Kingdom Strikes Back: Mission and Missionary (Part 2)
The prototype of the”Great Commission” is found in Isaiah 49:6: “…a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” After the Babylonian captivity, a question arose: “Can God change his mind?” There was a consensus among the Jewish intellectuals that since his people disobeyed, God might have changed his mind and stopped loving them. Still, in their hearts they had hope that a deliverer would come. The Jews thought Jesus was going to destroy the Roman Empire and establish a Jewish kingdom.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel.” The kingdom strikes back. The season of God has come! By choice, humans joined the enemy’s camp. At first, it seemed as though the enemy was winning. But God had a plan to take back the world from the enemy. The author of Mark’s gospel saw God’s redemptive story unfolding before his very eyes. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus destroyed the power of sin and death and restored God’s rule.
The kingdom of God is at hand. But it is not quite here yet. Until God completes this restoration of his kingdom, we have an errand to run.
Kingdom Strikes Back: Mission and Missionary (Part 1)
How can we read the Bible through the lens of God’s mission?
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth,” speaks about two aspects of God’s character: love and justice. God loves to show off his love. At the same time, he is the God of justice. His rule on earth as it is in heaven was interrupted by human failure. The enemy’s deception and the fall of man were the catalysts for God’s world mission.
God’s mission is to restore his rule on earth. Very soon he will destroy Satan’s counterfeit kingdom and establish his own kingdom. Since the beginning of time, God has been moving forward with this world-mission task. We are called to to participate and accomplish God’s world mission purpose in our own generation.
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