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245187 Disc Missions ins 9/6/07 1:04 PM Page 22 22 The Heart of God A few hundred years ago, scholars divided the Old and New Testament writings into 1,189 chapters and about 32,000 verses. If asked to come up with Bible verses that speak about global mission, the average Christian would list about half a dozen. Though that short list would likely include powerful statements like the Great Commission, 6 verses out of 32,000 are not very many. Looking at that ratio, many believers conclude that world evangelization is barely mentioned in Scripture and thus think it to be something optional for Christians. In the eyes of many Christians, while involvement in world evangelism may be a good thing, it is not necessary for a believer to be a believer or even for the Church to be the Church. They are wrong in that conclusion. There are far more than a half dozen Bible verses about global mission. Sacred Scripture is full of references to God’s desire that all nations would know and worship Him. Again and again the Bible speaks of the ends of the earth hearing of God’s glory and of His wish that all peoples be reconciled to Him. Indeed, the middle chapter of the Protestant canon, Psalm 117, begins with the words: “Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.” Of course, understanding what the Bible has to say about global mission involves more than listing all the verses that relate to it. The Bible is such a thoroughly missionary book that Ralph Winter, director of the U.S. Center for World Mission, has said: “The Bible is not the basis of missions; missions is the basis of the Bible.” 1 Blessing All Peoples Abraham: “All peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3; cf. 18:18; 22:18). David: “Declare his glory among the nations” (1 Chronicles 16:24; cf. Psalm 96:3). “That your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations” (Psalm 67:2). Solomon: Temple dedication prayer: “That all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other” (1 Kings 8:60). Isaiah: “I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6, NIV; cf. chapters 9 and 42). A strong case for world evangelism can be made from God’s interaction with four key Old Testament characters: Abraham, David, Solomon, and Isa-
245187 Disc Missions ins 9/6/07 1:04 PM Page 23 iah. God’s covenant with Abraham was about global mission. Many of the lyrics in David’s Hebrew hymnal (the Book of Psalms) point to God’s heart for the nations. The Temple built by Solomon was to be a worship center for all peoples and not just for those born as Hebrews. Isaiah, perhaps Israel’s greatest prophet, declares that God’s people were to “bring my salvation to the ends of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6, NIV). The sidebar “Blessing All Peoples” gives the key missions passages that involve those four figures. Old Testament The Heart of God 23 The reason Winter, former missionary to Guatemala, says that “missions is the basis of the Bible” is that God has revealed himself in Scripture to be desirous of a holy, loving relationship with all people. Both Hebrew and Christian Scriptures tell of a God who initiated, and continues to initiate, communication with people. After earth’s first inhabitants sinned (Genesis 3:14-15), Yahweh launched a campaign to salvage His lost creation. That salvage campaign is a major focal point of the Bible. The Living Bible’s paraphrase of 2 Chronicles 20:17 refers to God’s “incredible rescue operation” (TLB). The ultimate success of the rescue operation that is global mission was glimpsed by John who said in Revelation 7:9 that he saw “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.” The Mission Implications of Genesis 1—11 While much of the Old Testament focuses on the Israelites, it begins by describing God’s relationship to all of humanity. In Genesis 1—11 the Creator involves himself with all peoples. Thus, before Yahweh became identified as the God of Israel, He had revealed himself as the God of all humankind. The way in which the Hebrew word ‘adam is used shows that the Old Testament is about the whole human race and not just about Israel. ‘Adam, which appears more than 20 times in Genesis 1—5, can mean humanity as a whole as well as the very first human being. More than two-thirds of the times ‘adam is used in Genesis, it appears with the definite article as ha-‘adam. When that is done, the word does mean all of humanity or humankind instead of a particular person. 2 This dual use of ‘adam reflects the collective worldview prevalent among the cultures of Old Testament times. That collective worldview means that the first readers of Genesis would have seen all human beings as bound together in a corporate unity. This corporate outlook, which has significant implications for Christian mission, is reinforced by the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 10, which point to the solidarity of all human families before and after the Flood. The first readers of Genesis would have understood its early part to be about
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