Intro to Christian Missions

As followers of Jesus, our mission is to make disciples of all nations. Discover the redemptive plan of God and His expectation for how you are to be involved.

What Is the Christian Mission? 

  • The Christian mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ worldwide.
  • While there are other goals of the Church, all of them should submit to and support that mission.

Matthew 28:18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

  • Go – The task is “go and tell,” not “come and see.”
  • Therefore – The mission is to be a way of life and not minimized to a select few going to foreign places.
  • Disciples – Christ has called us to make disciples – not converts.
  • All – We are called to go to all nations – not some of the nations.
  • Nations – We must go until all people groups have had an opportunity to respond to the gospel.

Who Is Responsible for the Mission’s Success? 

  • God is ultimately responsible, but we are supposed to be personally responsible.
  • If the mission were based only on God’s efforts, we would never get involved.
  • If the mission were based only on our efforts, we would fail miserably.
  • Jesus will reach the nations with or without any one of us.
  • A failure to engage in the mission of Christ doesn’t mean its failure but ours. 

Psalm 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands—establish the work of our hands!

  • God has given His mission to the global Church made up of individual disciples who He expects to surrender their lives to His cause. 

What Opposes the Mission? 

1 Thessalonians 2:18 So we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.

  • Hostility – The forces of Satan will do everything within their power to hinder the advancement of the gospel.
  • Hierarchy – Most Christians have surrendered their responsibilities of the Great Commission to an elitist mindset that only views vocational missionaries as those who are called to go.
  • Insecurity – We will never run out of excuses as to why God shouldn’t use us, but that has never stopped Him from continuing to call us into this work.
  • Luxury – Many Christians will never advance the gospel because of the discomfort that aoften accompanies it.
  • Unclarity – Many Christians possess motivation but lack proper direction on where to go and how to get there.
  • Superiority – If your version of the mission succeeding centers around people who look like you from your country finishing the task, you’ve yet to see the world as God sees it.
  • Apathy – Many people never engage in the mission because they are simply unmoved by the fact that people will spend eternity in hell without Jesus.