A Biblical Philosophy of Missions
A Biblical Philosophy of Mission
A Conversation Starter
Dr. Steve Leston
INTRODUCTION
After two decades of church ministry and leadership training I have come to the realization that I have spent my entire professional ministry career seeking to understand what the mission of the church is and how to prepare and do this mission in this world. This quest has consumed much of my life and ministry and it is as alive today as it was 20 years ago when my ministry career was emerging. Throughout this journey God has brought many people, leaders and organizations in my path that have shaped me and helped me to understand what it is we are to do with the vapor of a life that we have been entrusted. What I want to do in response to what I have learned over the years is outline, in this paper, some of the lessons that have become essential in my thinking with regard to doing ministry based upon a clear and direct biblical framework1. I do not intend for this paper to serve is an exhaustive piece on mission, but instead, to serve as fodder to create a conversation as to what the unassailable mission of the church really is in this world.
It is of extreme importance that when we look to developing a biblical philosophy of mission we do so with the goal of first establishing a biblical framework. Without a biblical framework to govern our mission we will be fighting for man-made systems that might be biblically based, but not truly biblical at all. If we fail at this point we will not have the theological wisdom to understand the culture and people around us that we are called to shepherd. Therefore, when we hit problems that our man-made framework cannot answer we will not know what to do and thus we will constantly keep changing our framework to fit the moment. The unavoidable result is that we will never actually move up any learning curve, because of the immense amount of changes that we will be making. Major shifts and adaptations may not always be good, for it can be a sign that there has not been an establishment of the immovable biblical framework laid out in the Scriptures. Therefore, in order to be stable in the work of the mission one must have a biblical framework.
If we possess a biblical framework for mission then we possess the ability to move in and out of various cultures. A truly biblical framework (or the gospel) is the only framework that transcends cultures. Every other message in the world is based and steeped within culture. The gospel message was developed in the mind of God for the heart of all men and women and thus it is not based within a particular culture, instead it is supra-cultural. When a mission is based upon a biblical framework (the gospel) then a missionary can ask, when moving in and out of cultures, “What is the best way in this culture to share the message of Jesus?” Accordingly, the mission might take on some difference in application, but never in content or overall direction. It is important to remember that the particular application of the mission is not what we promote, it is the theological message that we promote. Without the theological message being centered in a biblical framework then the application of the mission becomes central and not the gospel itself. I say all of this to develop a very simple, yet crucial point: we must develop a truly biblical philosophy of mission to ensure that our work will be effectual and truly supra-cultural.
The goal of this paper is to focus on the irreducible minimum of developing a biblical philosophy of mission to be used as a conversation started. This is not meant to be the final word of the conversation, but instead, the first words of what I hope to be a very intense and thorough dialog amongst churches as to the mission that we have been called to be faithful to in this world.
The
outline for this paper is to look at the approach of a biblical philosophy
of mission, which is the gospel. The gospel is the message and
the mission that we have been called to be faithful stewards of on this
earth. After developing this point we will look at the hermeneutics
of mission – which is the understanding how the gospel message is
the key to understanding the Scriptures. Then finally we will
look at the work of the mission itself; being faithful ministers of
the gospel by teaching, preaching and establishing people in Jesus Christ.
THE APPROACH TO A BIBLICAL PHILOSOPHY OF MISSION – THE GOSPEL
The
approach to developing a biblical philosophy of mission is found in
having a proper understanding of the message of the Scriptures.
Without understanding the message of the Scriptures one will be in danger
of developing systems that are derived from the Bible but are not truly
biblical. To be truly biblical the missional plan must be thoroughly
grounded in the message of the Bible. Therefore, the approach
to developing a proper biblical philosophy of mission is to begin with
defining the central message of the Bible: the gospel and its message,
purpose and subject.
The Message of the Gospel
The Message of the gospel is a very simple message: God is working to reconcile all things to himself through Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:19-21). This message is a bold and strong message. The reconciliation that God provides is a reconciliation of humanity so that the promises of life eternal can be shared amongst the reconciled children of God. Implicit in this message of reconciliation is the need of mankind to be reconciled. Thus, the sinful nature, and inclination, of humanity is an essential part of this message. The fall of Adam and Eve plunged humanity into slavery with sin (Romans 5:12-21; 7:14). Because of this slavery into sin, in which the natural flesh of humanity does not want to serve God, there is a need for someone to redeem mankind. The need for humanity is greater than just for a religion to provide good works, or a church to provide life-development but for a Savior to pay the penalty for sin and to provide a path for God and man to be reconciled.
This
message is the starting point for all theological thinking especially
in regards to understanding the mission. Without this thought
mankind would never understand who they are, what is wrong, what needs
to be changed and how God accomplished this change. Thus, it is
the indisputable starting place for all thinking about mission.
The Purpose of the Gospel
We have already established that the message of the gospel is that God is going to reconcile all things to Himself through Jesus. This leads us to the purpose of the gospel message, which is to provide for humanity what is needed for man and God to be reconciled. There are three main things that are needed for a person to be reconciled to God: Forgiveness, Transformation, and Power. Embedded within these three main things are many, many truths. Yet, for the sake of reducing our thinking to the irreducible minimum I offer these three main categories.
Forgiveness
The prophet Jeremiah declared in Jeremiah 31:34 that when the New Covenant was inaugurated that God was going to forgive sins. This is very important because without forgiveness the justice of God would demand the death of everyone. God is a Just God and His justice demands that all sin be punished. How did God bring about this forgiveness? God brought about forgiveness by making Jesus the object of all of His wrath so that mankind might be the object of all of His forgiveness. What forgiveness brings to the work of reconciliation is a clear path for man to approach God (again look at Jeremiah 31:34). The knowledge that this clear path exists is essential to a believer in Jesus Christ. Without the knowledge of this clear path no child of God would ever feel comfortable to approach a holy and just God with their sins or their weakness and thus their life of devotion and dependence would be marred (1 John 1:9; Jude 24). Therefore, forgiveness becomes a key component for the believer to be established in so that they can walk freely to the throne of grace. I must say this again because it bears repeating, we cannot help people develop any relationship with God without bringing to them a very clearly defined doctrine of forgiveness. All discipleship is predicted upon the foundation that God has forgiven all sin at the cross. Without this understanding guilt would be a burden too great for a person to shoulder.
Transformation
In addition to forgiveness a transformation takes place at salvation. This transformation involves the change of a persons heart (Jeremiah 31:31) and the change of a person’s mind (Romans 7:25). When God gives someone a new heart it means that He is cleansing the soul of a person so that they will have a new volition; a volition that desires to serve God. The purification of a person's soul is the purification of the eternal aspect of a person's nature. This new soul is embedded with the law of God which has as its core the capacity to serve God. This message of transformation is critical for people because they must understand that all things become new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
In
addition to a new heart, God also gives someone a new mind; a mind that
is no longer hostile to the law of God and the way of God, and now believes
that God's will and God's way is the best way to live this world (Romans
7). This transformation is essential because it is the transformation
that causes a person to love God’s word and to walk in God’s way.
It is out of this transformation that people are empowered to deal with
their sins, experience the love of God, have the confidence that they
are a child of God and are prepared to experience what God’s immutable
love is going to do in their lives (Romans 8).
Power
Not only does a believer have forgiveness and transformation, a believer is also given power. The power that they are given is the power to obey God. Within the new heart is the presence of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-11). This presence is essential because without it we would never have the ability to meet the perfect, holy and righteous standard of God. God knows our frailty and knows that He alone is powerful enough to be holy and so out of His great love He bestows upon us His power and righteousness (Romans 1:17-3:21). The need to understand the power of God in the life of a believer is critical so that every believer can echo the words of Paul in Colossians 1:29: For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me (emphasis mine).
Without understanding the power of the gospel a person might think that transformation and obedience is done in the power of the flesh. With this thinking does not come liberation but bondage and fear (Galatians 5).
The
purpose of the gospel then, is to bring forgiveness, transformation
and power to humanity.
The Subject of the Gospel
The subject of the gospel is Jesus Christ. In John 5 Jesus is in a debate with some Pharisees concerning a miracle that He performed on the Sabbath. In the course of this conversation Jesus implied that He was Lord of the Sabbath (John 5:15-18). After the Pharisees struggled with Jesus placing Himself as equal to the Father, Jesus began a long sermon. In this sermon Jesus chastised the Pharisees for their mishandling of the Scriptures. In verse 39-40 Jesus said:
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.2
When Jesus made this statement He was not just saying that the Scriptures reference Him from time to time, He was saying that He alone is the content of the Scriptures and that missing this point is a matter of life and death. The Scriptures understood without Jesus as the point do not lead people to life – instead, they just leave people in their deaden state. Therefore, when one reads the Bible it is of extreme importance to understand the subject of the Bible, which is Jesus. For this reason, any teaching that we give people that does not bring its conclusion to the person and work of Jesus is teaching that has only temporal significance. It might improve someone’s life for the moment, but it will not bring about the life saving, transforming power that the gospel brings.
Because of the message, purpose and subject of the gospel it is of extreme importance that we base our approach to forming a biblical framework of mission squarely on the gospel of Jesus. Without this bottom-line foundation we offer nothing to this world but structure and temporal assistance. The Message of the gospel is a message of how Jesus Christ accomplished all parts of our salvation for us and then through faith we are given His righteousness so that by the same faith that saved us we are thus sanctified. Without this message life, hope, change and heaven are not a reality for anyone. John Calvin summarized this point clearly in the Institutes when he said:
For though believers have at all times experienced the truth of Paul’s declaration, that “all the promises of God in him are yea and amen,” inasmuch as these promises were sealed upon their hearts; yet because he hath in his flesh completed all the parts of our salvation, this vivid manifestation of realities was justly entitled to this new and special distinction. Accordingly, Christ says, “Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.” For though he seems to allude to the ladder which the Patriarch Jacob saw in vision, he commends the excellence of his advent in this, that it opened the gate of heaven, and gave us familiar access to it.3
THE HERMENEUTIC OF A BIBLICAL PHILOSOPHY OF MISSION – THE LOGOS
Moving from the gospel message we must now make our first point of application, and that is that since Jesus is the center of the gospel message and His work of forgiveness, transformation and power is what He is doing on this earth, then our hermeneutic must be governed by this understanding of Jesus. Why make this point? Why must we bring hermeneutics into this discussion? The reason is that we must have a basis upon which we are going to be using the Scriptures in the course of defining who we are and what we are going to do in the world. The greatest impact on any hermeneutic is an understanding of the gospel and how it shapes our understanding of the Scriptures. Since there is a unity of doctrine if one part of teaching is not correct, then the rest will be impacted. Therefore it is imperative that we establish the basis upon which the Scriptures will be interpreted and thus be the guide to our mission.
In lieu of offering a complete hermeneutic I want to offer what I consider to be a critical hermeneutical distinction that has to be made when developing a philosophy of mission. This distinction has major missional implications. The distinction that I offer is that the central message of the Scriptures is the gospel message. The Bible is not to be understood as a “handbook for life” but rather the revelation of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This is why we must understand that the words of the Bible must not be used for anything other than the topic and message that they proclaim. This point is seen clearly in the New Testament. In the New Testament the word γραφα (Scripture) refers to the actual divinely inspired text and the term λογοϚ (Word) refers to the message that this text proclaims. The γραφα teaches the λογοϚ. I want to make sure that this point does not get lost therefore, I must make a qualification. I am not suggesting a neo-orthodox position where the Scriptures become the Word of God, what I am saying is simply that the Scriptures teach, proclaim and expound the gospel as its one and only message. Some might say that in addition to the gospel the Scriptures also talk of marriage, child raising and the church as well as a host of other issues. While that is true, these topics are brought to light in reference to the gospel and the role that these aspects of life are to play in the gospel mission and message.
In Ephesians 5:22-33 Paul expounds the relationship between the husband and the wife, and in the midst of this explanation Paul makes the point that he is not talking of marriage but of Christ and the Church (vs. 32). His reason is to make the point that the roles of marriage are more than just for our own good, they are meant to represent the gospel in the world. Therefore, one cannot disciple a person on the issue of marriage without first understanding the gospel message. My overall point is that any message that ignores the gospel within the text is an incomplete message that is lacking God’s intended meaning of the Scriptures.
This is why when Paul uses the word λογοϚ (word) in 2 Timothy he is not using it as just an abstract synonym for the word Scripture, instead he is using it as a theological synonym. Paul is using it to make the point that what when we understand the Scriptures we will understand Jesus Christ. The Word of God is the message of Jesus Christ and this is what the Scriptures peach and proclaim.
Remember Jesus, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
2 Timothy 2:8-10(Emphasis mine)
Allow me to “put the cookies on the bottom shelf” with this point. If our hermeneutic allows us to study the Bible to just learn how to manage our money, do character studies to learn how to be better leaders or learn how to understand our political stance alone, then we have a faulty hermeneutic. While the Bible addresses issues such as money, leadership and politics it does so only to show us how the gospel is to be fleshed out in society. Why does God want the gospel fleshed out in society? God wants the gospel fleshed out in society because God’s plan for this world is to announce to the world the good news of God’s provision in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Therefore, in all of the issues of life we must understand the gospel relationship between our life and actions and the transforming work of Jesus Christ. When we understand this we have the missional imperative for our actions. As we discuss the missional imperative of the church we have to understand that all our action and behavior is to be grounded in the gospel and thus apart of the mission that God is carrying out on this planet.
This is important because it is possible to teach the Scriptures and miss their point; remember Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in John 5:39-40. Because people can use the Scriptures and miss the point Paul told Timothy to make sure that men that he is training do not wrangle about words, which means to do things with the Bible other than preach the gospel, and to make sure that the men rightly handle the Word of truth – the gospel (look at 2 Timothy 14-26). The point that I am laboring to make is that our first tasks as ministers of the gospel is to make sure that we do not miss the point of the Bible, and thus the point of the mission by not being ministers of the gospel. The point of the Bible is Jesus and the point of the mission is the declaration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the establishment of people in that gospel. Our goal of ministry is to hold tight to the message of the gospel, preach it, teach it, reprove with it and rebuke with it. Without this message we have nothing to say to the world and what we do say outside of the gospel will be harmful to the church and will spread like gangrene (2 Timothy 2:16-19). Pushing someone to maturity, wisdom, growth, education or life-development outside of the gospel message is not only faulty but dangerous. It is dangerous for the person because they will never have encountered the message that gives life, and dangerous for the minister because he is not being faithful with the words of life.
The
hermeneutical implication of this point is that when we look to the
Scriptures to find our philosophy of mission we have to understand what
the end result of all Scriptures is: to point us to Jesus. Without
this understanding we are in danger of developing a man-made framework
for mission that is not faithful to God, our calling and to the sheep
that we have been entrusted to shepherd.
THE GOSPEL AND A BIBLICAL PHILOSOPHY OF MISSION – THE WORK
Since the point of the Bible is Jesus and the mission of the church is to preach this message then what are the implications of this on the mission of the church? I believe that one concise place where the answer to that question is found is in Colossians chapter one. In this great chapter Paul is outlining the theology and the mission that he is on and the theology and mission that the church is to be accomplishing. What I want to do for the sake of this paper is to outline some key observations from this chapter and then draw a conclusion out of these observations to develop a biblical philosophy of mission.
Observation 1: Jesus/the gospel is the center of this entire chapter
Observation 2: Paul’s central concern is their love for each other and their ministry of the gospel
Observation 3: Jesus Christ is God revealed, ruler of the universe, the head of the church, and the sum of everything.
Observation 4: Before salvation the Colossians were hostile to this message, but now they are not.
Observation 5: The Colossians must reject the systems, philosophies and religions of men and must concentrate their entire spiritual existence on Jesus Christ.
Observation 6: This message of the gospel is not popular and suffering comes to those who do proclaim it. Yet Paul believed that his suffering was a good thing because he shared in the suffering of Jesus.
Observation 7: The great mystery of the Old Testament is that Christ will come and take residency in people and make Jews and Gentiles one body.
Observation 8: The ministry of Paul was to proclaim Jesus, admonishing and teaching every person in the gospel so that Paul might present people mature in Jesus Christ – who is the wisdom of God.
Observation 9: This work is hard work, but it is done with the power of Jesus who works within Paul.
Observation 10: The gospel is Paul’s mission, message and therefore, his missional master.
The
implication of these observations is very simple: the mission of the
church is to preach the gospel, establish people in the gospel, endure
in the ministry of the gospel, teach and preach so that people might
become mature in the gospel and to rely on the power of Jesus to strengthen
us in the ministry of the gospel. In other words, the gospel is
our mission, message and missional master. Without this mindset
our theological education, mission and church will not be grounded in
what is of extreme importance. Nowhere in the Bible is anyone
commanded to plant a church, rather we are told to establish people
in the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). The best institution to carry
out this work is the local church and therefore, church planting is
a very important component in our ministry – yet church planting is
not an end to itself, it serves a greater purpose. There are many
“churches” that have intentionally separated themselves from the
gospel that plant churches. For this reason it is not church planting
that we are to be sold out to it is the mission of the gospel as it
is carried out in the life of the local church. If we miss the
greater purpose: making disciples, teaching people to obey Jesus, bringing
them to maturity in Christ, then our church planting efforts will not
be truly biblical and we will not be truly missional.
CONCLUSION
The mission of the church can be stated in very simple terms: to labor to see people become mature in Christ. All our efforts, all our frameworks, all our plans and all we do must serve this ultimate purpose. Without this ultimate purpose we are burying in the sand the very spiritual currency that God has given to us to invest in this world and when He returns we will not be standing faithful and ready (Matthew 25:14-30). The implication of this mission is that we must see every component of our missional framework serving this purpose. We must ask ourselves when evaluating our gospel mission: “How does this work impact our ultimate goal of establishing people to maturity in Christ?” If there is no direct answer, then we must rethink the work and reshape it to fit what the Scriptures clearly command us to do with the life we have been entrusted.
I believe that we must also understand that when we establish a missional work we must first establish people in the gospel. This is where life, transformation and meaning come from for humanity. Second we must see to it that they are established in the Church. They must understand how they fit in the Body of Christ with Christ as their head. Third, they must understand the mission of the church and the reason that the church is left on this planet. And then finally they must understand the Scriptures and the way that the Scriptures are to be interpreted with its message being proclaimed, protected and passed-on to coming generations. With this framework in mind I believe that we will enter a gospel trajectory that will be faithful to the Scriptures and bring pleasure to the sight of God.