Sojourner #067: The Biblical Basis For Gospel Missions

“And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…’” (Matthew 28:18–19a, ESV)

The Biblical Basis for Gospel Missions, by Jay Stewart

Many times in life we arrive at the wrong conclusions because we started out by asking the wrong questions. In asking for the basis of doing missions, one should look no further than the Bible itself. As Christians we must follow the Bible as our sole source of direction and teaching on all matters, especially in fulfilling the task Jesus gave us all. The Bible is our basis for such an awesome work!

Jesus’ purpose on earth was described in the Scriptures, “to seek and save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). The mission given to all followers of Christ was initiated by Jesus in the moments prior to his ascension noted in Matthew 28:18-20 where he commanded us to “go and make disciples of all nations”. The Bible is central in our basis for Gospel missions because Jesus elevated mission to a place of prime focus. “The importance of this perspective lies in the way it keeps Jesus at the center of a Christian doctrine of Scripture” (Thompson, 2022). The Bible commands our mission.

Our calling to and power for accomplishing Gospel missions is also prescribed in Scriptures. Based on 1 Peter 2:9-10, the theology of the church is a theology of mission “as the people of God called out of the world, placed in the world, and sent out to the world” (Blauw, 1962). We are a called-out people who are sent out to share the Gospel with the lost. Our power to carry out the mission Jesus commissioned us to is found in Acts 1:8, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Let the Church of the Living God be found faithful in fulfilling our biblical calling to share the Gospel in our homes, communities and around the world and let all praise and honor be to the risen and soon coming Christ!

References:

Blauw, J. (1962). The Missionary Nature Of The Church; A Survey Of The Biblical Theology Of Mission.

Thompson, M. D. (2022). The Doctrine of Scripture: An Introduction Short Studies in Systematic Theology (G. A. Cole & O. R. Martin, Eds.). Crossway. https://pgbcnc.org/wp-

content/uploads/2023/04/the_doctrine_of_scripture_1.pdf

About the Author

Jay Stewart serves as a State Missionary and Director of the Office of the Cooperative Program with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. He works to strengthen churches' engagement in the Cooperative Program - Southern Baptists’ unified strategy for supporting missions and ministry across the globe. Jay is passionate about mobilizing churches to fulfill the Great Commission through faithful cooperation, sound doctrine, and the authority of God’s Word.

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