WORLD MISSIONS; GOD'S PLAN FOR HIS WORLD

Chris Marantika, Ph.D

History has repeated itself - it has come full circle. The Asian Church, where the missionary movement began, has for many centuries been a mission field. It is now ripe to become, once again, a mission force.

Logically, one has to go to “the missionary textbook” to see the divine blueprint for missions. Divine utterances in both the Old and New Testaments must be considered in order to see tbe motivations and methods that God has masterminded in His plan for the world.

The book of Beginnings (Genesis) naturally laid the foundation for divine missions. The Book was written to present the beginning of everything ,except GOD ! The things that were recorded there are the things that world mission is very much concerned with, namely : the universe (1:1), man (1:27) The Sabbath (2:2-3); marriage (2:22-24): sin (3:1-7), sacrifice and salvation (3:15, 21); the family (4:1-15), civilization (4:16-21), government (9:1-6); nations (11); Israel (12:1-3). It was also written to record God’s choice of Israel, and His covenant plan for the nation, so that the Israelites would have a spiritual perspective. Genesis shows how the sin of man was met by the intervention and redemption of God.

Looking from two important perspectives: One is God’s, plan and program, the other is God’s people - their roles and responsibilities. Two key verses that reflect the beginning of the motivation and method of missions are:

Genesis 3:15: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

Genesis 12:3: “And I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you, I will curse: and in you 2. the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The world was a divine project. It was God. The self—existing, all-wise and omnipotent Supreme Being who masterminded and created out of nothing ‘’the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).

He possesses the world, de facto and de jure. Genesis, Chapters 1 and. 2, give us a clear picture about the ideal world God intended should exist in history, even though there existed the Evil One. He originated world missions as the solution to save His World.

We, therefore, should go to the divine utterances, the Word of God, to see the divine blueprint for world missions. This book, the Bible, is the missionary textbook.

The logical question is, of course, why did God make a giant effort to save the world? Was he cornered by Satan. His enemy? The answer ia an emphatic NO!

May the reasons for missions as God’s plan for the-world motivate us to accept the divine calling to be a part of His project.

Marantika, Chris. Principles & Practice of World Mission, Yogyakarta: Iman Press, 2002