Caballero-Theology of Missions

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LIBERTY UNIVERSITY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY Theology of Missions Submitted to Dr. David H. Campbell, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of the course GLST 500-B10 LUO Global Studies Survey by José C. Caballero January 29, 2015

Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Old Testament and New Testament Texts Related to Mission ................................................... 2 God’s Nature and Mission ............................................................................................................. 4 Relation between Mission Theology and Theology ..................................................................... 5 Key Themes or Motifs of Mission Theology ................................................................................ 6 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................... 9 ii

Introduction God is the author of Creation and after the fall of man He devised a plan to restore His relationship with man through the life, death, and resurrection of His son. This plan involves the expansion and spreading of the name of Jesus, whose sacrifice made a way for all people to enter Heaven by believing in and following Jesus. From the Old Testament to New Testament, the Bible presents itself as a “missionary book, the revelation of God’s purpose and action in mission in human history.” 1 To better understand the theology of missions, it is important to know the term “Missio Dei.” This term is Latin for mission of God and reflects that God is the ultimate source where mission emanates from. 2 The purpose for the missio Dei is for the redemption of all humans after the fall of Adam and Eve. Stemming from the mission of God, are the terms mission and missions. Mission is a comprehensive term, which points to all things the church does for the growth of God’s kingdom. 3 Missions is a specialized term geared towards the particular work of churches, agencies and people to make disciples of all nations. 4 It is through mission and missions how the Gospel is shared with the world. This paper will first discuss how mission relates to the Old Testament and the New Testament, followed by discussing the relation of God’s nature to mission. Also, it will explain 1 Arthur Glasser, Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God’s Mission in the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003), 17, accessed January 16, 2015, http://books.google.com/books? id=9ODYQbshHCgC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=true. 2 A. Scott Moreau, Gary R. Corwin, and Gary B. McGee, Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 17. 3 Ibid. 4 Ibid. 1

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2 how mission theology relates to theology. Lastly, it will discuss two motifs or key themes of mission theology. Old Testament and New Testament Texts Related to Mission There is a misconception that the Old Testament does not have a missionary mandate and that it just tells the story and history of the Israelites. However, it is in the Old Testament where missions begin due mankind’s sinful nature. All people in the Old Testament had the mission to make the name of God known to the world. God wishes to bless His people and for them to be a blessing to all. This blessing began in Genesis 12:1-4 approximately four thousand years ago when God called Abraham and “made a covenant with him, promising not only to bless him but also through his posterity to bless all the families of the earth.” 5 Abraham did not know the magnitude of the blessing to be bestowed upon him, nor the impact this blessing would bring to the earth. God called Abraham and his descendants to be missionaries and conduits of the truth. 6 Through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, God raised the nation of Israel, the nation God chose to become a blessing to the world. Just like Abraham was called by the Lord, so was Jonah, a prophet who was “explicitly sent geographically to a Gentile nation as God’s messenger.” 7 In Jonah 1:1, God called Jonah to go to Nineveh to announce His judgment due to their wicked ways. This was a saving message 5 John R.W. Stott, “The Bible in World Evangelization” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: a Reader , 4th ed (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2013), 21. 6 Walter C. Kaiser, “Israel’s Missionary Call” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: a Reader , 4th ed (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2013), 12. 7 Craig Ott, Stephen J. Strauss, and Timothy Tennet, Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), 19, accessed January 18, 2015, https://books.google.com/books?id=fPTws- Tmc_MC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Encountering+Theology+of+Mission&hl=en&sa=X&ei=x7GvVJPrFZKHgwS nvYCgCQ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=trinity&f=false.

3 for the people of Nineveh. Jonah refused to go, however, after several trials, he obeyed and went to Nineveh. After he announced God’s message, the people and their king believed in God’s message. It was Jonah’s willingness to obey the Lord that saved Nineveh. The New Testament has many verses relating to mission as well. Peters states, “The New Testament is theology in motion more than it is theology in reason and concept. It is ‘missionary theology’” 8 It is in the New Testament where in Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus told his disciples to go and make disciples in all the nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Although, the first person Jesus commissioned to spread word about His miracles to other people was a demon possessed man. This man had two thousand demons in him and Jesus healed him by removing all demons. In Mark 5:19-20, Jesus says to the man to go tell his family everything He had done. However, the man travelled to the Ten Towns telling everyone about Jesus and the miracle He had performed in his life. Following the Gospels, the most recognized book regarding missions is the book of Acts, which holds the story of the most recognized missionary in the Bible, the Apostle Paul. Paul was another missionary who witnessed the magnificent glory of Jesus. He completed three journeys, which covered several cities, and he successfully planted churches throughout his journeys. In his letter to the Christians in Rome, Paul addresses the importance of missions to make the name of Jesus know throughout the world. He wrote in Romans 10:14, “ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ” This passage expresses the 8 George W. Peters, A Biblical Theology of Missions (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1984), in Chapter 4, accessed January18, 2015, https://books.google.com/books? id=QhdOahzr2tcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=A+Biblical+Theology+of+Missions&hl=en&sa=X&ei=K7KvVNfhBs jsgwTWuYPoBg&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=A%20Biblical%20Theology%20of%20Missions&f=false.

4 importance of missions and it gives meaning to the suffering today’s missionaries face to make the name of Jesus know to all. God’s Nature and Missions God loves His creation and He is committed to reconcile the relationship which was once lost. John 3:16 explains that God loved the world so much that He sent His one and only son, for the salvation of all who believe in Him. The combination of this requirement for salvation and the Great Commission from Jesus provided the necessary drive for Christians to evangelize a world that does not have a relationship with Christ. The nature of God relates to missions in that He is the source who sends His people to reach the lost. Thus, the Great Commission was given to all Christians for the saving of those who have not accepted Christ as their savior. “If we believe that mission involves the very nature of God, his will for the church and his plan for the nations . . . then theology of mission must be the starting point for defining the nature of mission.” 9 There are many people in the world who do not know or have never heard about the saving grace found in Jesus Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 9:38, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” He understands the magnitude of the work ahead for His followers and urges them to pray for more people to help them. Blackaby and Willis state, “When the mission is fulfilled, it will not only be the fullest expression of earth’s praise, it will be the fullest 9 Craig Ott, Stephen J. Strauss, and Timothy Tennet, Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010), xiii, accessed January 18, 2015, https://books.google.com/books?id=fPTws- Tmc_MC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Encountering+Theology+of+Mission&hl=en&sa=X&ei=x7GvVJPrFZKHgwS nvYCgCQ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=trinity&f=false.

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5 revelation of God’s love.” 10 God’s plan will be complete and humanity will be reconciled back with their creator. Relation between Mission Theology and Theology David Bosch explains the difference and relation between theology and mission theology, where he says “theology concerns itself with reflection on the nature of the gospel and the theology of mission with the question of the way in which the Church spreads this gospel.” 11 Theology is the foundation for mission theology, because it is from the Word of God where the calling to make disciples of all nations comes from. Psalm 86:9 says, “All the nations you made will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your holy name.” For all nations to worship the Lord, there needs to be a strong theological mission foundation at the core of theological studies. 12 The Trinity is the foundation of the missio Dei and the source that sends and supports mission and missions. Leslie Newbigin, a pioneer in formulating a Trinitarian missiology, believes “the Trinity remains the only authority by which we proclaim the gospel to the world.” 13 1 John 4:13-15 says: 10 Henry T. Blackaby and Avery T. Willis, “On Mission with God” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement: a Reader , 4th ed (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2013), 75. 11 A. Scott Moreau, Gary R. Corwin, and Gary B. McGee, Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 75. 12 Ibid. 13 Timothy Tennent, Invitation to World Missions: a Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-First Century (Invitation to Theological Studies Series) (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2010), 67, accessed January 21, 2015, https://books.google.com/books? id=RhRjQWyObwEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=invitation+to+world+missions: +a+trinitarian+missiology+for+the+21st&hl=en&sa=X&ei=g7KvVI2eF4WqgwTvx4OYBQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwA A#v=onepage&q&f=false.

6 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. The Father, Son and Spirit form the divine Trinity and they are all in one, therefore, the mission of God relates to mission theology in that theology seeks to study the nature of God, hence the importance of having a foundation on theology to better proclaim the name of Christ. On the other hand, theology benefits from the study of mission theology to understand the mission aspect of theology. Ecclesiology is essentially the study of the church. The beginning of the church is found in the most mission driven book of the Bible, the book of Acts. It is in Acts 2:42-47 which describes how all the believers listened to the teachings of the Apostles, they enjoyed fellowship and prayer together, therefore, the beginning of the church. Paul and Barnabas were the first commissioned missionaries sent by the church in Antioch. 14 It is essential for ecclesiology to have a strong foundation in mission theology as it sends missionaries to proclaim the name of God to the lost. “Mission theology, then, should be at the heart of the church’s theology, serving as an anchor for the rest of the theological ‘house.’” 15 Two Key Themes or Motifs of Mission Theology There are several motifs or key themes that relate to mission theology. Some of these include the kingdom of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the church, shalom, and the return of Jesus. 16 14 A. Moreau, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2000), 204, CD-ROM. 15 A. Scott Moreau, Gary R. Corwin, and Gary B. McGee, Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004), 76. 16 Ibid., 80.

7 These motifs are recurring throughout the Bible, which demonstrate their relevance and importance to mission theology. Missiologist Wilbert Shenk identified two motifs worth expanding on. Those are, the kingdom of God and the Holy Spirit which are imperative to mission theology. The kingdom of God is the ultimate goal for all Christians and it is where God wants all of humanity to spend eternity. For this reason the name of Jesus is proclaimed to those who have not accepted Christ as their Lord and savior. There are, however, several paradoxes when trying to understand the kingdom of God, beginning with John 18:36 which states the kingdom is not of this world; Matthew 11:11 says the kingdom belongs to the least person who is considered greater than John the Baptist; and in Luke 12:30-33 describes the kingdom as a free gift, although it demands everything of us. 17 Jesus tells in Luke 4:43, the reason He was sent was to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is the reason why Christians, whether involved in mission or missions, spread His name throughout the world, for unbelievers to receive the Good News of the Kingdom of God. “The most important consideration is that the kingdom, including its establishment and timing is God’s and Christians are privileged to ̶ participate in the process.” 18 The Holy Spirit plays an essential position in mission, due to being the instrument God uses to empower followers of Christ to expand the kingdom of God to people of every language and culture. The Spirit was sent by Jesus for the continuance of Jesus’ work on earth to be fulfilled by His people. In Luke 24:49, Jesus instructed the disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit which would give them power to do the work of God. It is the Holy Spirit who is involved in the work of churches sending missionaries into the world to bring salvation reach lost souls for God. 17 Ibid., 81. 18 Ibid.

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8 The Holy Spirit is who convicts the people of the world of its sin and directs them to come to Christ; He gives Christians the authority ro witness and is responsible for the changed lives of His followers; and serves as a guide for Christians to live lives that shine the light of God in the world. 19 The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ who calls out His people to engage in missions and provides strength and courage to endure difficulties as persecution and health problems. Conclusion Being that the Bible is a missionary book, it is important for missionaries to have an understanding of mission theology. It provides the knowledge for grasping how the people of Israel and Gentiles now share the ability to spend eternity with God. Another aspect of mission theology is that missionaries can better understand their role and importance in the expansion of God’s kingdom, as well as providing the concept of salvation to those who are lost. Church leaders benefit from having a comprehensive knowledge of mission theology by realizing their responsibility in the sending and supporting in mission and missions work. Much like Paul and Barnabas were missionaries sent by the church in Antioch, the churches today, through the power of the Holy Spirit, equip and send Christians to proclaim the name of Jesus and the salvation found therein. A Church leader’s role in mission and missions is crucial for they both expand the kingdom of God. Church leader’s knowledge regarding mission theology should trickle down to the church’s congregation. Lay people can gain an understanding of their function in supporting mission and missions, as well as to becoming part of the movement, called by God, to spread the Gospel. All Christians are called to expand God’s kingdom and through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ name will be shared with all nations in the world. 19 Ibid., 83.

9 Bibliography Glasser, Arthur. Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God’s Mission in the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003. Accessed January 16, 2015, http://books.google.com/books? id=9ODYQbshHCgC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onep age&q&f=true Moreau, A. Scott, Gary R. Corwin, and Gary B. McGee. Introducing World Missions: a Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey . Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2004. Moreau, A., ed. Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions . Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2000. CD-ROM. Ott, Craig, Stephen J. Strauss, and Timothy Tennet. Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues . Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010. Accessed January 18, 2015, https://books.google.com/books? id=fPTws- Tmc_MC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Encountering+Theology+of+Mission&hl=en&sa=X &ei=x7GvVJPrFZKHgwSnvYCgCQ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=trinity&f= false Peters, George W. A Biblical Theology of Missions . Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 1984. Accessed January18, 2015, https://books.google.com/books? id=QhdOahzr2tcC&printsec=frontcover&dq=A+Biblical+Theology+of+Missions&hl=en &sa=X&ei=K7KvVNfhBsjsgwTWuYPoBg&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=A %20Biblical%20Theology%20of%20Missions&f=false. Tennent, Dr Timothy. Invitation to World Missions: a Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-First Century (Invitation to Theological Studies Series) . Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2010. Accessed January 21, 2015. https://books.google.com/books? id=RhRjQWyObwEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=invitation+to+world+missions: +a+trinitarian+missiology+for+the+21st&hl=en&sa=X&ei=g7KvVI2eF4WqgwTvx4OY BQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Winter, Ralph D., and Steven C. Hawthorne, eds. Perspectives On the World Christian Movement: a Reader. 4th ed. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2013.

Caballero-Theology of Missions

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