Foundations for Christian Mission, Mentor's Guide, MG04

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F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

7. In what sense can we say that mission affirms and proclaims God’s covenant faithfulness in Jesus as the present day fulfillment of his promise to Abraham and David? How does making disciples of all nations in obedience to the Great Commission represent the expression of the fulfilled promise to the nations (cf. Gal. 3 with Rom. 16.25-27, Col. 1.25-29, and Eph. 3.1-10)? 8. Why does this motif of promise and fulfillment lie at the heart of the missionary enterprise? Is it possible to clearly proclaim the Gospel in mission without reference to Jesus’ fulfillment of the promise to Abraham and David? Why or why not? This lesson focuses upon two distinct motifs of mission that enable us to get the “big picture” of what God has been doing in the world, and how it relates to our task of advancing his kingdom reign. The following statements represent the central concepts covered in the lesson, and ought to be reviewed again for emphasis and understanding. (Always remember, to have the same concepts repeated and reviewed is to ensure their mastery, cf. Josh. 1.8; Phil. 3.1.) The term “prolegomena” means “first word,” and the prolegomena to mission must begin with a biblical worldview of God and his work in the world in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Mission can be defined as “the proclamation of God’s offer of salvation and redemption in the person and work of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit to all people groups.” A biblical understanding of mission contains certain elements which can be deduced from a reading of the Scriptures themselves. Mission must be grounded upon a clear understanding of God and his purposes for the universe, and relate all the details of history to a single unified whole. A biblical view of mission, too, must be rooted in the Scriptures themselves, anchored in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and take seriously the biblical way of discussing mission through image, picture, and story. Four major theological frameworks/pictures of mission can be found in Scripture, i.e., Mission as the Drama of All Time (God as the major character in the greatest plot motif of all time), as the Fulfillment of the Divine Promise (God fulfilling his covenant promise in Jesus Christ), as the Romance of the

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Summary of Key Concepts

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