Missions Outline (adapted from hamptonk@bible.org)
Introduction
Over 7 billion people on earth
- 60% in Asia
- 15% in Europe
- 12% in Africa
- 8% in Latin America
- 5% in America – but we (Americans) consume 60% of the world’s goods.
Missions is not an elective course—a tack on. It is the heartbeat of the church. If it weren’t for missions, God might as well come now. It is the main purpose of the church.
The Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40)
Matthew 22:34-40 But when the Pharisees heard that He had put the Sadducees to silence, they gathered themselves together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 “This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (NASB)
The Saducees were “sad you see” because they didn’t believe in the resurrection.
LOVE:
- For God
- For our Neigbor
Our society twists this. You need to love yourself or you can’t love your neighbor. Our society starts with self. We are supposed to start with God.
The Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20)
Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- Disciple Go is a command but the heart of the commission is to make disciples.
- Baptizing – rooting and grounding them
- Teaching – what? – to observe all things. The emphasis on observing.
Verse 20 ends with the fact that we will have help. Christ is with us.
Myths of Missions
1. Myth of the Closed door – there are no closed doors to God
2. Nationalism – This is true. Most of the world is independent. Prior to WWII 99.5% of the world was under Western Domination. By 1969 99.5% of the world was independent.
3. Indigenous churches are self-sufficient – No church should really be self-sufficient. The universal church should help take care of all its members.
4. The hungry heart – the heart is deceitful and loves its sin everywhere.
5. The specialist – you need to be a doctor or a pilot to go to missionfield
6. The unfulfilled life – people who go to the mission field couldn’t find anything better in the real world.
How Can We Be True World Christians?
1. We need information about the rest of the world
2. That should lead to intercession.
3. Intercession will lead to involvement.
4. That leads to more interest.
5. Then you will want more information.
Acts 2:42-45 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. (NASB)
We have already seen that the church should love and disciple from Matt 22:34 and 28:19. Here we see a model that expands on these principles.
- Worship
- Instruction
- Fellowship
- Evangelism
The wife acronym is helpful for remembering what the church should be doing, but we can divide these four things into two areas
- Love = Worship and Fellowship – Love for God and love for Neighbor
- Discipleship = Evangelism and Instruction
Evangelism is essential. What if you went to a football game and the players never left the huddle. That’s what many churches are like. We are too comfortable and self-satisfied. We never hear the word “self-sacrifice.”
What is church planting?
Drawing together a group of believers into a corporate community for joint worship, mutual fellowship, continuing training and constant outreach.
Missions – the sending forth of authorized persons (those designed by God, empowered by the H.S. and sent by the church) beyond the borders of the church and the immediate gospel influence (this includes geographical and social or economic influence) to proclaim the gospel of J.C. to win converts and to establish functioning, multiplying local congregations. (Peters p. 11)
- Purpose in Progress
- God’s Concern = mission
- God’s Communication = missions
Missions in the Old Testament 5-12-5-5-12
Gen 11: 2 sins
- Pride
- Disobedience – “lest we be scattered over the face of the earth. Man has never wanted to go out into the unknown.
With context of 11: in mind we have Abraham’s call.
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INDIVIDUAL ASPECT |
NATIONAL ASPECT |
INTERNATIONAL ASPECT |
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LAND |
NATION |
BLESSING |
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Palestinian |
Davidic |
New |
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2Sam 7:11-16 |
Poetry
- Ps 2:
- A Rebellious World – 1-3 — look around
- A Righteous God 4-6 — look above
- A Redeeming King 7-12 — look ahead
Retribution or refuge
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| Prophets |
- Isaiah
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Our World 5:8-23
Woe – Materialism: possessions v 8-10
- “Get all you can, can all you get , sit on the can” One beg reason we don’t want to go to missions is we don’t want to give up our stuff.
Woe – Hedonism: pleasure v 11-17
- Philosophy that “pleasure is the chief end of man”
Woe – Humanism: presumption vs 18-19
- Pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps – “I don’t need God. I’m doing fine without Him.”
Woe – Relativism: perversion v 20
- No absolutes – who’s to say what’s right or wrong – “homosexuality is just an alternate lifestyle”
Woe – Intellectualism: pride v21
Woe – Imperialism: persecution v 22-23
- What is the Solution to our world’s poblems?
Look up! In Isa 6:1 Isaiah looked up.
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Our Worship 6:1-4 |
Our Witness 6:5-8 |
| God’s preeminence v1 | Conviction v5 |
| God’s purity v2-3 | Cleansing v6-7 |
| God’s power v4 | Commission v8 |
Verse 5: Isaiah had been saying woe is the world around him, but when he sees God, he says Woe is me!. I myself am awful.
- Jonah
Chapter 1: Jonah Runs = God Chastens
Chapter 2: Jonah Prays = God Cleanses
Chapter 3: Jonah Preaches = God Converts
Chapter 4: Jonah Pouts = God Cares
1. We need to find our place in the world
2. We need to pray for the world
3. We need to proclaim to the world
4. We need to care for the world
Missions in the New Testament
History = 5 Gospels and Acts
Letters = 21 Letters
Prophecy = 1 Revelation
At the end of each gospel the writer gives us a homework assignment:
Emphasis is on scripture over experience – not like today. Beware of any movement that stresses experience over the Scriptures.
“You are witnesses” – good or bad, you are it.
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THE SOURCE |
THE CONTENT |
THE AGENTS |
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God’s Word |
Christ’s Work |
Our Witness |
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God prophesied Salvation |
Christ Procured Salvation |
We Proclaim Salvation |
- John 20:19-23 “So Send I You”
Disciples had fear – Christ met needs – peace
Communion with Christ = Joy
He had the peace treaty in his hands – nail scars
They were sent but they had to have the Spirit before they could accomplish their mission. was this the filling of the HS. Probably not since He filled them in Acts 2: This was probably similar to Jn
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Peace of Christ |
Power of the Spirit |
Pardon of God |
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v 19-21 |
v 22 |
v 23 |
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We Rest in Him |
We Rely on Him |
We Reach Out for Him |
GREAT COMMISSION PASSAGES
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MATT |
MARK |
LUKE |
JOHN |
| Make Disciples | Preach the Gospel | You are my Wtnesses | So Send I You |
| All the Nations | All the World | All Nations | The World Jn 3:16 |
| Purpose | Preaching | People | Process |
| We are Disciples | Heralds | Witnesses | Ambassadors |
| Imperative | Imperative | Indicative | Indicative |
ACTS THE CHURCH
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STARTS |
SCATTERS |
SENDS |
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1-7 |
8-12 |
13-28 |
- Cross cultural expansion is emphasis in acts
- Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and uttermost part of the earth
- Romans 10:14f
Four questions and the bottom line is that we need senders. Without senders, no one can go. There are plenty of people who are willing to go but raising support kills many endeavors.
(1) Can we reach the world in this generation? 2 Tim 2:1f is foundational. Vs 2 says faithfulness is only requirement.
Value of multiplication: 1 – 2 – 4 – 8 – 16 – 32 – 64 – 128 – 256 – 512 – 1024 – etc at end of 33 years we could have reached 9 billion
(2) Are the heathen lost?
See “Untold Billions: are they really lost.” Ron Blue, Bib Sac
Questions involved:
- Is God Just?
- Character of GodTheology Proper
(3) Is Christ the only way?
Sufficiency of Christ—Christology
(4) Did Christ have to die?
- Necessity of the cross—Sotieriology
- Is not evil relative? Judgment of sin—Amartiology
- Is Man inherently sinful? Depravity of man—Anthropology
- Is the church God’s unique witness? Role of the church—Ecclessiology
- Is there a future reckoning?—Eschatology
God has revealed himself in creation and conscience.
What is man’s response to the Glory of God?
- No praise. Notice: If you do nothing you will be moving.
- No thanks—away from God
- Vain thought:
- Darkened heart—Dark in the heart – Dead in the head.
- Pride
- Foolish
- Idolatry
- Darkened heart—Dark in the heart – Dead in the head.
- Vain thought:
- No thanks—away from God
Sacrificing chickens to a rock is not reaching out to God. It is the last stage in rejection of God.
Man has suppressed the truth. What does God do? He lets them go. He gives them over to their lusts and passions and depraved mind. These three areas correspond and are contrasted with the three areas we should love God with – our heart and soul and mind.
History of missions
- Europe
- Paul and Barnabas—Antioch
- Patrick—Ireland
- Augustine—England
- Boniface—Germany
- Asia
- Francis Xavier—Japan
- William Carey—India
- Adoniram Judson—Burma
- Hudson Taylor—China
- Africa
- Robert Moffat—South Africa
- David Livingstone—Congo
- Mary Slessor—Nigeria
- C.T. Studd—Belgian Congo
- Latin America
- Bartolome De Las Casas
- Cam Townsend—Guatemala – started Wycliffe Bible Translators
- Jim Elliot—Equador (martyred)
- Chet Bitterman—Columbia – martyred
Carey starts first sweep – Pioneer – coastal emphasis – 1800-1900
Taylor starts 2nd sweep – Inland emphasis – 1900’s
Townsend starts 3rd sweep – Hidden Peoples 1934 ->
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