This highlights a basic weakness throughout our churches and Christian unions. World-wide mission is an optional extra to be indulged in by those who are spiritually keen and who happen to be interested in it. Those who try to stimulate a belief that world mission is an integral part of the life of the church find that such exhortations fail to make much impact. Why?
Is it, perhaps, because we do not see world-wide missions as a basic theme of the whole of the Bible? So often missionary work is made to hing on only a few verses: the Great Commission in Matthew 28; Acts 1:8; John 4:35; Romans 10:14-17. As a speaker, I attend large numbers of missionary meetings and often wish that other passages could sometime be used for the Bible Reading. Does mission really depend only on these few verses? If so, then it is surely right that mission should be minor theme in the church's teaching. Ministers would be right not to mention overseas mission except when they happen to be expounding these particular verses - and if they are systematic in their exposition of the Bible, they would not come upon these passages very often.
But the whole Bible from Genesis to Revelation demonstrates God's love for all peoples and nations everywhere; He is the sovereign God over all the world. He has a purpose to for all nations This purpose is quietly worked out throughout the centuries as described in the Bible. God made the world . . God loved the world . . . God sent His Son into the world to redeem, and we look forward to the climax - 'a great multitude which no man can number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the lamb'.
Martin Goldsmith
Don't Just Stand There 1976
IVP Downers Grove, IL
