The Blueprint for Missions: 4 Steps Our Lord Took as the First Evangelist

The Nice Fee

What’s mission? Many Christians reply this query by turning to Jesus’s acquainted phrases in Matthew 28:19: “Go subsequently and make disciples of all nations . . .” Often called the Nice Fee, these phrases are important for understanding the mission of the church on this planet. However utilizing solely the Nice Fee creates an incomplete image. There’s a lot extra to the story of God’s mission!

I usually begin by asking my college students to make an inventory of Bible passages that talk about mission. These lists at all times embody Matthew 28 and often many different verses: Acts 1:8 (witness); 2 Timothy 4:5 (evangelism); Matthew 5:16 and 1 Peter 2:12 (gospel neighborhood); 1 Peter 3:15 and a couple of Corinthians 10:5 (apologetics); or associated actions like Hebrews 13:2 (hospitality). Some college students add Outdated Testomony passages, like Genesis 12:1‒3, Exodus 19:5‒6, and Psalm 67, and even Isaiah 45:22 and Isaiah 61:1‒3.

The deeper concern, nevertheless, is how these (and comparable) passages match collectively to kind a complete theology of mission. We all know instinctively that devoted mission apply should be grounded in a biblically based mostly theology, however we frequently wrestle to current a transparent and concise—but additionally complete—definition of mission.

We have to see how mission matches throughout the full panorama of Scripture earlier than we are able to formulate a extra complete definition. For now, let’s look briefly at two pivotal passages: Genesis 3:1‒21 and Acts 1:1‒11.

God’s Mission within the Backyard

In Genesis 3:9, God speaks to Adam for the primary time after the autumn, asking: “The place are you?” God had spoken the world into existence at creation, however now he speaks inside his world for the aim of redemption. Now we see God in search of out sinners who’re attempting to cover from him. This divine exercise in Genesis 3 is the start of God’s mission of redemption. It’s the begin of the story, a wonderful historical past of redemption that can proceed till Christ concludes God’s mission when he comes the second time to evaluate all nations.

Think about the mission exercise of the Lord, the primary evangelist within the fallen world. First, the Lord comes to his world (Gen. 3:8). God’s world had been created excellent, completely displaying his energy, knowledge, goodness, and wonder. The entire creation, with Adam and Eve on the pinnacle as God’s vice-regents, had unfailingly declared his glory. Adam’s sin, nevertheless, introduced into God’s world the reign of demise (Rom. 5:12). Because of this, the sovereign Creator may have destroyed all nature and created one thing new as an alternative. However God acts with sovereign grace, selecting relatively to redeem dying sinners from their fallen state within the now sinful world.

The Lord additionally calls out to sinners in hiding (Gen. 3:9). Earlier than the autumn, Adam and Eve had loved fellowship with God as their Creator. However after their rise up towards him, in addition they know God as their Choose and his righteous wrath towards sin (Rom. 1:18). Now Adam and Eve skilled concern, guilt, and disgrace for the primary time. They responded in concern by working from God, hiding behind human makes an attempt to cowl their sense of guilt and disgrace. However God, being wealthy in mercy, selected to hunt and to save lots of these misplaced sinners (Luke 19:10; Eph. 2:4).

The Lord then convicts sinners by exposing their lies with probing questions (Gen. 3:9, 11, 13). God already knew the place Adam was hiding and what he had finished, however he requested these questions in order that Adam can be convicted with a way of his personal guilt and disgrace. God drew Adam out of hiding, unmasking his human makes an attempt to cover from the reality and exposing his fallen situation.

God has sovereignly chosen to save lots of sinners who deserve everlasting demise.

Lastly, the Lord comforts sinners with the gospel promise. This primary promise is the start of the story of redemption: one other Adam is coming who will carry the curse of sin, crush Devil’s head, and treatment the mess that the primary Adam had made (Gen. 3:15; cf. 1 Cor. 15:45). The Lord himself is the primary evangelist; he himself involves this sinful world to declare the fantastic gospel message of forgiveness and hope.¹

All three individuals of the Trinity are at work already in Genesis 3. The Christ enters his world in his preincarnate kind because the Phrase to evangelize sinners who’re working away. The Spirit can also be current, working with the Phrase to reveal guilt and disgrace; he convinces Adam and Eve of sin, righteousness, and coming judgment (John 16:8). On this manner, the Father begins to disclose his plan of redemption. This passage introduces mission as, initially, the work of the triune God.

We could summarize a number of important truths about mission already taught in Genesis 3, within the aftermath of the autumn. We see the context of mission: God’s created world, as soon as lovely and excellent however now cursed after sin, having change into a mix of each the reality of God’s revelation and the opposition of Devil’s lie. We see the objects of mission: people created in God’s picture to glorify him however now working from God’s righteous judgment. We additionally see the penalties of sin: concern, guilt, and disgrace, which encourage man-made religions and moral techniques as makes an attempt to cover from God’s fact. We be taught the marvel of mission: God has sovereignly chosen to save lots of sinners who deserve everlasting demise. We get a glimpse into God’s complete plan of mission within the first promise of the gospel (Gen. 3:15), although the main points will not be but clear. We additionally notice that there’s extra to the story than merely the redemption of elect sinners; there are additionally sturdy hints of a coming closing judgment, when Devil can be punished and God’s righteousness can be absolutely vindicated.

This text is tailored from You Will Be My Witnesses: Theology for God’s Church Serving in God’s Mission by Brian A. DeVries.

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