Chapter 5: Encountering Mission

Theology

Chapter 5: Encountering Mission

Theology

Chapter OutlineChapter Outline

• Introduction

• Laying the Groundwork

• A Theological Approach to Mission

• Putting It Together

• Conclusion

Laying the Groundwork: Key Terms

Laying the Groundwork: Key Terms

• Missions: the specific task of making disciples of all nations

• Mission: everything the church does that points toward the kingdom of God

• Missio Dei: a comprehensive term encompassing everything God does in relation to the kingdom and everything the church is sent to do on earth (McIntosh 2000)

• Missiology: the formal, academic study of mission (Moreau 2001a)

Mission and MissionsMission and Missions

Missions:Evangelism, Discipleship,

and Church Planting

Mission:What the Church Does

for God in the World

Missions, Mission and Missio Dei

Missions, Mission and Missio Dei

Missions:Evangelism, Discipleship,

and Church Planting

Mission:What the Church Does

for God in the World

Missio Dei:All That God Does

to Build the Kingdom

A Theological Approach to Mission

A Theological Approach to Mission

• Question 1: How Does Mission TheologyFit into Theology as a Whole?

• Question 2: What is the Foundation for Our Theology of Mission?

• Question 3: What Guiding ThemeProvides the Orientation toOur Mission Theology?

• Question 4: What Motifs Are Important to Mission Theology?

Fall/SinCreation Mandate

Theology of

Humanity

Theology of

God

Theology of

CreatedOrder

Bibl

eCh

urch

Salv

atio

nCreation/

Sustaining

Work

Question 1: How Does Mission Theology Fit into Theology

as a Whole?

Question 1: How Does Mission Theology Fit into Theology

as a Whole?

Mission

The Fit of Mission TheologyThe Fit of Mission Theology

Fall/SinCreation Mandate

Theology of

Humanity

Theology of

God

Theology of

CreatedOrder

Bibl

eCh

urch

Salv

atio

n

Creation/

Sustaining

Work

Question 2: What is the Foundation for Our Theology of Mission?

Question 2: What is the Foundation for Our Theology of Mission?

• The Bible alone contains God’s self-revelation.• It alone has the authority to guide us through the

complex questions that face each new generation. • It alone provides the general principles on which a

theology of mission must be built and the specific instructions given to the church by God that inform our view of mission today.

Question 3: What Guiding Theme Provides the Orientation

to Our Mission Theology?

Question 3: What Guiding Theme Provides the Orientation

to Our Mission Theology?

• God’s glory and our reflection of his glory through worship are the guiding themes for our mission theology.

• Those themes find their focus in the tasks that the church is commissioned by God to perform.• Being sent by God,

• we are to call people to be reconciled to and come worship the King of kings

• while at the same time growing in our own ability to worship him by living lives that best reflect his glory.

Guiding Theme: Three Concentric Elements

Guiding Theme: Three Concentric Elements

1. Calling those who do not know Christ through the activities of evangelism and church planting

2. Growing in our capacity to live God-glorifying lives through the processes of discipleship and church growth

3. Reflecting God’s glory to a needy world through living lives of salt and light

Reflecting God’s Glory through Worship

Guiding Theme IllustratedGuiding Theme Illustrated

Biblical Revelation

Theology of Mission

Parousia

Pent

ecos

t

Asc

ensi

on

Resu

rrectio

n

CrossIncarnation

Motifs in Mission Theology(Bosch 1991)

Motifs in Mission Theology(Bosch 1991)

Theology of Mission

Eschato

nWor

ld

Churc

hH

oly

Spirit

JesusReign of God

Motifs in Mission Theology(Shenk 1999)

Motifs in Mission Theology(Shenk 1999)

Theology of Mission

Question 4: What Motifs Are Important to Mission Theology?

Question 4: What Motifs Are Important to Mission Theology?

• Motif One: The Kingdom of God

• Motif Two: Jesus

• Motif Three: The Holy Spirit

• Motif Four: The Church

• Motif Five: Shalom

• Motif Six: The Return of Jesus

Biblical Revelation

Reflecting God’s Glory through Worship

Motifs in Mission TheologyMotifs in Mission Theology

Return

of J

esus

Shal

om

Churc

hH

oly

Spirit

JesusKingdom of God

Motif: The Kingdom of God

Motif: The Kingdom of God

• Paradoxes that describe the kingdom: • It is in the world but not of it (John 18:36). • It belongs to the little ones, but those in it are greater than

the greatest ones (Matt. 11:11; 18:1–4). • It comes as a free gift but demands all we have (Luke

12:30–33), and only the truly righteous will enter it (Matt. 5:20).

• It is God's very reign but works in hidden ways (Matt. 13:33).

• It is already present (Luke 17:21) yet still coming in the future (Matt. 6:10).

• It does not consist of talk (1 Cor. 4:20), but it must be proclaimed (Luke 4:43).

Motif: The Kingdom of God (cont.)

Motif: The Kingdom of God (cont.)• Mission and kingdom are inextricably intertwined. • The paradoxes of the kingdom are the paradoxes of

mission as well. • Mission is successful when God’s rules are followed, which can

appear topsy-turvy even to the missionaries themselves. • Enemies of the kingdom are not conquered by force, but by loving

concern. • Mission, starting small, has become a large force in today’s world. • Mission is the empowerment of the weak for tasks impossible

even for the strong. • It will make its ultimate mark on the world even if people refuse to

respond to the call of Christ. • It belongs to the poor and the persecuted.

Motif: JesusMotif: Jesus

• The Creator of the world has indeed presented the complete solution to the human predicament. As such it is supreme; it is unique; and it is absolute. So we have the audacity in this pluralistic age to say that Jesus as He is portrayed in the Bible is not only unique but also supreme. He is our message to the world. A Hindu once asked Dr. E. Stanley Jones, “What has Christianity to offer that our religion has not?” He replied, “Jesus Christ.” (Fernando 1995, 262)

Motif: Jesus (cont.)Motif: Jesus (cont.)

• Jesus permeates all three levels of our missional foundation: • It is he who both calls people to himself and enjoins

them to go and make disciples.

• Discipleship and growth, both individual and corporate, come through obeying all that he taught and through teaching others to do likewise.

• His example of salt-and-light living inspires Christians to keep their focus Godward as they live lives that cause people to glorify the King of kings.

Motif: The Holy Spirit

Motif: The Holy Spirit

• He is the agent who empowers Christians for mission and makes mission work possible for the church (see Luke 24:45–49 and Acts 1:8).

• He reverses Babel at Pentecost, confirming Jesus’ teaching that the kingdom of God is not limited by language or ethnicity (Acts 2:1–11).

• He convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8–11).

• He ripens fields for harvest (Peters 1972, 80), convicting those who do not know Christ and wooing them to commit themselves into his care (Rev. 22:17).

Motif: The Holy Spirit (cont.)

Motif: The Holy Spirit (cont.)

• He guides the church in all truth (John 16:13) and in its missionary labors (e.g., Acts 16:7).

• He works inside the human heart, empowering Christians for witness (Acts 1:8), motivating them to witness and giving them words to say (Matt. 10:17–20).

• The Spirit also gifts the church for the purpose of growth both in numbers (Acts 2:14–41) and in maturity toward Christlikeness (Eph. 4:7–13).

Motif: The Holy Spirit (cont.)

Motif: The Holy Spirit (cont.)

• He convicts those in the world of sin and woos them to come to Christ.

• He empowers Christ’s followers to witness and acts as the change agent in the lives of those who have committed themselves to following Jesus.

• He prays for Christians with groanings too deep for words, guiding them in making wise decisions about the best way to live salty lives that shine the light of God into dark situations.

Motif: The ChurchMotif: The Church

• A local church is a group of gathered believers (e.g., Acts 5:11; 11:26; 1 Cor. 11:18; 14:19, 28, 35).

• The universal church is the whole body of believers, including • those still in the world (1 Cor. 10:32; 11:22;

12:28; Eph. 4:11–16), and • those in heaven (Eph. 1:22–23; 3:10, 21; 5:23–

25, 27, 32; Col. 1:18, 24).

Motif: The Church (cont.)Motif: The Church (cont.)

• Submits to Christ in three relationships:1. In relation to God, the church is to send forth

praise and glory to God for his merciful dealings with people (Eph. 3:20–21) and to make his wisdom known even in the heavenly realms (Eph. 3:10–11).

Motif: The Church (cont.)Motif: The Church (cont.)

2. In relation to itself,• Edification: God gifts and appoints people in the

church (1 Cor. 12:28). They lead the church in its responsibilities to build up the saints (1 Cor. 14:12, 26; Heb. 10:24), equip them for service (Eph. 4:11–16), and care for its own who are in need (Acts 12:5; James 1:27; 1 Tim. 5:1–16).

• Purification: The church is to allow Christ to cleanse it so as to be a spotless bride (Eph. 5:25b–27), morally (1 Cor. 5; Matt. 18:15–18) and doctrinally (Acts 15:22–29; 2 Tim. 2:16–18).

Motif: The Church (cont.)Motif: The Church (cont.)

3. In relation to the world, the church is to call the peoples of the world to repentance by proclaiming the kingdom (Matt. 28:16–20).

Motif: ShalomMotif: Shalom

• Shalom involves these dimensions of community and individual peace: • Spiritual (salvation)• Physical (healing)• Psychological (wholeness)• Social (justice and freedom from war)

Motif: Shalom (cont.)Motif: Shalom (cont.)

• Shalom is not dependent on circumstances; we can be peaceful even when all around us is not.

• Shalom is seen clearly in spiritual warfare: Christians have been set free and are called to participate in the kingdom conflict of setting others free through calling them to bond to Christ (Matt. 28:18–20; John 8:31–37).

Motif: The Return of Jesus

Motif: The Return of Jesus

• Eschatology relates on each core level of mission thinking. • Evangelism is God’s response to the fact that

people apart from Christ are destined to spend eternity separated from God in hell.

• The Christian’s personal involvement in evangelism is an indication that he or she takes seriously both God’s concern for humankind as well as the predicament of people separated from Christ.

Motif: The Return of Jesus (cont.)

Motif: The Return of Jesus (cont.)

• The certainty of Christ’s return • provides Christians with hope, enabling them to

persevere in their own growth as followers of Christ;

• spurs the church on, providing security in the knowledge that it is the bride of Christ and the wedding awaits;

• motivates Christians to expose the world’s darkness; and

• motivates Christians to be preservers in a lost world.