The importance of a biblical foundation

The aim of this part is to show that evangelism is not an initiative of people or an additive of human philosophy to the bible. Mission is a central theme in the whole bible. We shall see that mission is not only an interference in someone else’s life, but a plan of God in accordance with His word. Mission is the will of God!!! Without the bible there will be no Christian mission.

John Stott gives us four reasons for Christian mission:

- The bible gives us the mandate;

- The bible gives us the message;

- The bible gives us the model;

- The bible gives us the power.

Particular the first reason is very actual and relevant in our time. Stott says our mandate is found:

• in the creation of God (because of which all human beings are responsible to him)

• in the character of God (as outgoing, loving, compassionate, not willing that any should perish, desiring that all should come to repentance)

• in the promises of God (that all nations will be blessed through Abraham's seed and will become the Messiah's inheritance)

• in the Christ of God (now exalted with universal authority, to receive universal acclaim)

• in the Spirit of God (who convicts of sin, witnesses to Christ, and impels the Church to evangelize)

• in the Church of God (which is a multinational, missionary community, under orders to evangelize until Christ returns). The biblical mandate for world evangelization cannot be escaped.

In this track we will focus on mission in the Old Testament. Some people think that the Old Testament tells us nothing about mission because the focus is mainly on Israel. But this is a misunderstanding, the theme of mission is very clear in Gods revelation and his promises to all people. It pronounces from the character of God, from His aims and from what He suspect from His people.

J. Herbert Kane says: “The Old Testament is a missionary book because JHWH is a missionary God”

Therefore we will focus especially on the first three mandates: the creation, the character of God and the promises of God.

Genesis starts with a great preaching: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

This pronouncement only already forms the basic for mission. God created the universe and the whole world belongs therefore to him. A little bit further we read that he also created the human beings. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). It was Gods intention that the human beings stands in a special relationship with him. He had been made by God, for God and to the image of God (Gen. 1:26; Jac. 3:9). It was Gods intention that we would find our largest happiness in him, not in our selves or in our environment, but in God (Math. 22:37). For in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28) and his goodness stretches out to all his creation (Math. 5:45).

Genesis 1 clearly stresses the universal message of the Old Testament. God is the creator of the whole world. He is the God of the whole earth and of all human being. The creation of human beings makes clearly understandable that Israel was not allowed to focus only on the existence of their own people. This was absolutely something unique in the O.T., it is clearly assignable (?) that all people around Israel where only focussed on the existence of their own people. All these people saw in their own existence the meaning and the aim of the creation. In the case of Israel it was the other way around. The creation was Israel’s main point in the understandable of their own existence.

Israel’s confinement of the rest of the people happened to bless the whole world. Therefore it’s not right to see the confinement of Israel as a proof of particularism. Even in this confinement God’s focus was on ‘the whole world’. In the history of Israel, that begins with the calling of Abraham, the rest of the world didn’t become a forgotten part of creation. On the contrary, ‘through’ Israel God opened a way to the rest of the world!

Narrowly linked with the universal motive in the Old Testament is the soteriological motive. That is the motive of rescue and release. The universal God is a God of rescuing and releasing. In the Old Testament it’s most clearly visible in the release of Israel from the slavery house of Egypt. The ultimate rescuing activity takes eventually place in the dead and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The theme itself however is much older.

Directly in the beginning of history God shows us his activity of salvation. In Genesis 1-11 the human beings turn themselves against God three times, and each time again God is giving a way out. He stretches out his hand and speaks words of propitiation and rescuing.

Universal sin & Universal release

The first crisis: the first sin

After the first sin the community between the first people and God was broken. But God didn’t give up the people. On contrary, the first missionary call sounds here in Genesis 3:9 when God called to the man “where are you?” God went to look after people. The missionary thought includes surging and finding lost people whom are separated from God by their own sin. What follows is the proto-evangelicum, the first notice of the gospel. Besides the curse of sin, God also gives a promise of salvation. This is the promise of the coming Messiah who will overcome evil.

The people were unfaithful to God again. God was bringing floodwaters on the earth and destroyed all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Only Noah and his whole family were saved. After this tragedy God gives a new begin. God gives Noah the promise that there will never be a flood like this again. More specific there was a promise for Noah’s son Shem. In Genesis 9:26-27 the Lord is called “the God of Shem” who will “live in the tents of Shem”. It is a promise of a special relationship between God and the descendants of Shem. In Genesis 3:15 there was the promise of someone from the seed of Eve who will break the power of sin; now a specification of this promise takes place. God points to the line of Shem. From this line descend both Abraham, David and Jesus of Nazareth.

The third sin of people against God reached its expression in the construction of the tower of Babel. The people said: “We'll become famous, and we won't be scattered all over the world” (Genesis 11:4). God recognized it as an attempt of people to become their own god. The construction of the tower is “just the beginning, soon they will be able to do anything they want”. As a reaction God confuses them by making them speak different languages.

But also this crisis was followed by a promise of God. This was the promise of the plural blessing of Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3. Among other things God says “You name will become famous”. This is a significant inversion of what was the aim of the people when they said “let’s make our name famous”. God doesn’t allow that people establish themselves autonomously, but gives his rich blessings to them who live in dependence to him.

The calling of Abraham is perhaps the most missiological passage in the Old Testament. This is the great command of the Old Testament! God said to Abraham: “Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you”. It sounds indeed as a story of a missionary. But moreover this is the story of a sender, a God who will use people to fulfill his aim. The God who has called Abraham is the same Lord who has created the heavens and the earth. With other words, we may never forget that the bible begins with the universe, not with planet earth. First after that with planet earth, not with Palestine. After that with Adam the father of the human being, not whit Abraham the father of the chosen race. Because God is the creator of the universe, the earth and the whole humanity, we are never allowed to degrade him to a tribe god like Chemos, the god of the Moabites or Molech, the god of the Ammonites. Even so we cannot assume that God chose Abraham because he lost his interest in the other people. We will see that God chose one man and his family so that by them he can bless all the other families on earth.

God gives Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 three promises:

1: I will make you into a great nation

2: I will bless you

3: I will make your name famous

These promises are directly followed by a reason: “You will be a blessing to others”. The rich blessing of Abraham was not meant for his own glory. He receives this blessing to be a blessing to others.

For those who find it hard to see the good news in Genesis 12:1-3 it is good to show that Peter and Paul saw it very clearly like that (Gal. 4:8; Rom4:13; Acts 3:25-26).