The development of communication technology such as the Internet has resulted in a world where we are exposed to so much information from all over the globe. There are certainly a lot of good things happening, but at the same time we see suffering and need in a way that we were not aware of before, and it breaks our hearts. As the church, we want to do something about it – advocate, feed, educate, clothe, adopt, etc. Injustice and human suffering, as well as growing ecological issues, give rise to discussions on whether missions should be defined traditionally by Matthew 28:18-20 or 2 Corinthians 5:19, “That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us,” and Colossians 1:20, “…through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross—whether things on earth or things in heaven.” There is an argument that the understanding of the latter two texts should produce a focus on reconciling and peacemaking at all levels including with God through the Gospel, with others through justice and human rights, and with the environment through creation care.
These are all noble and good pursuits but are they all the definition of missions or rather some of them the fruit of missions? When Jesus gave the Great Commission did He leave some things out so that we need to turn to other texts rather than Matthew 28:18-20 on its own? Will we reach a time when planting trees is fulfilling God’s ultimate mission?
The Bible is full of teachings that we should care about and even be active regarding the problems we face in this life. In the Old Testament for example we have Micah 6:8, “Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.” In the New Testament, an example is the Sermon on the Mount, especially Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Clearly, we are to do good works in the world where we live. The entire book of James is an encouragement to make sure that works accompany our faith.
The question here is whether all of this is missions.
In Matthew 28:18-20 the key command is to “make disciples,” and this cannot happen without a sharing of and response to the Gospel. This approach would say that any definition of missions, as well as any activity that claims to be missions, must involve making disciples including sharing the Gospel.
So, if for a week or two I go to a people group and help build an orphanage, is this missions? The key to answering this question is whether there is a focus on making disciples – even though you do not know the language and culture, if you are clearly opening the door for someone who does know the language and culture to share the Gospel and make disciples, then this is missions. Without anyone ever sharing the Gospel and making disciples it can be said that what was done met a physical or human need but still left the people on the way to hell. Without the Gospel, people remain on the road to hell but now are just more comfortable as they walk this road. Is this missions?
We also need to be clear that the Gospel must include the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for our sins. We are calling people to believe in this Gospel. As we teach them to walk and grow in this belief there will be fruit in their lives that shows a real concern for issues of justice, human suffering, and the environment. We could go so far as to say that true disciples should be the best example of this in any context. By making sure that our definition of missions is about the Gospel and making disciples we offer the best possibility for meeting the needs around us. This is because those who are disciples have the Holy Spirit living in them so that the way they show love and care is not their own effort and motivation but rather they are empowered and enthused by God Himself, working in and through them.
Missions is a term that is open to many definitions but here we are confining ourselves to how we use it as we are a part of establishing God’s Kingdom on earth. Matthew 28:18-20 should form the foundation of our definition with a clear involvement of the Gospel and making disciples. Then all other forms of reconciliation and peacemaking should flow from this. They are consequences of missions but not by themselves a definition of missions – without the Gospel we miss the greatest need and the one for which Jesus gave His life.
