Verses on missions: Christian missions in the Bible

Old Testament and missions

• Genesis 12:1-3 (repeated in Gen. 18:18, 22:17-18, 26:24 and 28:12-14)
• Exodus 9:14-16 -- purpose of the plagues
• Exodus 19:6 -- Israel was to be akingdom of priests
• Numbers 14:21 -- glory of Lord fills the whole earth
• Deuteronomy 4:6-8 -- show your understanding to the nations
• Deuteronomy 10:19 --You are to love those who are aliens
• Deuteronomy 28:10 --all the peoples on the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord
• Deuteronomy 32:1 -Hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.
• Joshua 4:24 --so that all the peoples of the earth might know
• 1 Samuel 2:10 --The LORD will judge the ends of the earth.
• 1 Samuel 17:46 --the whole world will know there is a God in Israel
• 1 Kings 8:41-43, 59-60 (also in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33) --so that all peoples of the earth may know your name (Solomon's prayer at dedication of Temple)
• 2 Kings 19:15 --Hezekiah prayed . . . : O LORD, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.'
• 1 Chronicles 16:31Let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, The Lord reigns!'
• 1 Chronicles 16:24 --Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples
• 2 Chronicles 6:33 --so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you
• Psalm 2:7-10 --You are my Son . . . I will make the nations your inheritance
• Psalm 7:7-8 --Let the Lord judge the peoples
• Psalm 8:9 --How majestic is your name in all the earth!
• Psalm 18:49 --I will praise you among the nations
• Psalm 22:26-28 --all the families of the nations will bow down
• Psalm 19:1-4 --their words to the ends of the world
• Psalm 22:27 --All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord
• Psalm 24 --The earth is the Lord's
• Psalm 33 --Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord
• Psalm 45:17 --The nations will praise you for ever and ever
• Psalm 46:10 --I will be exalted among the nations
• Psalm 47 --God reigns over the nations
• Psalm 48:10 --Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth
• Psalm 49:1 --Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world
• Psalm 50 --From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets
• Psalm 57 --I will sing of you among the peoples
• Psalm 59:13 --It will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.
• Psalm 65:5-8 --the hope of all the ends of the earth . . . where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy
• Psalm 66 --All the earth bows down to you . . . Praise our God, O peoples
• Psalm 67 --your salvation among all peoples
• Psalm 68:32 --Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth
• Psalm 72 --all nations will serve him
• Psalm 72:9 --the desert tribes will bow before him
• Psalm 72:17, 19 --All nations will be blessed through him . . . May the whole earth be filled with his glory
• Psalm 77:14 --you display your power among the peoples
• Psalm 82 --all the nations are your inheritance
• Psalm 83:18 --You alone are the Most High over all the earth.
• Psalm 86:8-13 -- all nations will come and worship
• Psalm 87 -- the register of the peoples
• Psalm 96 --sing to the Lord, all the earth . . . Declare his glory among the nations
• Psalm 97 --The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice
• Psalm 98:3 --All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
• Psalm 98:9 --He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.
• Psalm 99:1-3 --He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name
• Psalm 102:15 --The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.
• Psalm 102:22 --when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord
• Psalm 105:1 --make known among the nations what He has done
• Psalm 106:8 -- reason for dividing the Red Sea
• Psalm 108:3 --I will sing of you among the peoples
• Psalm 108:5 --Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.
• Psalm 110:6 --He will judge the nations,
• Psalm 113:3 --From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised
• Psalm 117 --Praise the Lord, all you nations
• Psalm 126 --it was said among the nations
• Psalm 135 --our Lord is greater than all gods
• Psalm 138:4 --may all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord
• Isaiah 2:3 --Many peoples will come and say,Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.
• Isaiah 6:3 --They were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'
• Isaiah 11:9 --fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord
• Isaiah 11:10 --in that day a Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples, the nations . . .
• Isaiah 12:4 --Make known among the nations what He has done
• Isaiah 24:16 --From the ends of the earth we hear singing: Glory to the Righteous One.'
• Isaiah 25:6 --the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples
• Isaiah 42:4 --in His law the islands will put their hope
• Isaiah 42:6 --I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles.
• Isaiah 34:1 --Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples!
• Isaiah 37:16 --O Lord Almighty . . . , you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.
• Isaiah 42:4 --He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.
• Isaiah 43:6 --I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'
• Isaiah 45:6 --from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me.
• Isaiah 45:22 --Turn to me . . . all you ends of the earth
• Isaiah 49:1-6 --I will make you a light for the Gentiles
• Isaiah 49:22 --The Sovereign Lord says:See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples.
• Isaiah 52:10 --The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
• Isaiah 56:7 --my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations
• Isaiah 59:19 --From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere His glory.
• Isaiah 60:3 --Nations will come to your light
• Isaiah 62:11 --The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth
• Isaiah 66:19 --They will proclaim my glory among the nations
• Jeremiah 3:17 --All nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord
• Jeremiah 16:19 To you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say,Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good.
• Ezekiel 36:22-23 --The nations will know I am the Lord
• Daniel 2:47; 4:1-2; 6:25 --Surely your God is the God of gods
• Daniel 7:13, 14 --all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him
• Jonah's story -- the missionary book of the Old Testament [ e-book on Jonah ]
• Micah 1:2 --Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it.
• Micah 4:2 --Many nations will come
• Micah 5:4 --His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.
• Habbakuk 2:14 --The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the water cover the sea
• Zephaniah 2:11 --Nations on every shore will worship him
• Zephaniah 3:9 --Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord.
• Haggai 2:7 --Desire of all nations
• Zechariah 2:11 --Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people
• Zechariah 8:20-23 --Many peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come
• Zechariah 9:10 --He will proclaim peace to the nations
• Zechariah 14:9 --The Lord will be king over the whole earth.
• Malachi 1:10-11 --My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun

New Testament and missions

• Matthew 4:8-11 -- Temptation of Jesus
• Matthew 6:9-10 -- The Lord's prayer
• Matthew 10:18 --On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.
• Matthew 13 (Ezekiel 17:23) -- parables of sower, weeds, mustard seed, fishing net
• Matthew 24:14 -- the gospel will be preached in the whole world
• Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15 - The Great Commission (which many say is a re-statement of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12) [ Rev. Susan Fitkin's reflection on the passage ]
• Mark 11:17 (Isaiah 56:7) -- a house of prayer for all nations
• Mark 13:10 --the gospel must first be preached to all nations
• Mark 16:15 (see Matthew 28:19-20)
• Luke 2:32 --a light for revelation to the Gentiles
• Luke 10:2 --harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few
• Luke 10:27 --love your neighbor as yourself
• John 3:16 [ text of verse ]
• John 12:32 --I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.
• John 21:4-14 -- some Biblical commentators have said the 153 fish equals the number of all the tribes and nations which the ancients thought existed on earth
• Acts 1:8; 2:5-12 13:47 (Isaiah 49:6) -- witnesses in all the earth
• Acts 3:25 --He said to Abraham, Through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed.'
• Acts 9:15Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings.
• Acts 11:18 --They praised God, saying, So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.'
• Acts 13:47 --I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth. (Isaiah 49:6)
• Acts 14:27 --They reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
• Acts 28:28 --Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!
• Romans 1:5 --We received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to obedience.
• Romans 3:29 --Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too.
• Romans 10:12-15 --How can they hear?
• Romans 15:10Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. (Deuteronomy 32:43]
• Romans 15:11Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples. (Psalm 117:1)
• Romans 16:26 -- So that all nations might believe
• 2 Corinthians 4:15 --grace that is reaching more and more people
• Galatians 3:8 --The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: All nations will be blessed through you.' (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18)
• Galatians 3:14 --He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles.
• Ephesians 1:10 --To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
• Ephesians 2:11-19 --you are no longer foreigners and aliens
• Philippians 2:10 -- Every knee shall bow
• 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 --to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved
• Hebrews 6:13-14 -- God's promise to Abraham
• 2 Peter 3:9, 12 --not wanting anyone to perish
• 1 John 2:2 --He is the atoning sacrifice . . . for the sins of the whole world
• Revelation 5:9 --you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation
• Revelation 7:9 -- Every tribe, tongue, people and nation
• Revelation 14:6 --The angel had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth -- to every nation, tribe, language and people.
• Revelation 15:4 --all nations will come and worship before you
• Revelation 21:23-24 --The Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light
• Into whatever groups we divide humanity -- races, nations, languages, cultures -- it is clear that God loves all of them and wants people from all those groupings to be reconciled to Him.
• The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest -- Luke 10:2 (New King James Version)