Missions in the Age of the Spirit

John V. York

• Publisher: Logion Press
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781607311669
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Follows the development of missions throughout Scripture from the Early Church through to the modern church. Includes two appendixes, selected bibliography, Scriputure index, and subject index.

UNIT 1:

READING THE BIBLE MISSIOLOGICALLY

Christians believe that God has chosen to reveal himself to humankind through His written Word, the Bible. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” The Bible in turn bears witness to Jesus Christ, the living Word. Jesus taught, “ ‘You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me’ ” (John 5:39).

The Scriptures further indicate that God has planned for this testimony about Jesus Christ to be given to the entire inhabited earth (Gen. 12:3; Matt. 24:14; 28:18–20). It is my position that this plan provides the overall theme the Bible is organized around. Some would see “kingdom of God,” “salvation,” or some other phrase or word as the theme of the Bible. While leaving this debate to others, I believe that the advance of the Kingdom through the preaching of the gospel (rather than “kingdom” in some abstract sense) is best seen as the theme. The Bible tells this story of an advancing Kingdom, the mission of the triune God: providing redemption, finding the lost, and then using them to mediate kingdom blessings to those yet lost. In the study of missions, the Latin term for mission of God, missio Dei, refers to God’s plan to bless the nations through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Unit 1 deals with the mission of God diachronically (dia = across, chronos = time). That is, the mission of God will be traced throughout successive time periods in order to demonstrate that God’s plan has always been a redemptive blessing of the nations. In its ultimate fulfillment, this blessing would come through Jesus Christ, the offspring (Heb. zera`, “seed”) promised first to Eve (Gen. 3:15), then to Abraham (Gen. 22:18), to Isaac (Gen. 26:4), and to Jacob (Gen. 28:14). I concur with Walter C. Kaiser in viewing this mission of God as a single promise plan uniting all Scripture.¹

Since God has always had a mission, the Bible should be read missiologically. That is, all of Scripture should be read with a view toward its development of the theme of God’s promise to bless the nations through the promised seed. It is as Christian believers recognize God’s mission that they may purpose to participate in fulfilling that mission. The first task therefore is to trace missio Dei throughout the Scriptures.

Chapter 1:

Missio Dei in the Pentateuch and Historical Books: God’s Plan Revealed

Pentateuch

CREATION

The Genesis record reveals an intentional act of creation by a purposeful God. In broad, swift strokes, a portrait of creation is painted in which God is the uncreated Sovereign whose domain is universal, whose will is supreme, whose power is limitless, and whose design is perfect. The remainder of Scripture will repeatedly refer to creation as having established the right of God to rule as King over all peoples. Those willing to serve the Creator are invited into covenant participation in “the kingdom of light” (Col. 1:12). Those unwilling to serve the Creator are regarded as rebellious followers of “the dominion of darkness” (Col. 1:13). The crowning act of creation is humankind, male and female, who alone of all creation are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26–27).

IMAGE OF GOD

There are two great missiological implications to the statement that humankind is made in God’s image: First, it demonstrates humankind’s capacity to fellowship with God. Though this account precedes the Fall (Gen. 3), it lays the groundwork for the reconciliation that will follow. Since human beings are made in God’s image, then fallen humankind may be restored to fellowship with Him. There can be no group of people who by reason of ethnicity or location are beyond God’s purview, incapable of responding to the overtures of divine grace.

This understanding of the image of God becomes a foundation for Christ’s Great Commission that will follow in the New Testament (Matt. 28:19–20). Since God has made everyone in His image, then His Son means to include everyone when He mandates making disciples “of all nations.” Though God is King over all creation, the drama of His kingdom is told primarily in terms of the extension of His rule over the world of human beings. Because all peoples are equally created in His image, all are necessarily to be subjects of His rule. Thus there must be a mission of God to proclaim redemption to all so that all may have the opportunity to participate as loyal subjects.

The second great implication is that people are created with the capability of representing their Creator. Once God created humankind in His image, He commissioned them, male and female, to rule the world of creation (Gen. 1:28). This rule is illustrated in Adam’s naming of the animals (Gen. 2:19–20). In this text, and still in most cultures, naming implies authority. When God brought the animals He had created for Adam to name, God was assigning the prerogatives of ownership to Adam as to a viceroy.¹ Thus, Genesis 1:28 stands as an Old Testament antecedent to Paul’s New Testament teaching that Christian believers are ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20). In stating that all human beings are made in His image, God has stated that all are created equally qualified to be His representatives in accomplishing the objectives of His kingdom. Later, in the Book of Acts, both Jewish and Gentile believers are baptized in the Holy Spirit as evidence that all nations share the same Great Commission to serve as God’s agents in discipling the remaining nations.

To summarize, I would say that God’s creation of humankind in His image establishes both the scope and agency of God’s mission. God’s mission will be to all peoples, and it will be accomplished through the redeemed of all peoples. To expect less is to miss these two foundational implications of the creation of human beings in the image of God.

MISSIO DEI AS BLESSING THE NATIONS

Three major events following creation serve as preparation for God’s declaration of mission. In each case, a seeming hindrance to the accomplishment of God’s mission is answered by a strong word of promise.

First comes the tragic fall of humankind into sin (Gen. 3:1–19), answered by a promised “seed” (KJV) of woman, who would crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). This promise becomes the foundation of God’s plan to bless the nations. Events following the Fall define the mission of God in terms of His redemption of humankind, still made in His image, from the depravity it had fallen to.² The primary redemptive messenger will himself be human, a man (“seed”³). God’s object will be to reach all peoples, and His envoys will themselves be those made in His image.

Second comes the destruction of the world through a flood, followed by a blessing upon the house of Shem (Gen. 6 to 9). In 9:26, Yahweh is called the “ ‘God [Heb. Elohim] of Shem.’ ” The house of Shem is thus set off in a special sense as a people of God. This theme expands in 9:27, where it is stated that “God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant” (KJV). The NIV interprets the antecedent of the pronoun “he” to be Japheth, inferring that Japheth would share in the blessings already promised Shem.⁴ Walter C. Kaiser sees in Genesis 9:27 an identification of this blessing in terms of the presence of God dwelling within the tents of Shem. This view holds the antecedent of the pronoun to be God, not Japheth. It is this special dwelling of God that becomes the means of His blessing.⁵ In either view, God gives a blessing through the house of Shem as a projection of hope for all people following the judgment of the flood.

Third follows the judgment of human arrogance at Babel (Gen. 11:1–9), followed by God’s promise to bless all peoples on earth through Abraham: “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’ ” (Gen. 12:1–3)

The table of seventy representative nations had previously been listed in Genesis 10 as background to this promise to bless all nations. In Genesis 11:4, the inhabitants of Babel said, “ ‘Come, let us buil...