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God ’ s Plan for Missions in the New Testament

God ’ s Plan for Missions in the New Testament. The attitude of Israel towards God changed in some ways, but the attitude of Jonah pervaded into the NT. NT Background.

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God ’ s Plan for Missions in the New Testament

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  1. God’s Plan for Missions in the New Testament The attitude of Israel towards God changed in some ways, but the attitude of Jonah pervaded into the NT

  2. NT Background • Maccabees were a Jewish national liberation movement that fought for and won independence from Antiochus IV Epiphanes of the Hellenistic Seleucid dynasty • Founded the Hasmonean royal dynasty (140-37 BC) under Simon Maccabaeus. • His brother defeated the Seleucid Greek Army in the Maccabean Revolt in 165 BC • Herodian Dynasty established by Rome in 37 BC by marrying a Hasmonean princess, Mariamne, then drowned last male Hasmonean heir in the Jordan. • Pharisees and Sadducees evolved in this period until 70 AD • Extreme legalists and despisers' of Gentiles • Extreme skeptics and high priestly power brokers with Rome • Harnack estimated that 7% of Roman Empire was Jewish!

  3. End of 400 yrs of silence • Malachi to birth of Jesus – Announcement of virgin birth to Joseph (Luke 1:20) and Mary (Luke 1:30) • John begins with the “Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (1:14) • John ends with, “As the Father has sent Me, I am sending you” (20:21) – He did it, now we are to tell it! • Third revelation was to Simeon: “For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 32 A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel" (NKJ Luke 2:30-32)

  4. From implicit to explicit • From describing His global purpose of wanting to bless the “families” of the world with Abraham’s blessing of being granted righteousness by faith • To explicitly commanding that His disciples go to every“family”: “tongue, tribe, people and nation” • “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10) • The call to “follow me” implies that they were to do the same thing, i.e. they too will seek out the lost.

  5. Jesus not easy to follow Heel bone with nail driven through it • Could not deviate even to bury their father (Matt 8:22) • Required dying to self interests (Matt 10:38) • His popularity would gather large groups of followers, but followers or spectators are not disciples and He was only interested in disciples. • “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men,:25 …, for He knew what was in man” (NKJ John 2:23-25). • Parable of the landowner: “Therefore I say to you, this kingdom of God will be taken away from you [Israel], and be given to a nation [Gentiles] producing the fruit of it” (Matt 21:43)

  6. Purpose of church age • 140 verses refer to “the kingdom of God” • “This gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations [ethne], and then the end shall come” (Matt 24:14) • The end result of the Church: “at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation” (Rev 5:9NET) • Post resurrection ministry records 5 distinct reiterations of the Great Commission • Called “Great” because of exaggerated emphasis before Ascension

  7. Matt 28:18-20 • Preamble Declaration: “All power” is mine (vs.18) • Commands: “Therefore… • Going • Make Disciples of all nations [ethne] • Baptizing • Teaching to obey • Final Assurance: “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (vs. 20) • Gideon only needed assurance God was with him (Jud 6:13-16) • Caleb: “Assuming the LORD is with me, I will conquer them, as the LORD promised” (NETJosh 14:12) • Jeremiah: “But the LORD is with me as a mighty, awesome One” (NKJ Jeremiah 20:11)

  8. The Vision Realized • “They were singing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were killed, and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God persons from every tribe, language, people and nation” (Rev. 5:9) • “After these things I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands” (Rev 7:9) • “Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, and he had an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language, and people” (Rev 14:6)

  9. Jesus’ Vision of the Priority of the Church • Do we FIRST attempt to win everybody within any one ethnic people group? • Do we Prioritize planting the Gospel and disciples in every ethnic people group, then prioritize winning everyone within each people group?

  10. Prejudicial Early History of NT Church • Early Jewish Christians despised Gentiles • Their priority was to establish the Jewish Kingdom over the world (Acts 1:6) • Did they think from a Power-Base of Jewish control they could make the “nations” submissive to Christ? … or to them? • For ten+ years they went everywhere, “speaking the message to no one but Jews” (Acts 11:19) • No Jewish kingdom (millennium) until the preaching task is done: • “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations [ethne] and then the end will come” (Matt 24:14) • It would be 19 years (49 AD) before the Jewish Christian Church formally accepted Gentile believers • Paul wrote Romans 4 to convince Jewish believers that it was God’s plan to save Gentiles (62 AD, or 32 years after Pentecost)

  11. Four Contexts of Gospel Extension • “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8) E-0. Jerusalem(familiar starting point, religiously similar) E-1. Judah(monocultural evangelism of non-churched) E-2. Samaria(cross cultural evangelism of ethnically different but same nationality) E-3. Farthest parts of the earth (cross cultural, remote locations, multiple barriers and risks)

  12. Baptism of the Spirit • John the Baptist promised Jesus would baptize in the Spirit (Mat 3:11; Mk 1:8; Lu 3:16; Jn 1:33) – the only mention! • Jesus now declares “not many days from now” (Ac 1:5) • Told to wait for the promise of the Spirit (50-3-40=7) • First explanation: 1 Cor 12:13, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized [“put into”] into one body…” – “the church” (Col 1:18) • Now every believer is baptized by the Spirit, “When you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – whenyou believed in Christ – you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph 1:13).

  13. Baptism of the Spirit • The “power” is not a sensual experience, but a living empowerment to be able to obey • “When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8) • The promise of the Spirit is for all believers equally: “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself" (NET Acts 2:39). • Three signs that marked the Spirit’s coming: • Mighty sound of a tornado • “tongues of fire” • The 120 first recipients spoke in 16 languages (a hint of God’s purpose?)

  14. God’s Plan for Missions in the New Testament The attitude of Israel towards God changed in some ways, but the attitude of Jonah pervaded into the NT

  15. Phase 1: E-0 Jerusalem • Evangelize the people religiously and culturally most like you • As Peter preached in the Temple grounds to win religious people in Jerusalem who needed the gospel • "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine” (NKJ Acts 5:28) • “Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multipliedgreatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith”(NKJ Acts 6:7)

  16. Phase 1: E-0 Jerusalem • Three-fold model to be reproduced world-wide: (1) focus on individual conversion and disciple-making with nominal Christians who will come to church, (2) multiplying the evangelism of the disciples by saturating a city with Gospel teaching resulting in small-group fellowships or new congregations in homes (3) these new congregations take responsibility for continuing this process in other areas such that each church will birth new [house] churches.

  17. Phase 2: E-1 Rural Judah • Evangelize people culturally most like you and live in your region, but are indifferent religiously • Jewish believers preached to unsaved resistant or indifferent Jews throughout Judea • At first it was a popular church (“favor of all the people”– Acts 2:47). • Exclusivity of the gospel brought persecution (Acts 4:12) – It was trust in Jesus, or be lost… even if you were a Jew • This is the “offense of the cross” (Gal 5:11) – unless you are confronting the lost you will never know what this is.

  18. Phase 3: E-2 Samaria • Evangelize people who are linguistically like you (speak your language), but are different ethnically, culturally, and religiously • Acts 8:1 – God brought persecution to force believers out of Jerusalem and Judah into Samaria. • Samaritans were a distrusted, despised, and isolated neighbors due to racial prejudice. • God forced the intervention of the apostle Peter to confirm that they received the Spirit as did the Jew. • Second application of the “keys to the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 16:19). • When Peter and John prayed, they received the Spirit • Transformation period, since then the Holy Spirit comes immediately on all believers immediately.

  19. Phase 4: E-3 Ends of the earth • Only preached to “comfort zone” (“to the Jews only” – Ac 11:19). • No vision yet for Gentile evangelism. • Paul enters the ministry uniquely: special appearance of Jesus (Acts 9:) -- Nowhere again does this special “call” occur in the NT (call to salvation and ministry) – like the call of Abraham • God was so determined to “bless” the nations He made a special apostle go primarily to the Gentiles

  20. E-3 • "So I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. • 16 But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. • 17 I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, • 18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me’” (NKJ Acts 26:15).

  21. Principles of E-3 in Acts 9-28 • Persecution of believers was directly perceived by Jesus: The Holy Spirit in the believer gives direct connection to Jesus • Paul’s unique call to salvation was also his unique call to the ministry • He was commanded to take the gospel to the Gentiles • He did not volunteer or demonstrate his willingness to preach the gospel: “For if I preach the gospel, I have no reason for boasting, because I am compelled to do this. Woe [‘wrath” of God] to me if I do not preach the gospel! (NET 1 Corinthians 9:16) • Transformation of Gentiles was described as a human-divine coordination: “to open their eyes” by confrontational evangelism: • Paul exhorted, preached, persuaded, spoke boldly, reasoned out of the scriptures, explained and gave evidence, disputed, provoked curiosity, answered questions and contextualized the message -- This becomes the NORM for evangelism

  22. Global Mission of the Epistles • The mandate of planting the gospel and a community of believers in the Gentile people groups that in turn evangelized their region permeates the epistles. • “The gospel that I preach among the Gentiles (Gal 2:2); • “all those everywhere” (1 Cor 1:2); • “both Jews and Greeks” (1 Cor 1:24); • “through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him” (2 Cor 2:14); • “reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor 5:19); • “so that we can preach the gospel in regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory” (2 Cor 10:16); • “all over the world this gospel is bearing fruit” (Col 1:6).

  23. Global Mission of the Epistles • Magna Cartaof the Church: “but now [the gospel has been] revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him—“ (NIV Romans 16:26). • Apathy of believers explained by practical universalism or inclusivism (everyone will be saved) of professing Christians. • People all over the world in every tongue and culture are without hope of eternal life unless they hear and by faith trust in Christ. • “To be utterly convinced of this fact will mean that one cannot be placid and unmoved. People are dying, and the gospel must be taken to them! ... (Rom 10:13,14). Will you be that preacher?”

  24. Global Mission of the NT Church • “A New Testament church is a body of believers, baptized upon their profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who gather together regularly to worship God in Christ and pray for one another and for the world; to share in each other’s lives [fellowship] both in an accountability relationship and assisting one another’s needs; to learn the meaning of the Word of God and the implications of its commands, then to disperse throughout society and the world to live out the teachings and to share the blessings of God’s grace to man”

  25. Global Mission Priority of the NT Church • Most of the Great Commission’s focus on all “nations” [ethne], “people,”“tongues,”“tribes,” which translate today in PEOPLE GROUPS. • Once unleashed within a people group, the Bible describes the gospel as spreading throughout a people group. • The end scene is of people from “every tongue, tribe and nation” without reference to the number from each group. • Can it be justified to say the firstpriority of the Church should be planting the gospel in every people group, then focus on mass evangelism?

  26. Global blessing of NT salvation • “Any effort to study theology without noticing strategic missiological implication is an incomplete study, as is any study of missions that does not mark critical theological foundations. Proper study will conclude that both theology and missiology are inextricably linked ... All who are grateful for their salvation will inevitably be motivated to join God in His missionary enterprise. To do less is nothing more than spiritual selfishness.”J. Simmons • Many today believe that confrontational evangelism is out of mode, too offensive to others (does more harm than good) or too much to expect of contemporary Christians.

  27. Do you agree? • Orthodoxy is no assurance of missiological fervor, but it is a foundational influence. When a breakdown of missiological fervor within orthodoxy does occur, however, it is often reflected in a widening gap between theological belief and Christian practice. For instance, someone may give his or her enthusiastic assent to John 14:6 that Jesus Christ is the only way to the Father. At the same time, one might admit doubts that God would condemn someone to hell who sincerely practices a religion other than Christianity. Winston Crawley prophetically called a "religious relativism" that is very similar to a form of Hindu doctrine.

  28. Missions exist because sin exists in every person • Missions is a fraud and a waste if no sin barrier exists • Sin erects a barrier because of the nature of sin • Those separated from God by the sin barrier are LOST. • Those who do end up perishing, do so because they refuse “to love the truth and so be saved” (2 Thess 2:10). • Lostness is a state of hopelessness and isolation from God’s acceptance and fellowship. This state will never change from birth to death to eternity except during this life experience a messenger of God intervenes in the sinner’s life to share the only acceptable solution to man’s sin, the death of Christ on the cross as God’s salvation

  29. Conclusion • “Although God's salvation begins and ends with His purposes, His sovereignty chooses to include us in the process. We are called to stand, not at a distance admiring this work of God's salvation, but nearby, so that we might be available for his use.” • At the place of availability, we embrace his purposes as our own and seek his wisdom for ourselves, thereby seeing the world as he sees it. • William Carey,‘”Liveand act alone for God,' working to the point of 'indefatigable industry, till we can't find a soul that's destitute of Christ in all the world” ... • Move from the place of observation to the place of availability, thereby joining him in this great work of missions. Whatever sacrifice is required to move the distance is, from and eternal perspective, worth it !

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