The world mission mandate in the Bible is not based upon a few texts, nor does it begin with the Great Commission in the New Testament. The whole Bible, from beginning to end, is the story of world mission, an unfolding revelation of God’s heart for all peoples. God’s Word is a missionary book telling the story of God’s mission to redeem all of humanity in order that they may know Him and enjoy Him forever.
Let’s take an overview of this unifying theme throughout the Scriptures, beginning with the book of Genesis 12:1-3:
Now the Lord had said to Abram: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and IN YOU ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.
God’s Blueprint of Blessing All Peoples through Abraham Here, after the Fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden and man’s separation from his Creator, we have the first mention of God’s global redemptive plan. With Abram (later renamed by God as Abraham, meaning ‘Father of Many Nations’), God began to reveal His plans for blessing all of the peoples of the world (which at that time constituted only 70 nations – see Genesis 10). To do this, He would separate and bless Abram and his descendents in many ways, in order that all the families of the earth might also come to know and worship the true and living God. Ultimately, the blessing would be in the person of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ, who through His sacrificial death and resurrection, would make it possible for all peoples to be blessed with the gift of eternal life.
God’s Mission through Israel After repeating His plan to Abraham (Genesis 15:1-5; 22:18), to his son, Isaac (Genesis 26:4), and to Isaac’s son, Jacob (Genesis 28:14), God steps up His plan to show all peoples His glory by raising up the nation of Israel to be His ‘missionary’ to the rest of the world. God calls another man, Moses, to deliver the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt in order that they may be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). God purposed that Israel would declare His name and be a light to all the other nations, and that through them the whole earth would be blessed and worship Him.
God anoints David to the throne of Israel as a forerunner of the coming King and Messiah, Jesus Christ. Through his son Solomon’s reign, a temple is established not only to serve Israel but also to be a witness to the rest of the world, “that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name” (1 Kings 8:43). The blessing on Solomon’s life draws worldwide attention and “all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart” (1 Kings 10:24).
Despite Israel’s turbulent history, God continues to make His purposes known through a number of prophets who declare God’s heart that all peoples may know and worship Him, and add to the vision that Abraham first saw of a heavenly kingdom ruled by an eternal King (see Hebrews 11: 10).
The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH shall see the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52:10)
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you A PROPHET TO THE NATIONS. (Jeremiah 1:5)
And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and THE NATIONS SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD, says the Lord God, when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. (Ezekiel 36:23)
Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that ALL PEOPLES, NATIONS, AND LANGUAGES should serve Him. (Daniel 7:14)
And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32a)
Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and PEOPLES shall flow to it. Many NATIONS shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ (Micah 4:1-2a)
Look among THE NATIONS and watch – be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you. (Habakkuk 1:5)
For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among THE GENTILES; in every place incense shall be offered to My name, and a pure offering; for My name shall be great among THE NATIONS, says the Lord of hosts (Malachi 1:11)
In the case of the prophet Jonah, who initially disobeyed God’s command to preach to the Assyrian pagans in Ninevah, God sends a strong message to the nation of Israel, who had become so ethnocentric and preoccupied with herself that she no longer had God’s heart for the rest of the world’s peoples. Sometimes, God’s prophets declared His Word directly to various Gentile nations in order that they might know that He is the Lord (eg. Ezekiel 25-32, Jeremiah 46-51), or God moved on Gentile leaders themselves (eg. Cyrus king of Persia as recorded in Ezra 1).
Israel’s songbook, the book of Psalms, is full of words that express God’s heart and vision for the nations.
Ask of Me, and I will give you THE NATIONS for your inheritance, and THE ENDS OF THE EARTH for your possession. (Psalm 2:8)
ALL THE ENDS OF THE WORLD shall remember and turn to the Lord, and ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE NATIONS shall worship before You. (Psalm 22:27)
God be merciful to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, that Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among ALL NATIONS… God shall bless us, and ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH shall fear Him. (Psalm 67:1-2, 7)
Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; ALL NATIONS shall serve Him. (Psalm 72:11)
Declare His glory among THE NATIONS, His wonders among ALL PEOPLES. (Psalm 96:3)
God’s Mission through Jesus Our brief overview of the Old Testament has highlighted God’s concern for all peoples, and his plan to reach out to them through the promised Messiah.
Turning to the New Testament, we find an instant continuation of God’s mission to make His name known among all peoples. Several days after His birth, Jesus is taken by His parents to be circumcised at the temple. Simeon is led by the Holy Spirit into the temple and taking Jesus up in his arms, makes a prophetic utterance about the extent of His life purpose and ministry:
For my eyes have seen Your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles (ie. THE NATIONS), and the glory of Your people Israel. (Luke 2: 31-32)
Jesus’ first sermon in Nazareth communicated His life purpose extended far beyond the nation of Israel. Unfazed by the prospect of upsetting the temple leaders, Jesus illustrated His message with stories about God’s dealings with Gentiles through the ministries of Elijah and Elisha (Luke 4:23-30).
Although Jesus did target Israel, who had been entrusted with the words and promises of God throughout the Old Testament, He also made it clear that His Father’s heart and mission was for a lost world.
For God so loved THE WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOEVER believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
The Gospels contain many references and Gentile illustrations used by Jesus in His teaching to communicate God’s heart for all peoples, for example
· the parable of the tares where Jesus highlighted the fact that the field where the good seed is sown is the world and not just Israel (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43) · the cleansing of the court of the Gentiles which was being used for business purposes instead of introducing Gentiles to the true and living God – ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations…’ (Mark 11:17) · the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) · the statement in the Sermon on the Mount that those in God’s Kingdom are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) · his defence of the woman who anointed His body with costly ointment with the words, “Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached IN THE WHOLE WORLD, what this woman has done will be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9) · the prediction that His sacrificial death on the cross would “draw ALL PEOPLES to Himself" (John 12:32) · the necessity for the gospel to be preached to ALL PEOPLES before the end of the age and the Second Coming of Christ (Matthew 24:14) · the exposition of all the Scriptures concerning Himself culminating in the need to preach the gospel to ALL NATIONS (Luke 24:27, 44-47).
The Gospels also record a number of personal contacts that serve as a recurring reminder that God has always wanted all peoples to know Him. Jesus healed a Gadarene demoniac (Luke 8:26-39) and a Canaanite woman’s faith was rewarded when her daughter was healed (Matthew 15:21-28). A Samaritan woman was the sole audience of one of Jesus’ greatest sermons, resulting in her whole city hearing about Jesus and many Samaritans coming to faith. Of the ten lepers healed, one was a Samaritan, who Jesus remarked was the only one who came back to give Him thanks (Luke 17:12-19). A despised Roman centurion, in charge of a peace-keeping force stationed at Capernaum, came to Jesus for help and in response to his faith, his servant was healed. Jesus informed his Jewish audience, “I’ve yet to come across this kind of simple trust in Israel, the very people who are supposed to know all about God and how he works. This man is the vanguard of many outsiders who will soon be coming from all directions – streaming in from the east, pouring in from the west, sitting at God’s kingdom banquet alongside Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Matthew 8:10-11, The Message).
Both by example and through His teaching, Jesus modelled God’s heart for all peoples, which came to a crescendo in the Great Commission, entrusted to His disciples at the close of His earthly ministry.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of ALL THE NATIONS…” (Matthew 28:18-19a)
Go into ALL THE WORLD and preach the gospel to EVERY creature. (Mark 16:15)
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
'Jesus did not come to give the Great Commission! He came to take it away - from the Jews who had already possessed it in prototype for nearly 2,000 years and had done almost nothing with it! It was time for the world to see what believing Gentiles, entrusted with the same imperative in New Testament form, would do with it.' (Ralph Winter, US Center for World Mission)
God’s Mission through the Church Following Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, the responsibility to fulfil God’s mission mandate was clearly in the hands of the Church, once they had received the power of the Holy Spirit necessary to carry out the task.
This they received on the Day of Pentecost and the Book of Acts records the gradual outworking of Jesus’ command in Acts 1:8, starting with the growth of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 1-7), then with the help of some persecution, expanding into Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-12), and then finally and after several years of waiting, mainly through the Antioch Church and the ministry of the apostle Paul, into the nations of the world (Acts 13-28).
Paul’s letters, written to young churches that had been established through his missionary journeys, are full of the heart and passion of God for all peoples to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved.
“…through whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among ALL NATIONS for His name.” (Romans 1:5)
“For the Scripture says, ‘WHOEVER believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is rich to ALL who call upon Him. For ‘WHOEVER calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ How then shall they call on Him whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!’” (Romans 10:11-15)
“And so I make it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, but as it is written: ‘To whom He was not announced, they shall see; and those who have not heard shall understand.’” (Romans 15:20-21)
“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began but now has been made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures has been MADE KNOWN TO ALL NATIONS, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith…” (Romans 16:25-26).
“For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)
“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, an has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ Jesus reconciling THE WORLD to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)
“…this grace was given, that I should preach among THE GENTILES the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make ALL PEOPLE see what is the fellowship of the mystery…” (Ephesians 3:9)
“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus EVERY knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that EVERY tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)
“…who desires ALL MEN to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4)
Fulfilment of God’s Purposes The Book of Revelation records the fulfilment of God’s purposes as we see His redeemed family, made up of people from every tribe, tongue, people and nation, in global worship before the throne:
“And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of EVERY TRIBE AND TONGUE AND PEOPLE AND NATION, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.’” (Revelation 5:9-10)
“After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of ALL NATIONS, TRIBES, PEOPLESS, and TONGUES, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9-10)
The prophet Daniel, in speaking about the extent of God’s Kingdom, records in similar vein:
“I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that ALL PEOPLES, NATIONS, and LANGUAGES should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14)
What a glorious hope and prospect to look forward to! The Church’s mission mandate will have been completed and every people group will be represented to spend eternity with their God and King.
This is the wonderful future for those who have heard and received the gospel of Jesus Christ, but before that time, the Church’s God-given task is to hasten that day by obeying the Great Commission to go into the world and make disciples of all nations.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in ALL THE WORLD as a witness to ALL NATIONS (lit. ethnic people groups), and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)
