WHY
MISSIONS?
(
Ro 11:25-27; Mt 28: 16-20 )
By
Ps Nelson Koh
( first preached at C.A.C.V. on 30
September 2012 )
INTRODUCTION
We often hear of the need
either to support or to go on Missions. However, have we asked ourselves why?
Why Missions?
Biblically, two main reasons
stand out as to why we should be engaged in Missions. The first is known as
“The Mystery of Missions” and the other is “The Command of Missions”.
1. The Mystery of Missions
Paul says in Ro 11:25 that
he does not want us to be ignorant of this mystery. Then he reveals to us what
the mystery is. Israel has experienced a hardening
of heart in part until the full number of the gentiles have come in.
This “hardening of heart” of
course refers to the rejection of their Messiah and Lord, Jesus Christ over the
past two millenniums. We don’t know for how long more this rejection will
continue but what we do know is that it will go on until the full number of the
gentiles have come in…meaning us!
As we look at passages in Isaiah
6: 9-10 and similar messages in the 4 gospels, in Acts and Ro 9-11, we
understand a little more of what Paul meant when he said Israel has experienced
a hardening of heart in part.
The fact is with
disobedience, God can actually harden the hearts of his people, as he did to
Pharaoh. Up to a point God will say to his people, may you hear but not
understand, see but not perceive, may your heart be calloused, ears dulled,
eyes closed and may you not turn and be healed!
This is the mystery of
missions – the hardness of Israel’s heart and the growth of the seed i.e.
through the gospel, the gentiles have become joint heirs together with Israel,
members of the one body and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus
(Eph 3:3-6).
So we live at a time of the
in-coming of the gentiles where we the wild olive branches are being grafted onto
the olive tree. Meanwhile, Luke in Lk 21:24 says that Jerusalem will be
trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. When
this finally happens, Israel as a remnant will look on Him whom they had
pierced and will mourned and grieve bitterly and finally be saved (Zech 12:10).
Then the Lord will return and be “King
over the whole earth” (Zech 14:7)
So that’s the “Mystery of
Missions”.
In the meantime, our life’s
goal should be to glorify Him forever by knowing God and making Him known. May
it inspire us then to support and be engaged in missions until “the earth shall be filled with the full
knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Is 11:9) and the earth
be filled with the full number of Gentile believers, till Israel finally
relents and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
2. The Command of Missions
The Command of Missions is
the Great Commission in Mt 28. It is often said that the parting words or
‘parting shot’ of a person is vitally important. Jesus left us a vision and a mission.
And this was His vision “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. Therefore GO and make
disciples of all nations…” This is an imperative and a command, meaning
that having received all power, approval and resources from His Father, Jesus
has passed it on or delegated all to His disciples, who then were expected to
pass it on to next generation and then to generations after until it reached us!
So this command did not just stop at his immediate disciples but the
generations of disciples that followed, including us.
So as disciples of Jesus
Christ, we have an obligation to obey His command to go and make disciples of
all nations, until the full number of Gentiles have come in, and then, and then
only will the end come.
This is our specific call and mandate – To go and make disciples of all nations.
But what is our mission? Our mission is basically about
how to go about fulfilling the vision. First, we are called to baptize disciples (or followers) in
the name of the Trinity – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, v19. This we need to
do as a public testimony of an inner conversion experience. Baptism is not
restricted to the pastor alone. Technically, as part of the priesthood of
believers, all believers may baptize but out of deference, we leave it to the
pastors and priests.
Then in v20a, we need to teach them to obey everything that
the Lord has commanded. In 1 Tim 2:2, Paul reminds us “And the things you have heard from me say in the presence of many
witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
It is a good ambition to
aspire to preach and teach as part of the discipleship process but it is also
good to note from Ja 3:1 that “Not many
of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because we know that we who
teach will be judged more strictly.”
Finally, we have a great promise for those who have done
well. For v20b says “…and surely I am
with you always, to the very end of the age.”
What an honour! What a privilege that if we obey his call
to missions, his promise to us is that he will be with us forever and ever! If
we have God with us, blessing and honour, what else can we ask for?
3.
See
sample Mission Slides Presentation
4.
Other
Reasons to engage in Missions
4.1
To challenge and transform peoples’ views about
God – e.g. Jonah. God used Jonah to affirm how compassionate He was to turn the
hearts of the Ninevites toward Him
4.2
To challenge our cultural-social biasness –
Jesus reached out to the Samaritan woman in Jn 4. In the end, many believed and
this also set the stage for many other Samaritans to be called to His Kingdom
in Acts 8.
4.3
To transform peoples’ understanding of the
Body of Christ. See Peter’s vision in Acts 10, where God said “Do not call anything impure that God has
made clean.”, and subsequently his trip from Joppa to Caesarea where
Cornelius the centurion became the first Gentile convert to Christ. God shows
no favouritism and accepts men from every tribe and nation who fear Him and
does what is right.
4.4
Missions also gives us the opportunity to
give of our time, energy and resources (including our gifts and monies) to do
God’s work
4.5
It helps us to see firsthand what God is
doing in the field
4.6
Helps us to explore God’s call to be engaged
further in the missions field
4.7
Broadens our prospective by opening us up to
different cultures and expressions of faith
4.8
Helps us to identify with and look to the varied
and dire needs.
4.9
Helps us to be a part of God’s plan in
evangelism
4.10 Changes
and transforms our lives to see as Jesus sees, feel as Jesus felt and to be
more like Jesus – helps us change our stereotypes
CLOSE
AND CHALLENGES
I would like to encourage
you not only to support but also to engage in Mission work, short or long-term.
Out there is where the real action is. Start with your local community, school,
neighbour, Uni, then to city, state, country and then to the nations.
All it needs is preparation
and a ready, willing and obedient heart. God will provide the finance, time and
opportunity. Do not be like Jonah who suffered the consequence of his
unwillingness.
Our God is a Missionary God.
Missions is in the very heart-beat of God. Jesus was Himself a Missionary. Mt
9:35 says, “He went through all the towns
and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the
kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds he had
compassion on them…”
Paul,
Silas, Timothy and Barnabas were all missionaries. The word Missions
comes
from the Latin word ‘misso’ meaning ‘to be sent’. Are you willing to be
sent?
The church
exists for the purpose of Missions. It does not exist as an end in itself
or
it doesn’t deserve to exist if its end purpose is not for missions.
Ambassadors
for Christ (2 Cor 5:20)? May your answer be Yes Lord – send
even
me!
Amen!
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