Foundations for Christian Mission, Student Workbook, SW04

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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

Matt. 9.15 - And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” John 3.29 - The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. Rev. 21.2 - And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Eph. 5.25-27 - Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, [26] that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27] so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. According to this text, the love that a man has for his wife should be patterned upon the love that Jesus has for his people. Furthermore, the heart and goal of all apostolic ministry should be the preparation of the people of God for the ceremony and union ahead: “I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ” (2 Cor. 11.2). Christ is building his Church, his sacred company of disciples from all eras, places, and times, those whom he personally purchased for himself, and those who will serve him, with not even the gates of Hades being able to overcome their onslaught (Matt. 16.15-19). Any of us who have gone to a wedding know the difference between the bride as she ordinarily appears over against how she is adorned for the wedding day! In the same way, God is preparing for his Son a bride, a people, a divine assembly who will forever be at his side and who will reign with him in the coming Kingdom. This makes it simple and easy to understand the role of mission: the task of mission is to gather the remaining souls unto Christ, to fill up that number that has been given to him by his Father (John 6.44). Simply stated, there can be no salvation apart from the people of God in the body of Christ. If there is no Church, there can be no Christianity, no salvation, no hope for this world. An urbanized version of a saying by the great Latin father, Cyprian, makes this even more plain: “If the Church ain’t yo’ mama, then God ain’t yo’ daddy!” Yes, and amen! The clearest and most direct association occurs in our devotional text itself:

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