Biblical Theology of Missions

The following post are my notes of Dr. John Ewart’s lecture on missions.

The bible presents a grand narrative of mission from Genesis to Revelation. That big story is the whole point of Scripture. Knowing this helps us understand the various parts of the BIble.

Missions In the Old Testament

Do we even see missions in the Old Testament?

Christopher Wright in his book The Mission of God says, “The Old Testament is shaped by the very nature of the mission of the New Testament church, which, indeed felt compelled to justify its mission practice from the Scriptures we now call the Old Testament.”

The early followers of Christ understood that the Old Testament had foreshadowed Christ and the preaching of forgiveness. See Luke 24:46-47

Seven Missional Themes

Dr. Bruce Ashford sees 7 missional themes in Scripture:

1. The Nations

2. The Messiah

3. Salvation

4. Condmnation

5. Worship

6. Suffering

7. Prayer

Views of Scripture & Missions

The following post are my notes of Dr. John Ewart’s lecture on missions.

An honest and high view of Scripture will lead to a strong missiology. In order to understand the grand drama of missions in the Bible, one must have a proper view of the Bible. Our theology will affect our theology of missions. So how do you see the Scriptures?

Three Views of Scripture

1. Human Constructivist
- Anti-supernatural
- Liberal or atheist
- The Bible is a completely human book
- It is simply an expression of inner feeling or fantasy
- This view of Scripture will lead to a social ministry mentality missiology

Stages of Harvesting

The following are my notes of Dr. Ewart’s lecture at SEBTS.

1. Sowing

Sowing pictures scattering seed over a large area.

2. Planting

Planting pictures intentional focus in a target area.

3. Watering

Watering is aimed at growth and development.

4. Reaping

Reaping is gathering of the fruit.

What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:5-9)

How Did Jesus Treat People With Sexual Sin?

The following post is the 5th of a 5 part series of posts on “Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality?” In this 5th post I will be answering the question “How Did Jesus Treat People With Sexual Sin?” If you would like to see the other questions addressed in this series of posts, then just click the links below:

Pt. 1 – Is Homosexuality A Sin?

Pt. 2 – Are People Born Gay?

Pt. 3 – Is Homosexuality Worse Than Other Sins?

Pt. 4 – Can Someone Be A Homosexual Christian?

I originally wrote the content of these posts when I was asked to address these questions at a summer youth camp. The intended purpose of these posts are to help Christians who already have a firm conviction about the authority of Scripture. I want them to better understand what the Bible teaches about homosexuality. So my hope is that these truths will help instruct Christians who want to share the gospel with the homosexuals they know.

How Did Jesus Treat People With Sexual Sin?

As I finish out this series of posts on homosexuality I want to finish by looking at the life of Jesus. It often seems like many people in the church today are confused about who Jesus is and what he was like. So in this final post I want to share 3 lessons I have learned about the life of Jesus that have impacted the way I think about loving homosexuals.

Lesson # 1  - Jesus Would Spend Time With Homosexuals

I love how in Luke 5:27-32 the religious leaders are grumbling about the way Jesus spent his time with the people they thought were “terrible sinners.” It makes me think that in today’s day Jesus would have often tried to spend time with homosexuals.

Can Someone Be A Homosexual Christian?

The following post is the 4th of a 5 part series of posts on “Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality?” In this 4th post I will be answering the question “Can Someone Be A Homosexual Christian?” If you would like to see the other questions addressed in this series of posts, then just click the links below:

Pt. 1 – Is Homosexuality A Sin?

Pt. 2 – Are People Born Gay?

Pt. 3 – Is Homosexuality Worse Than Other Sins?

Pt. 5 – How Did Jesus Treat People With Sexual Sin?

I originally wrote the content of these posts when I was asked to address these questions at a summer youth camp. The intended purpose of these posts are to help Christians who already have a firm conviction about the authority of Scripture. I want them to better understand what the Bible teaches about homosexuality. So my hope is that these truths will help instruct Christians who want to share the gospel with the homosexuals they know.

Can Someone Be A Homosexual Christian?

Like some of the other questions in this series, this question can be a bit tricky. If I were to be asked this question in a conversation I probably would not want to just answer it right away. Instead I would want to know what the person asking the question means by “homosexual Christian.”

What makes someone a homosexual? Is it having homosexual desires or temptations? Is it having a history of homosexual activity in your life? Does it mean that you are currently practicing homosexual behavior?

How we define what makes someone a homosexual really makes a big difference in how we answer this question.

Is Homosexuality Worse Than Other Sins?

The following post is the 3rd of a 5 part series of posts on “Frequently Asked Questions About Homosexuality?” In this 3rd post I will be answering the question “Is Homosexuality Worse Than Other Sins?” If you would like to see the other questions addressed in this series of posts, then just click the links below:

Pt. 1 – Is Homosexuality A Sin?

Pt. 2 – Are People Born Gay?

Pt. 4 – Can Someone Be A Homosexual Christian?

Pt. 5 – How Did Jesus Treat People With Sexual Sin?

I originally wrote the content of these posts when I was asked to address these questions at a summer youth camp. The intended purpose of these posts are to help Christians who already have a firm conviction about the authority of Scripture. I want them to better understand what the Bible teaches about homosexuality. So my hope is that these truths will help instruct Christians who want to share the gospel with the homosexuals they know.

Is Homosexuality Worse Than Other Sins?

Out of all the questions in this series, I tend to think this one might be the hardest to answer because I believe there are two right answers. In short, I believe the answer to this question is YES and NO.

Let me first explain in what ways the answer is NO. In order to do this I think we need to step back and ask this question about all sins. Another way to phrase the question might be to ask, “Is there a biblical perspective that teaches all sins are equal?”