Mere Missions

J esus I s L ord : E ndearment • 39

There is no Lord like our Lord. We would be doomed to an eternal dark separation of anguish and pain for all eternity if it were not for the kindness, grace, and mercy of our Lord. He is worthy to be blessed, praised, and worshipped. But what about in the context of missions? What kind of Lord is He that we can take full confidence, never shrinking back, knowing the surety of who He is declared to be as Lord in this spiritual war we find ourselves engaged in daily, hourly, and sometimes minute-by-minute? This is a critical question to answer as it will dictate how and if the Church will keep moving forward in missions. The primary motif of Scripture is a warfare motif. From Genesis 3.14-15 to Revelation 20.7-10, and everything in between, the Bible unfolds this motif of conflict and conquest between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan. When the Church sees the “war” for what it really is, then everyone will want to play their part. The clearer the Church sees the conflict and Jesus as Christus Victor, she will move forward in missions as priests of the Most High God, never shrinking back. To have a clear picture of what kind of Lord Jesus is in the context of missions we must look through the prism of this warfare motif. What is the purpose , priority , and plan of these two Kingdoms’ governments, that are in conflict? Once we understand this, we can take a look at the Lord of missions with confidence and move forward to multiply. The purpose of each kingdom is to rule and reign. The Almighty God, the Sovereign Creator of all things seen and unseen, is the rightful supreme ruler. Satan’s attempted seizure of power (Isa. 14.13-14) in a time before our time, led to his expulsion from God’s Kingdom domain and rule. He was expelled from the heavenlies and claimed the earth as his domain as the “prince of the power of the air.” As a prince he tempted Jesus to relinquish his rule and reign when he, “took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him,