I believe that the mission of God is to reach His chosen lost children among all nations and thereby glorifying Himself in His saving grace and mercy. As it is the case that humans who were created by God, molded and shaped by his hand, and known personally by God even before they were born are now corrupt and fallen from God by the sin that separates us. In God’s perfect compassion and grace he chose to make a way for those who are corrupt and condemned already to be born again, made anew in Christ and to no longer be condemned but instead given the gift of eternal life. God has been working after the fall to bring mankind back to himself. While this is something only God can do, the way He has chosen to carry out his mission and purpose is unique. God chooses to use his people, the people who were once lost but are now new in Christ, to reach the lost in all nations and among all tribes. It is through these human instruments that people can be reached within their own culture and language. This mission of God becomes also the mission or assignment of the church as found in the great commission, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” - Matthew 28:19-20. As children of God we are the salt and light, sent into the world to be a witness for Christ and representatives of the very name of God and to proclaim the Kingdom of God, which was the most prominent teaching of Jesus in the New Testament.
God uses His people to reveal Himself to those who are lost by the preaching and hearing of His Word. The Word of God is an important element in the mission of the church in that it reveals sin, reveals the fallen state of man, and reveals the way God has chosen to save mankind. It is through the hearing of the Word of God that people come to an understanding of their sin and it is through the Word that they are led to salvation. I do not believe, however, that man can understand the Word and come to a saving faith in Christ by simple human reason. There has to be a revelation given in the Word of God and activated and understood through the work of the Holy Spirit in the individual. The people who are lost but hear the Word of God through the preaching and teaching of God’s people and through the power of the Holy Spirit come to an understanding of their own sin and suffering and need for a savior and in that understanding they reach out to Christ in faith that he is the Son of God sent to save them from their sins. Without the Word of God and the revealing nature and work of the Holy Spirit I believe the mission of the church is impossible.
I believe the work of the church, God’s chosen agency, is to not only reach all nations, including our own backyard, with the gospel of Christ, but it is also the churches purpose to disciple and teach these individuals in order to bring them up as Christians who have the same mission minded purpose. The church has been given all authority to make disciples by going, baptizing, and teaching all nations with the promise that God is with us. It’s purpose is to glorify God by evangelizing the world, discipling its people, and by being a light and example of things holy and good in the world. The church should be inwardly focused in discipleship and outwardly focused in missions and evangelism with the primary goal of bringing glory to God.
While I believe that it is the churches purpose to be the agency for missions and discipleship, I believe within that agency God calls specific people to be missionaries. While every person in the church has some mission, and each person is called to evangelize and spread the Word of Christ, I think some are chosen to be full-time missionaries. I believe the missionary is sent forth to do missions in certain areas and that the church is the responsible sending agency. The mission field is a focused mission area that people, chosen by God, are sent to work as missionaries in a more intense and active way. The local church should be the sending agency that endorses, authorizes and prays over those it sends to do missions. The church can use agencies such as the IMB or NAMB to send its missionaries, but I think ultimately the sending authority should be in the hands of the local church alone. If it is God’s call and the church sends a missionary into the mission field, I also feel it is necessary that the people being sent understand mission theology and the truth of God’s word, in order that the truth would be proclaimed and lived in the mission fields where a local church may or may not be. It is important to train missionaries to train the people of different cultures and nations to reach their people with a good theological background.
Whether it be a specific calling or the general calling of the church, those who have come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ are called to be messengers with a message from God sent forth by divine authority for the purpose of bringing the lost to Christ through evangelism, church starts, edification, and education.
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