Mere Missions

I ntroduction • 23

Kingdom Society are authorized and sent (Acts 3.1-3) with the task to win converts to Jesus through Gospel proclamation leading to the establishing of functioning, multiplying communities of the Kingdom who will, as disciples of the Lord Jesus, be obedient to the second and third mandates. I will talk more about these in the chapter on the Gospel. Keeping the three mandates distinguished will keep the Church clear and, give freedom and wisdom to maximize the stewardship of her time talent, and treasure. It is not the mission of the church to aim at the total reorganization of the whole social value and fabric. That is the mission of humanity, and as I already mentioned, we are failing and heading for destruction. What we can be assured of, however, is that the early Christian church were not merely interested in the disembodied souls of the lost. The Nazarene argued that we would be judged in how we responded to the hungry, thirsty, naked, stranger, the sick, and the prisoner. Wherever the Gospel was accepted, believers demonstrated the power and grace of Christ in tangible deeds of love, justice, and hospitality. Believers started the first hostels, some of the first hospitals for the poor, and performed works of generosity and mercy for the outcast and the broken. Even in the writings of Christianity’s earliest detractors Christians are described as the defenders of the image of God in every person in society. They even cared for slaves, children, and women! Literally, to be a believer was to shine a light that revealed the justice, freedom, and wholeness of the Kingdom before unbelieving eyes and hearts. Believers in their acts of charity and grace proved themselves true to Christ’s injunction: “Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5.16, ESV). So, the pathway of the Gospel for world transformation appeared, at first glance, to take a less-than-direct approach