “To whom will you
compare me? Or who is my equal?”
says the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes
and look to the heavens: Who created
all these? He who brings out the starry
host one by one and calls forth each of
them by name. Because of his great power
and mighty strength, not one of them is
missing.

 Every one of the
billions of stars in the
universe is there by
God’s specific
appointment. He
knows their number.
And, most
astonishingly of all,
he knows them by
name.

 To ignore God or belittle God is unintelligible
and suicidal folly. How shall one ever be the
emissary of this great God who has not
trembled before him with joyful wonder?

 The most crucial issue in missions is the
centrality of God in the life of the church.
Where people are not stunned by the
greatness of God, how can they be sent with
the ringing message?

 A vision of triumphant God has moved
missionaries for centuries. That vision must
come first. Savoring it in worship precedes
spreading it in missions.

 All of history is moving
toward one great goal, the
white-hot worship of God
and his Son among all the
poeples of the earth.
Missions is not that goal. It
is the means. And for that
reason, missions is the
second greatest human
activity in the world.

 Mission’s is not
God’s ultimate goal
– worship is. When
this sinks into a
person’s heart
everything changes.
Everything looks
different – including
the missionary
enterprise.

 The ultimate foundation for our passion is to
see God glorified is his own passion to be
glorified. God is central and supreme in his
own affections.
 This truth seals the conviction that worship is
the fuel and goal of missions.

 The deepest reason
why our passion for
God should fuel
missions. Missions
is the overflow of
our delight in God
because missions is
the overflow of
God’s delight in
being God.

 The Westminster Confession
 What is the chief end of man? To glorify God
and enjoy Him forever.

 God is righteous. The opposite of
righteousness is to value and enjoy what is
not truly valuable or rewarding.
 God’s righteous passion and delight is to
display and uphold his infinitely valuable
glory

 Isaiah 48:9-11 9 For my own name’s sake I
delay my wrath; for the sake of my praise I
hold it back from you, so as not to destroy
you completely. 10 See, I have refined you,
though not as silver; I have tested you in
the furnace of affliction. 11 For my own
sake, for my own sake, I do this. How can I
let myself be defamed? I will not yield my
glory to another.

 In our wickedness we suppress the truth that
God is our Sovereign and worthy of all our
allegiance and affection. By nature we
exchange the glory of the immortal God for
dim images of it in creation.

Worship
 The infinite horrors of hell are intended by
God to be a vivid demonstration of the infinite
value of the glory of God.
 The Biblical assumption of the justice of Hell
is a clear testimony to the infiniteness of the
sin of failing to glorify God.
 The weight of infinite guilt rests on every
human head because of our failure to cherish
the glory of God.

 Love seeks its own joy in the joy of others
 God is calling for the radical transformation
of heart that finds its joy in the act of love and
all the goodness that comes from it

Worship
 Zeal for the glory of God motivates world
missions - Christ was on a mission to glorify
God
 A servant spirit and a heart of mercy
motivates world missions – Christ became a
servant
 Both of these truths are one and the same
truth

Worship
 Mercy is the apex of God’s glory the way the
overflow of a fountain is the apex of the
fountain’s fulfillment
 A heart for the glory of God and a heart of
mercy for the nations make a Christ-like
missionary

Worship
 The Power of Missions is Worship
 Only One God Works for People who Wait
for Him
 The Most Shareable Message in the World is
that People everywhere should seek their
own best interest – which is God

Worship
 The most exhilarating thought in the world is
that God’s inexorable purpose to display his
glory in the mission of the church is virtually
the same as his purpose to give his people
infinite delight

Worship
 Psalm 96:3 3 Declare his glory among the
heathen, his wonders among all people.
 Isaiah 12:4 4 And in that day shall ye say,
Praise the LORD, call upon his name,
declare his doings among the people, make
mention that his name is exalted.

Viewing Other Cultures:
The Attitude Spectrum

Attitudes toward other cultures
Click the correct answer
Ignore Reject Tolerate Understand Embrace

Contextual Church planting: An Approach to Relate with Indigenous people
1. Denying/Rejecting the old cultural practices and beliefs
Local cultures, religious beliefs & practices were considered evil
2. Accepting everything that is in the local culture without questioning
3. Evaluates the cultural and religious practices critically and adopts those
that get along with Biblical values

Unit 4a: How & why do Hindus worship?
Think about these parts of the puja
ringing the bell
making offerings
touching/bowing to the image
using incense
receiving prasad cleansing the image
What do you think each of these parts symbolises?
Which of the senses are used in each part?

Critical Contextualization
The minister does an “exegesis of the Culture”: The
culture of other faiths needs to be studied thoroughly
before passing any judgment
New followers of Christ should be given freedom to
evaluate their cultural differences in the light of
God’s word

Critical contextualization neither denies the
people’s old cultural practices nor accepts
them uncritically; rather it deals with the old by
studying and critically evaluating it in the light
of Biblical norms

1 Cor 9:19-22:
“I become all things
to all men, that by
all means I might
save some.”

Mission Practice: How?
Relational

Biblical Theology of Missions
COACH Institute of Intercultural Studies
Dr. Pothana
The mission of the prophets:
A Study of Select Missional
Themes in Prophetic Writings

So, what’s incarnational about it?
 The unbeliever comes to see
Christ through His incarnation in
the believer
» Latin lesson: incarnation = “to make
flesh; infleshment”

The mission of the prophets: A Study of Select
Missional Themes in Prophetic Writings
 Now the witness to God’s glory is in a
context of a brokenness, marginalization,
oppression and forced integration

Major Prophets
 Isaiah 11:9
 25:6-7 "a feast ...for all peoples"
 42: 6,8 “not give my glory to another”
 45:5-6 "from the rising to the setting men man
know..I am..no other“
 49:6 “salvation to the ends of the earth”
 52:1,7,10 "How beautiful are the feet...and all
the ends of the earth will see the salvation of
our God..."
 56:6,7 "a house of prayer for all nations"
 66:18-19 "they will proclaim my glory among
the nations"

Major prophets cont’d…
 Jeremiah 1:4,5 "I appointed you as a
prophet to the nations“
 45-51 Messages regarding the
nations.
 Ezekial 36:18-24;
10:4 & 40:2-4 God’s glory and the temple
 Daniel (another c-c respect builder!)
Nebuchadnezzar’s testimony:
3:29; 4:1-3,35

Minor Prophets
 Joel 2:28,32 c.f. Acts 2 fullfilment a multi-
national, multi-lingual witness
 Micah 4:1-3 “many nations will say”
 Habakkuk 2:14 “filled with the glory of the
LORD”
 Zephaniah 3:9 “purify the lips of the
peoples”

Minor Prophets Cont’d
 Haggai 2:7 “shake all nations and…fill this
house with glory.”
 Zechariah 2:11 many nations will be joined;
9;9-10 Messiah…all nations”
 Malachi 1:11 “name great among the
nations”
3:8-12 Abram’s tithe among the Gentiles
is understood as related to “the nations!”

The Mission Continues
 GOD’S MISSION FOR HIS PROPHETS
AND HIS PEOPLE DURING THE
CAPTIVITY
 WAS TO BE WITNESSES OF HIS
GLORY AMONG THE NATIONS
 DURING THEIR TIME OF DISPERSION
THROUGH EXILE

Prophetic attitude
 Idolatry
 Syncretism
 External Religion

Prophetic Method
 Preaching
 Symbols
 Power Encounter

The Intertestamental Mission
 Missionary qualities of the Diaspora
Jews
 Missionary Zeal-due to revival, minoritizing
& suffering
 Openess to Gentiles around them

The Intertestamental Mission…
 Missionary tools of the Diaspora Jews
 The Synagogue-presented Judaism where
the “heathen” could be included
 Literature - Wisdom Literature,
LXX in Koine Bible (Septuagint),
Apocalyptic Literature
 Personal Witness- Mt. 23:15

The Intertestamental Misson…
 The Missionary results of the Intertestamental
Period
 Immense increase in number of Jews by
conversion
 Combated Polytheism
 Formation of Sects
 Reached Gentiles as Gentiles in their distinct
nations
 Created the category known as "God fearers"

The Intertestamental Mission…
 The Missionary Importance of the Intertestamental
Period to the N.T. Mission (c.f. R.Hedlund, The Mission of
the Church in the World.)
 Many of the God Fearers would become Christians
(Acts 16:14)
 Provided a preparation for conversion to monotheism
(spread history, theology, and ethics of Judaism)
 Synagogues were patterns of worship and instruction
which formed a basis for the pattern of the local
church.
 O.T. knowledge, ethics, law
 Worshipping groups of O.T. monotheists were
everywhere in the towns.
 Literature

The Mission of Jesus: A Thematic
Exploration
 Diaspora Mission zeal

• “Diaspora Missions” is “the missions strategy and practice emerging
from the paradigm of `diaspora missiology’ by ministering to
diasporic groups (in evangelism and service) and ministering
through/beyond them (by motivating the Church and mobilizing
Christians) to fulfill the Great Commission. “
-Enoch Wan and Joy Tira, “Knowing Diaspora Missiology,” 3.
• “Diaspora Missiology “ is a “missiological framework for
understanding and participating in God’s redemptive mission
among people living outside their place of origin.”
-”Seoul Declaration on Diaspora Missiology,” November 2009.

To Diaspora Missiology. . .
• David Bosch laments that for more than a millennium and a
half, Western systematic theology imposed a “universally
valid theology” without appreciating the contributions of
theological thinking from the Third World situations.
“Indeed,” Bosch writes, “how can systematic theology be
blind to its own innate missionary character?”
-Bosch, Transforming Mission, 2001:495.
• Theology, as the intertwining Jewish and Christian traditions
indicate, was born, developed, and interpreted through the
lens of the missionary intentions of God in the world.
-Terry Casiño, “Global Diaspora: Basic Frameworks for Theological Construction.”

Constants in Diaspora Missiology
1. Geographic and spatial movements of people or
individuals could open up missions opportunities.
 The dispersion of people caused by natural, social, political, economic,
personal, educational, and religious factors may be perceived as
providential and thereby missiological.
 From a missiological standpoint, migration flow is not simply a “natural
occurrence” that human beings participate in; this phenomenon takes
place under God’s sovereignty and direction.
 In other words, “God controls these movements. The Bible is full of
examples, from Genesis to Revelation of God using them for his
purposes.”
Tom Houston et al., The New People Next Door: A Call to Seize the Opportunities, Occasional Paper
55 (New Delhi: South Asian Concern/ Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, 2005), 10.

2. The dispersion of people or individuals could create many
opportunities for discipleship or discipleship training.
 Christians in diaspora could influence other people on the move with their testimony,
compassion, and care.
 Citizens of host countries can also be impacted by diaspora believers as they live out
a life of love and forgiveness. Also, non-believers may move to places where the
presence of Christians is strong.
 However, it is also possible for some migrants to become a follower of Christ even with
a minimal Christian presence. As people move from one place to another,
opportunities for evangelism and discipleship could happen.
 The sojourn of people in diaspora may be exposed to the gospel and then go through
discipleship training.
 People’s mobility could be a powerful tool on the part of committed Christians to fulfill
their own share of the Great Commission among people on the move.

3. God’s grace precedes migration flows in the world.
 As people or individuals move from their homelands to other places,
God’s grace prepares their hearts and then orchestrates situations for a
transforming divine-human encounter.
 Divine grace always precedes any human attempt for evangelistic and
discipleship activity.
 Dispersions of people or individuals discloses the universal distribution of divine
grace and the presence of divine love across the globe.
 Precisely stated, “God’s grace permeates the mobility of peoples around the
world. God’s grace goes wherever people go and operates wherever people are
situated so that the divine missionary intent and redemptive purpose will be
fulfilled. By his grace, God allows the scattering of peoples around the world;
God also gathers peoples through his grace and for his grace.”
Terry Casiño, ‘Global Diaspora: Basic Frameworks for Theological Construction’ (A Paper Presented at the Global Diaspora Consultation,
Taylor University College, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, October 15-16, 2006), 16.
N.B. John Wesley terms the operation of grace before and during the ‘gospel call’ as prevenient grace (John Wesley, The Works
of John Wesley, 3rd ed. [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1978], VI, 512). Alister E. McGrath ,laments how contemporary theology of
mission often overlooks the doctrine of prevenient grace in world evangelization (Evangelicalism and the Future of Christianity
[Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995], 179).

4. Christians who are dedicated to making disciples of all nations
will find migration as crucial to the fulfillment of world
evangelization and discipleship.
 In their movements, they discover how God opens doors to relate to fellow
diaspora who need hope in their lives.
 Movements may be forced or unforced, voluntary or involuntary, but all these
could be openings for ministry and discipleship.
 God does not facilitate cruel, oppressive and tyrant movements of people in the
world; yet, he remains sovereign over migration experiences that may have been
caused by factors that contradict divine will.
 Thus, God is in total control over the entire global diaspora phenomenon. There
is no amount of evil or wickedness that could prevent God from executing his
missionary plan for humanity, including those in diasporic environments and
conditions.
See Houston et al., The New People Next Door, 16.

5. Whenever people move, the gospel moves. God opens up
opportunities for the advancement of the good news.
 Missions history shows how the scattering of people or individuals plays a
crucial role in discipling the nations.
 Even in events like wars, persecutions, or natural calamities, the gospel has
its own way of impacting people’s lives.
 History is full of instances wherein dispersion, even during adverse or
extreme circumstances, facilitates the advancement of the gospel. Thus, the
mobility of people transcends numbers, ethnicity, or demographics.
 People’s movements may be perceived as divine appointments where
people encounter the living God in their journeys and acquaintance with
believers from different cultures of the world.

Whenever people move,
the gospel moves!

God’s Mission in the Gospels
 Jn. 1: 14 “…we have seen his glory…”
 Mt. 1:1 Connection to Gen 12:1-3 “Jesus
Christ …the son of Abraham” (v. 5 Rahab &
Ruth! Honored)
 Lk. 1,2 Advent songs – promise to Abe
2:32"a light for revelation to the Gentiles”
 Mk. (1:3) begins quoting Is. 40:3 in context
of Is. 40:5 “the glory of the LORD…to all
mankind”

Good news of the kingdom
The time has come. The
kingdom of God is near.
Repent and believe the
good news!
Mark 1.15

Headline news!
God is acting in love and
power in Jesus by the Spirit
to restore the whole creation
and all of human life to again
live under His gracious rule.

Five observations on the gospel
 It is the power of God unto salvation
 It is the restoration of good world
 It is comprehensive in scope
 It is the climactic moment of long
story of universal history
 Church’s mission is the historical
logic of the gospel

Comprehensive gospel,
comprehensive mission
If the gospel is
comprehensive in scope,
then the church’s mission is
as wide as creation!

Matthew’s view of Mission
Missiology: New Testament

Missiology: New Testament122
The GOSPELS: Four lenses
 Four ways of considering the mission of
Jesus
 Each writer uses his own personality/ his
own purpose/ his own particular
circumstances to shape the Jesus-story

Three texts in Matthew
 Matthew 2:1-12 The coming of the Magi
 Matthew 8:5-13 “Come from the east and
the west”
 Matthew 28:16-20 The Great Commission

The coming of the magi
 Who were the magi?
 What was Matthew’s point?
 Foreign intellectuals??

The star shines
 “Gentiles will come to the rising of your
star” Isaiah 60:3
 The gospel to the outsiders

At the very outset of the gospel…
 Mathew connects Jesus with the gentile nations. Not
only Israel, but also gentiles are looking forward to
the One who will sit on the throne of David and will
establish and uphold the kingdom “with justice and
with righteousness” (Is 9:7). Mathew wants us to
know that the kingdom of the Messiah is going to
have a great impact not only on Israel, but also on the
gentile nations. Providentially their representatives
are informed about that and as a result come to
worship the future king.

 Moreover, Mathew contrasts the soberness of
the gentile Magi against the slumber of nobles
of Israel. At any rate the story introduces the
notion that the coming kingdom and its king
have something to do with the gentile nations.

The theme in chapter 8
 Jesus is approached by a Roman centurion who asks
to heal his servant. When Jesus agrees, the centurion
displays his outstanding faith first by acknowledging
his unworthiness to be visited by a Jew, and second
by confessing that just a word from the lips of Jesus
will bring the healing.
 Jesus is amazed at the faith of centurion and declares
that he has “not found anyone in Israel with such
great faith” (Mt 8:10).

 The story is narrated by Luke also, yet only Mathew adds
the following verse: “I say to you that many will come from
the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside…”
(Mt 8:11).
 So again we see gentiles coming. This time they come not
only from the east, but also from the west, not only to
worship the king but to feast together with him in his
kingdom.

 Again a gentile representative, an outsider, in this
case centurion, approaches Jesus and demonstrates
what is expected from God’s own people, Israelites.
Thus Mathew nourishes the theme of kingdom of
heaven as being open to all the nations by faith

The Great commission 28:16-20
 Mt 28:16-20 is crystal clear with regard to God’s intention –
all nations have to be exposed to the message of the gospel
so that Jesus would have disciples from all nations.
 Only this time Mathew puts a clear emphasis on centripetal
force of the mission instead of centrifugal.
 If in two previous cases Jesus was approached by non-
Jewish individuals and he declared that gentiles will come
to take their places in the kingdom, this time the disciples
are to go out and bring the kingdom, as it were, to the
nations.

 Mathew begins his gospel by portraying that the birth of
Christ was in a sense desired by nations, he develops the
notion by showing that God is ready to accept those who
have faith in Jesus as Lord, and finally takes the
missiological theme to the culmination in which Jesus
himself declares to the disciples about his kingly authority
not only on earth, as the devil would have him gotten (Mt
4:9), but also in heaven. With this assurance and with Jesus
being always present the disciples are ready to go and to
discipleship all the nations.

The Gospel of Mark: Jesus the Suffering Servant
• The earliest and the shortest gospel
• written c. 70 AD
• “passion narrative with an extended
introduction” (Isa 53).
• Jesus as the offense

The Gospel of Mark and the Mission of God
• In what ways would you
describe the Gospel of
Mark as a
product
record
tool
of God's mission?

Why doesn't Mark feature more
in Bible and Mission scholarship?
So what do scholars say?
Some sample quotes.....

• The cross as focal point for
discipleship and mission (14:9)
Jesus' followers as strugglers and
partners
• Jesus focuses on the Jews but
interaction with Gentiles acts as a
foretaste of the Gentile mission
(7:24-30; 13:10)
• Jesus following OT model by giving
overt attention to Israel but the
nations are drawn to him? (cf. Exod.
19:6; Isa. 2:2-4)

• 'Mark asserts in Mk 1:1 that
his book summarizes the
foundations and the content
of the euangelion of Jesus
Christ. And Mark is aware of
his "missionary and
catechetical responsibility"
for the Christian church, as
Rudolph Pesch notes: "The
entire history of Jesus has
become the content of the
gospel. The entire book of
Mark is a missionary book.'
(p1496)

 'When Mark begins his book about Jesus, the
Messiah of Nazareth, using words that remind
his readers of central elements of the imperial
cult, which had become increasingly popular
since Augustus, he expresses his conviction
that the message of Jesus Christ is the only
"good tidings," and that Jesus the Messiah
from Israel is the only true "Son of God,"
whose significance is relevant for the entire
world.' (pp1496-1497)

In our own time the mission of
the church is presented on
occasion in triumphant terms,
in which Christian soldiers
march ever onward and God's
kingdom swiftly spreads from
shore to shore. Without
resistance the light of God's
Word transforms the darkness
of the world to dawn and then
to the brightness of the noon-
day sun.
The Bible tells the story of God's mission in
contrast to other competing stories or
metanarratives.

The teaching of Mark's gospel on mission can serve as a corrective to an unrealistic
optimism. The witness of believers may occur in a world that is indifferent or even openly
hostile, and the proclamation of the gospel may take place in the context of difficulty and
persecution.
Instead of offering more effective or
successful methods, Mark points to the way
of the cross, the path of self-sacrifice and
humble service.
Believers do not have miraculous powers that take
away their potential for suffering or all resistance
to the gospel. In fact, the world may become so
harsh that the faithful simply hang on in hope of
their final deliverance at the coming of the Son of
Man.

• The mysterious miracle is,
however, that in the hostile
world the scattered seed
finds good soil and grows.
The gospel meets receptive
hearts, and, in ways that
cannot be explained by
reference to human ingenuity
or effort, the work of God
moves forward. (pp150-151)

The inherently dynamic force of
Mark's narrative, its portrayal of
Jesus, his opponents, and his
disciples, and its fundamental
message of cosmic salvation earn for
this Gospel the title, "A Mission
Book." Not only does mission have a
firm place in Mark's Gospel, but it
comes to the fore in precisely those
texts and themes that are at the
center of the evangelist's concern.
Mark invites the church to take up
the powerful redemptive mission of
Jesus, a mission that embraced Jew
and Gentile. But this mission will be
genuine only when the community
has been tranformed by a servant
and his cross. (p229)

Why doesn't Mark feature more
in Bible and Mission scholarship?
Twofold Mission
 an inward focus (centripetal)
 an outward focus (centrifugal)

Transition to the Acts
 Conclusion/transition: Very unusual
verse linking O.T. & N.T
 Lk.24:44-47 and introducing the Book of
Acts since these two are actually a two
volume work

III. The Spirit's Ministry: Pentecost
to the Millennium
 Acts 1:8 Outline of book of Acts,
underlining that it is intentionally a
mission book.
 Part 1--Jerusalem & Judea
 2:5-11 focus on Jew from all nations for
first sermon (Jew & converts)
 2:17 Spirit on all people...Jews first then
all

 Part 2--Samaria
 8:5 Philip in Samaria
 8:14 Samaria accepted the Word,
Apostolic delegation sent.
 8:16, 17 Spirit Baptism confirmed
inclusion of Samaritans
 8:26 Ethiopian Eunuch

Part 3--Uttermost Parts
 10:1 Peter & Cornelius of Caesarea, 10: 34,35
 11:15-18 Spirit's Baptism was confirmation of
ministry to all nations.
 11:19-21 Jews, Greeks, Antioch church
 13:1-3 Paul & Barnabas sent out as commissioned
missionaries from church plant
 13:46,47 P & B turn to Gentile ministry effort
 15:16-18 Quote from Amos at Jerusalem council
confirming God's plan to reach Gentiles and
choosing Abraham from the Gentiles (v.14)
 19:3-8 John's Disciples inclusion confirmed by
Spirit's Baptism, i.e. continuity with genuine O.T.
faith & ministry of Jesus.

Special Givings of the Spirit
 THE 4 SPIRIT BAPTISMS CONFIRMED
GOSPEL MINISTRY ACROSS CULTURAL
BARRIERS
 “And the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit
of the Lord is, there is liberty; and we all, with
unveiled face, the glory of the Lord beholding
in a mirror, to the same image are being
transformed, from glory to glory, even as by
the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor 3:17ff YLT)

The Epistles
 The epistles are the record through
correspondence of mission churches
problems, leadership training and
selection, teaching, and encouragement.
 Some of the regions mentioned: Italy,
Greece, Asia, Turkey, Crete, Iraq/Iran

REVELATION--The Triumph of
Church & Mission
 All peoples: Rev. 5:6-10; Rev. 7:9-10
 The Glory of God & Nations (Rev 21:22-
26
 Paradise restored:
O.T. .......N.T. apocalyptic Connections:
Ezek. 47:1,12 River from throne, fruit
Rev. 22:1,2 Healing of the nations,
Restoration of the Garden of paradise.

Dr. Pothana
bhaktapothana@gmail.com
+91-8309511427

Mission as Witness

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