INTRODUCTION TO A BIBLICAL MISSIOLOGY
BAH 101
by
Dr. Cornelio Hegeman
(PhD in Christian Thought)
D.Min. in Missiology)
2005, 2013 (revision)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION TO A BIBLICAL MISSIOLOGY
PART ONE . REDEMPTIVE HISTORICAL SURVEY
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE
MISSIOLOGICAL SURVEY
PREFACE
LESSON ONE. THE CREATION
INTRODUCTION
- THE CREATOR AND HIS CREATION
1.The mission of God begins with the Creator
2.The creation is part of the history of redemption
3. The creation and missions involves four basic relationships
- GOD THE CREATOR
1.Knowledge of the true God
a. God is a mission God
b. God is one
c. God is eternal
d.God is sovereign
e.God is present
f.God is global
g.God is glorified
2.God’s creature is called to have a holy relationship with God
a.God reveals Himself in order to be worshipped and servedin holiness
b.God speaks about His mission through the Bible
c.God relates to His people through the gospel of Jesus Christ
d.God equips His servant/leaders to represent Him
e.God will be glorified
- THE CREATION OF THE HUMAN BEING
- The purpose of man is found in God’s mission
- Man is made in God’s image and not the image of animals.
- Human life is sacred.
- Human life is saved by Jesus.
- Man is created equality.
- Man is a moral being.
f. Man is immortal and all men will resurrect.
3.God made humans both male and female
4.Man was made to be part of a community
- CREATION AND SOCIETY
1.The cultural mandate
a.Culture
b.The role of Christians in culture
c.The role of science in culture
d.The family is society’s most basic social institution
e.Work
f.Government
2.The religious mandate
a.Religion
b.False religion
c.The relationship between the cultural and religious mandate
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
QUESTIONS
LESSON TWO. THE FALL
INTRODUCTION
- PSEUDO GOD
1.A pseudo-God communicates in an anti-biblical way
2.A pseudo-god gives distorted promises
3.Pseudo-gods will deny the persons of the trinity
- REBEL THOUGHT
- Monism
- Natural and theistic evolution
- REBEL MAN
1.Rebellious man is a missionary of his cause
- REBEL SOCIETY
1.A rebellious family
2.A rebellious employee and employer
3.A rebellious government
4.A rebellious culture
E.REBEL RELIGION
1.Rebellious religion
2.Rebellious Christianity
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
QUESTIONS
LESSON THREE. SALVATION
INTRODUCTION
A.RECONCILIATION WITH GOD
1.The promised Messiah era
2.The incarnate Messiah era
3.The risen Messiah era
4.The victorious Messiah era
B.PERSONAL SALVATION
1.Personal salvation starts with grace
2.Personal salvation is based on the Bible
3.Personal salvation continues through faith
4.Redemption in human relationships is expressed in discipleship
5.Discipleship leads to the formation of Christ’s community
6.Personal values are measured in terms of eternity
7.Personal salvation glorifies God
C.SANCTIFICATION IN SOCIETY
1.The reconciliation with God and the redemption as a believer have implications for the sanctification of a society and universal restoration.
2.God is reaching the nations in a special way
3.The Church is a society within society.
4.Sanctification of societies within society.
5.Sanctification of the family
6.Sanctification of education
7.Sanctification of work
8.Sanctification of government
9.Sanctification of culture
D.UNIVERSAL RESTORATION
1.The old and new creation
2.The already and not yet
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
QUESTIONS
LESSON FOUR. CONSUMATION
INTRODUCTION
A. THE CONSUMATION AND GOD
1.The emphasis of Jesus is to prepare us for the consummation
2.The mission of God has an eschatological dimensions
B. THE CONSUMATION AND PEOPLE
1.Eternity will be inhabited by two types of people
C. THE CONSUMATION AND HEAVEN, EARTH AND HELL
1.The mission of God includes heaven, earth and hell
2.The creation, fall and redemption process was necessary in order to have a new heaven and a new earth
3.There is continuity and discontinuity in the new heavens and new earth
4.The afterlife affirms that there is a moral kingdom
5.God’s mission is to preach the gospel until Jesus comes again
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
QUESTIONS
PART TWO. FOLLOW THE IMPERATIVES
INTRODUCTION
LESSON FIVE. MATTHEW 28:16-20
INTRODUCTION
- MAKE DISCIPLES
- Discipleship
a.The disciples worshipped the Lord
b. The disciples were divinely authorized
c.Discipleship does not have age limits
- Making disciples by going to the nations
a.Discipleship is international
b.Discipleship is inter-cultural
c. Discipleship is multi-lingual
3. Make disciples by baptizing in the name of the triune God
a.The tri-unity of God’s singular name reflects his unity of essence within his plurality of persons
b. There is no other god besides the God who Jesus has revealed
c. Water baptism affirms one’s identification with the true God and His gospel
4. Make disciples by teaching the whole counsel of God as revealed by Christ
a.Jesus instructs His disciples to teach other disciples ALL that which He taught them
b. Jesus instructs His disciples to observe or practice what was taught
- The promise for the disciple is the presence of God until the end.
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
QUESTIONS
LESSON SIX. MARK 16:15-16
INTRODUCTION
- PREACH
1. The gospel needs to be preached because it is part of God’s communication
2. The disciples are the preachers of the gospel
3. The gospel must be preached to all people throughout the whole creation
4.Going, believing and baptizing are to accompany the preaching of the Word
5. Gospel preaching must be done by local Christians
6.Gospel preaching is the central activity of the church
7. Preaching is accompanied by wondrous signs
a.Preaching and the casting out of demons
b.Preaching and the speaking with new tongues
c. Preaching, handling serpents, drinking poison and healing the sick
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
QUESTIONS
LESSON SEVEN. LUKE 24:36-49 AND ACTS 1: 6-8
INTRODUCTION
- TOUCH AND SEE
1. Historicity of Christ
2. Humanity of Christ
3. The physically risen Christ
4. The prophecies about Jesus
5. The witness to the redemptive mission of Jesus
B. BE WARNED, BE EMPOWERED AND BE WITNESSES
1.Be warned
2.The baptism of the Holy Spirit
a.The baptism of water does not make a Christian
b.The baptism of water is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit
c.The baptism of water is fullfilled in the baptism of the Holy Spirit
d.The baptism of the Spirit is not an influence but a complete immersion.
e.The baptism of the Spirit is directly related to the fulfillment of the Great Commission
3. Witnessing to Christ
4.Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
QUESTIONS
LESSON EIGHT. JOHN 20: 19-25
INTRODUCTION
- RECEIVE
1.Jesus offers peace and pardon may be received
2.Jesus sends apostles into world and so we receive our mission
3.The Holy Spirit is to be received
a.The disciple’s ability to participate in the mission of God will require the presence and power of God
4. The reception of the Holy Spirit are accompanied by redemptive benefits
a.The forgiveness of repented from sins is a benefit of a Spirit filled life
b.The retaining of unrepentant sins is the responsibility of Christians and the Church
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
QUESTIONS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
TEACHER’S MANUAL
BIOGRAPHY
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE COURSE
OBJECTIVE
The student will be introduced to the basic concepts of a biblical missiology. This is a beginner’s course for students seeking to understand their role in God’s mission.
GOALS
- Become familiar with missiological definitions and concepts.
- Examine our missionary motives from a biblical, contextual and philosophical perspective.
- Analyze our missiological commitments.
REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION
- Attend 15 hours of class that will include discussions about cross-cultural mission issues (15%).
- Complete the questions at the end of each chapter (25%)
- At the Bachelor level read 300 pages of missiological materials and write a 3 page report. At the masters level read 600 pages and write a 5 page report (25%). Make use of the MINTS digital resources.
- Write a paper about the cross-cultural missions taking place through your local church that is reaching invisible and vulnerable peoples (25%)
- Take the final exam (10%)[1]
RESOURCES
- The manual, An Introduction to Biblical Missiology. This manual may be reproduced without permission. If sections are copied, it is expected that due academic recognition will be given. Please do not change the contents of the manual.
- Author’s e-mail: . The author is always available via internet.
MISSIOLOGICAL SURVEY
- The essence of missions is:
- evangelize
- to be sent
- to believe
- to work
- The mission of God on earth begins with:
- the apostle Paul
- the first coming of Jesus
- Pentecost
- In eternity and with the creation
- The Great Commission is mentioned in:
- Psalm 23
- Acts 1:8
- Isaiah 53
- John 17
- The best way to communicate the gospel is:
- in the original languages of the Bible
- in English
- in the language of the communicator
- in the language of the hearer
- The main imperative in the Great Commission according to Matthew 28:19-20 is:
a.Go therefore
b. Make disciples
c. Baptizing them
d Teaching them
6.The imperative in the Great Commission according to Mark’s gospel is:
a.Make disciples
b. Be baptized
c. Preach
d. Receive the Holy Spirit
7.The imperatives of Luke’s account of the Great Commission in chapter 24 are:
a.Make disciples
b.Receive the Holy Spirit
c.Behold, handle and see
d. Be my witness
8.The imperative in the Great Commission according to John 20: 19-23 is:
a.Send
b.Receive the Holy Spirit
c.Go
d.Forgive
9.What is the essence of the Great Commission command of Jesus as recorded in Acts 1:8?
a.Be prepared for His return
b.Be witnesses to Him
c.Make disciples
d.Believe
10. True or false
As the Father has sent Jesus so Jesus sends his disciples
PREFACE
The mission of God is a historical and integral advancement of His kingdom. It is historical because it involves God’s sovereign and gracious actions in creation, the fall, redemption and the consummation. It is integral as seen in the imperatives and participles in the accounts of the Great Commission: make disciples, worship Christ, preach the gospel, give witness to the resurrected Christ, receive the Holy Spirit and bearing witness by the Spirit to Jesus Christ throughout the word.
This course develops mission theory from a biblical theological basis. The first part of the course looks at the whole scope of Scriptures. The first four lessons analyze the redemptive historical development of missions, starting with the creation (lesson one); the fall (lesson two), the salvation (lesson three) and consummation (lesson four). The second part is a literary and grammatical analysis of the Great Commission of Jesus: lesson five (Matthew 28:16-20), lesson six (Mark 16:15-16); lesson seven (Luke 24:36-49; Acts 1: 6-8); and lesson eight (John 20: 19-23).
This course is the first in a series of missiology courses. The others that have been written by the author so far include: Regional Mission History (Ethnic Disfranchisement, Mission to the People); Missionary Biographies (Nella, One Stroke at a Time); and Missionary Case History (Serving the Least of These My Brethren). I would also include Evangelical Identity and Christ Sanctifies Culture as missiological works.
MINTS professors and students have written several missiological works. Julian Zugg. Biblical Foundations for Missions develops the Old Testament basis and motifs for missions (lessons one to three). He stresses the work of the Holy Spirit (lesson four) and gives an extensive review of Pauline missiology (lessons five to eight). The present study emphasis the role of creation as well as the Great Commission and so compliments Zugg’s writings on post Abrahamic developments and Pauline missiology.
Susana Morales. Biografías Misioneras, is a Spanish study on the biographies of great missionaries in China, India, Africa, South America, North America and Asia.
Norberto Quezada, for his doctoral studies with MINTS, provided materials on church growth, evangelism and missions in Cuba and Latin America (Autonomía de la Iglesia) On the basis of his studies and involvement as Rector of the Los Pinos Seminario en Cuba, Norberto developed a study program, using MINTS materials, which reached over 7,000 Cuban students.
Colombian writers such as Julio Benítez, Rafael Leal, Leonel Ortiz, Ismael Quintero, Rubén Reyes, José Ríos, Mara Parra, Luis Pieschacón, Javier Gil and the autor contributed to writing La Reforma en Colombia. This mission history of the reformation in Colombia has served as a model for writing similar national histories in Mexico and Peru.
Ramón Olmo Velázquez, in Plantación de Iglesias, translated a PCA document on Church Planting. He also wrote,Ciudado pastoral del misionero.
The author uses several hermeneutical principles in order to develop this introductory course on missions, namely, the history of redemption approach combined with an historical grammar method. Lessons 1-4 is developed according the history of redemption: creation, fall, redemption and consummation. Lesson 5-8 looks at the imperatives in each of the accounts of the Great Commission from a literary-historical grammatical perspective. Other methods could have been included such as a systematic theological, biographical or historical approach. These approaches are worked out in other writings by the author.
The overall purpose of this course is five fold: 1) Glorify the triune and true God for His kingdom and mission; 2) Understand the historical and integral dimensions of God’s mission; 3) Prepare the church and missionaries to participate in the mission of God; 4) Equip Christians with mission literature and resources; and 5) Implement an integral strategy for global missions.
LESSON ONE
THE CREATION
“He is the image of the invisible God, the first born over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is in the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may have the preeminence” (Col. 1: 15-18).
INTRODUCTION
God’s creation goal is not for us to evolve into a superman, to be an actualized person, or a democratic voter, but by faith in Christ we look to love God, serve Him, be raised with Christ and live with Him forever. Only that will glorify God and satisfy the deepest human needs. We are on a mission to be part of the City of God, the city made without hands, the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ.
Mission means to be sent. Jesus said to his apostles, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20: 21). Did Jesus only send the apostles? With the dying of the original apostles, did missions end? To the contrary, the apostles prepared disciples, church members, elders, deacons, pastors, teachers, evangelists and all of the saints in order to continue the mission of God. For that reason all of God’s people need to study and participate in missions.[2]
Missiology is the systematic study of missions.[3] Christian missiology studies the mission of God.[4] The word missions come from the Latin missio and the Greek apostello, meaning to send. The essence of mission is its sending character. The mission of God systematically moves on in history and expands throughout the globe.[5] The expansion is documented in the flow of history recorded in the Bible as well as mission history. The nature and principles of this growth is summarized in the Great Commission given by the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christian missiology is based on God’s revelation. God’s special revelation to His people is the Bible, the Word of God and the witness to Jesus Christ, the gospel. God’s general revelation in nature, culture, history and science will conform to God’s special revelation.
Missiology needs to take into consideration the whole scope of Scripture. In order to honor this, lesson one will start at the beginning of the Bible and proceed with a running commentary right until the last Bible book. Such an approach can be called a history of redemption method of interpretation of the Bible. Obviously, this is not the only method of biblical interpretation but it is helpful if one seeks to give a well balanced, historical and Christ centered perspective about missions.
Part one of lesson one deals with the Creator and His creation. Three sub-sections are developed according to the themes of: God, human beings and society. Lesson two is about the nature and results of the Fall into sin. The sub-sections include speaking about the pseudo gods, rebel man, rebellious institutions and rebellious religion. The third lesson is about restoration. This part of the Bible is the most extensive and it comprehensively covers the areas of life. Its sub-sections will address the themes of reconciliation with God, personal salvation, the sanctification of society and finally, universal restoration. Lesson four has to do with the final consummation, the realities of God’s people being part of the New Jerusalem that is destined to be part of the new heaven and new earth. Here the author speaks about the God of eternity, people’s destiny, as well as the new heaven, the new earth and eternal hell.
A. THE CREATOR AND HIS CREATION
The mission of God begins with the being, attributes and purpose of the Creator. Only a God who created people can save people, forgive them their sins, use them as servants to accomplish His will and prepare them for eternity.
1.The mission of God begins with the Creator
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1: 1, NKJV, New King James Version). There are those who believe that God’s mission begins with salvation. Even though salvation is intrinsic to the mission of God it is not the beginning or the end, but a means to an end. The goal of mission is God’s glory. God’s created the existing heavens and earth in order to one day create the new heavens and new earth. The existing heaven and earth is a preparatory stage, a platform for the new heavens and new earth. In order to understand the existing as well as new creation, we must begin with understanding the Creator and His glory.
2.The creation is part of the history of redemption
The mission of God is planned by God and is implemented with the creation, continues in dealing with sin, brings restoration through faith in Jesus Christ and moves toward the final consummation. The mission of God is universal in that it affects the whole creation, every creature and in all situations.