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Missions

What are the Demands for Missions?

1.     The Character of God Demands Missions.

God’s infinite concern for the eternal welfare of men is repeatedly expressed in His Word. “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth …” (Isaiah 45:22) is only one of many Old Testament expressions of His desire for people to be saved.

The New Testament also abounds in teaching God’s love for the world and His will for people to be brought to Him. Note the following Scriptures: Isaiah 1:18; John 3:14-17; Acts 4:12.

God is undeniably the author of missions. It was conceived and born in His heart. His love demands that lost people be given the opportunity to receive the salvation He has provided for them. God’s righteousness and love make missions imperative.

2.     The Character of Man Demands Missions.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is consistent in teaching the depravity of human nature. God’s Word pictures man as being hopelessly beyond human repair. He is morally depraved, spiritually dead, and without hope. His “goodness” is like filthy rags, and there are no detergents he can manufacture that will cleanse him.

The Good News of God’s grace provides the only answer, and people must hear that Good News in order to believe and be saved. Yes, mankind’s waywardness, wickedness, unrighteousness, and ungodliness demand missions.

(Note the following Scriptures: Genesis 6:5-7; Psalm 14:1-3; Isaiah 1:5-6, 64:6; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19; Romans 3:23.)

3.     The Character of Calvary Demands Missions.

There is a sense in which it is just as important for people to hear of the Cross as it was for Christ to die on it. For how can they believe on Him of whom they have not heard? The costly, redemptive price for the souls of men was fully paid at Calvary. But how can that be meaningful to the person who is ignorant of it? A medical remedy for leprosy is of no value to the leper who has never benefited from the treatment.

Observe how tightly the Cross and missions are tied together in the following verse: “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:46-48).

(Note the five prerequisites to a person’s salvation experience as recorded in Romans 10:12-15.)

4.     The Character of the Church Demands Missions.

It has been well said that the mission of the church is missions. Or, to put it another way, it is the whole duty of the whole church to preach the whole gospel to the whole world. One would find it difficult to refute the fact that the fulfilling of the Great Commission is the supreme responsibility of the church. Christ’s last command should indeed be the believer’s first concern.

(Note the following Scriptures: Matthew 28:18-20; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.)

5.     The Character of Eternity Demands Missions.

For the person who understands what the Bible teaches about heaven and hell, the strategic importance of reaching men and women with the gospel becomes immediately apparent.

Scriptural references to the glories of heaven should do more than fill the believer’s heart with comfort. They should stir him into action. The person who is going to heaven should not be indifferent toward the millions who are not. The thought of spending eternity with Christ should activate the child of God in the direction of leading others to the Savior (note John 14:1-3; Revelation 22:1-5).

Likewise, Bible teaching on the subject of hell should fill the believer’s heart with compassion and move him in the direction of missions. A careful study of Luke 16:19-31 leads one to believe that those in hell desire for someone to win their loved ones to Christ before it is too late.

Note the heart-rending appeal, “… send Lazarus to my father’s house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so they will not also come to this place of torment.” (Note Mark 9:43-44; 2 Thessalonians 1:9.) Now we are ready to look briefly at the world we live in.

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