WHAT IS THE BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE OF MISSIONS?
Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
Acts 10:34-35
Since mission and sending have essentially the same meaning, we look for its meaning in the message it conveys in Scripture just as we look for the meaning of covenant, kingdom, grace or any other Biblical concept through that precise language, at least at the outset.
– Francis Dubose –
INTRODUCTION
There are several themes that are illustrated in the Bible relating to different aspects of mission.Two of these themes are the main object of mission and the structures involved. In the book of Acts chapter 10, this message of hope and salvation through Jesus Christ transformed not only Cornelius, but also his entire family and Peter. God is the underlying connection between Peter and Cornelius. God is both sending the seeker and preparing the messenger—His “missionary”, His disciple. The stories of Peter, Cornelius, and Paul’s efforts communicate a great deal about “mission”, especially with regards to the theory of unity and acceptance of new converts into the Church. By using Acts as the framework, we will examine how Luke’s account of the early Church keeps pulling Peter and Paul back to Jerusalem, as well as how this impacts the structure and Biblical practices of the early Church regarding mission…
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