'The Basis and Motivation For Missions' The basis for missions today is the Commission to the church. God gave the church the responsibility of reaching the world. The Commission was first given on the day of resurrection of Christ, in the city of Jerusalem (Luke 24). The second time He gave it is sometime later in Galilee (Matt. 28). And finally on the Mount of Olives just before Christ left and ascended to the Father (Acts 1). Luke 24 specifically shows that the church was already growing to more than the apostles (Luke 24:9, 33). Christ appeared and delivered the Commission to this group of believers, probably the 120 (Luke 24:36, 46-48). In Matt. 28 speaks of the brethren, which would be the saved, gathered at Jerusalem. In I Cor. 15:6, the Lord appeared to 500 brethren, most probable time that this could have happen was at His commissioning of the church. In Acts 1 the Lord gives the local church the responsibility to do evangelistic work, locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally (Acts 1:8). The church was command to make disciples, baptize and teach these people the commandments of God. It is the responsibility of the church to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16). The pattern of missions was first to those closest and then to those far away. Believers make up that local church and every person is to do missions work either locally or abroad (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). Our first obligation is to our relatives and friends (Mark 5:19-20). The Gaderene that was gloriously saved was to go to his friends and family and tell them the great things the Lord had done to him. Andrew, found his brother Peter and brought him to hear Jesus and to be saved (John 1:41-42). Therefore, the work of missions starts with your own personal family and extends to your relatives. Your first mission field is your family. Your second obligation is to people of your own culture and ethnic group (Rom. 9:1-2; 10:1). Reach out to those with similar backyard and locality. Our obligation is home missions before world missions. We need to reach the "heathen" at home before we take and spend hard to get finances abroad. There is absolutely no reason for there to be unreached people in your hometown and spend thousands of dollars on those abroad. The primary focus should be local and nationals before a church spends its energy internationally. Nationals always reach nationals best. In the New Testament, churches started local churches first.
Is America being forgotten by it own churches? America ought to be the primary focus of American churches. It is here that we can build strong churches to reach out to the uttermost after we have reached our Judea. The Bible pattern for missions is spelled out in the Book of Acts. The church at Jerusalem was the first to do missions work. Philip won Samaritans to the Lord, later Peter and John went there to help establish the church there.
From Antioch Paul and Barnabas went out and established churches throughout the region. After they finished the work they returned to the church. They never as missionaries were separated from the authority of that church. Peter and John both did local and regional missions work, but I don't know it can our be proved that they Pastors of the there works. The basis for missions is found in the goal of Jesus to destroy the works of Satan. It was the goal of Jesus to seek and to save the lost and that is therefore what the heart beat of what the church should do.
The work of missions is the desire of 3 persons: the spirit of God, the church of God, and the Son of God (Rev. 22:17). Revelation which was written to 7 local churches and establishes the need to call men everywhere to come to Jesus for eternal life. The Holy Spirit works with the church to convict the sinner of sin, righteousness and judgment to come and points to the Son, the one who's blood can cleanse and make a man whole. (John 16:8, 14). The Holy Spirit worked mightily on the day of Pentecost which lead to an explosion in church members is just one day (Acts 2). Wherever the Holy Spirit had free course in the church of Jerusalem mission work prevailed. The church is the pillar and ground of the truth and as such is to present the Gospel so that the lost can be saved. Where there are no preachers and preaching, few if any will be saved (Rom. 10). We must send out missionaries from our own local church to reach into the regions beyond. Every church member is to cry aloud, and say come, to those that are weary and heavy laden. It is the churches responsibility to declare unto the people that they are responsible for their personal sin. The church is to declare the only way of salvation to all nations. The message is universal. Christ is the way and the only way to the Father (John 14:6). The Holy Ghost is to open the eyes of the lost to their condemnation and to lighten the holy Scriptures. Christ's parting words are our rightful charge to preach, go, and teach. The message of missions is to be universal, it is for all people. Christ called the church to seek to persuade all men everywhere that they must be reconciled to the God of all. The whole world is our field and until all men everywhere are Christians, which will never happen, we have no right to stop trying to reach out with the gospel message. All around the world there are places without churches for hundreds of miles, possibly thousands of miles, yet Christians will stay at home, not even reaching out in their own community. The local church is to send out preachers (Mark 16:15; Rom. 10:13-17). Without doing so, it is failing to do God's work. Preach the message of condemnation and regeneration. With our increased technology and ability to go anywhere on the globe in a matter of hours or at the very least in days how come so little is being done to reach the lost. God commands every single New Testament church to reach the world. It is the responsibility at some point during the life of each church to reach out beyond it nation to the uttermost. We need to start at home and extend out further and further year by year starting new churches. As churches are started they in turn can do missions work. Our view cannot be small, selfish and inward. God has given each Christian a desire to see the lost saved. We need to as whole church body to take this church commission seriously, souls are without God and without hope. Without the preaching of the word, people will go to Hell. Hell is a place prepared for all rebels and wicked person. (Matt. 25:41). We need a vision of the everlasting torment that the lost shall go through day and night (Rev. 20:10). God will vent His wrath out upon these lost souls (Rom. 9:32; Is. 66:24). With this torment there will be not rest (Rev. 14:11). It will be such an uncomprehendable tortuous punishment that it would be better to do without your hand, eye or feet than to end up there (Mark 9:43-48). The fire there is unquenchable, forever. The minds of those who die lost will never see comfort, their conscience will bear record of lost opportunities to be saved (Luke 16).
Their mind will never rest or be at peace, but will be filled with pain and regret (Rev. 14:11). God is totally right and righteous in punishing them for they chose to go after their own way, to break God's law and to reject God's provision for salvation. Great sinners, self righteousness sinners and all unbelievers will end up there so we as Christians and New Testament churches have the responsibility to get the message out (Rev. 21:8). No one shall escape Hell if they neglect salvation (Acts 4:12; Heb. 9:22). The job of missions is to present Christ to all, so they may have opportunity to accept or reject (John 3:16-18; 1:12). 'Go ye into all world,' it is the commanded to all Christians. I doubt whether God ever planned for His churches to send out professional missionaries. Rather, God scattered the first church in Antioch and in other places. Jesus had a missionary vision 'I will draw all men unto me.' God will draw if we will only Go. The cults go and Satan draws does he not? Look at the Islam religion it has spread just in the same way, Christianity ought to have spread and it has. It has moved from one city, to a country, to neighboring countries to now even America. I believe Baptists in general have in recent years gotten the battle plan for missions all messed up. We have not built from a single church, to local churches, to regional churches (saturating a region), to national movements (hundreds, thousands, etc.), until all are reached then finally going out further. I believe it can be proved that God will take an open hearted individual to a place where there is the gospel light if he truly is searching. What we need today is 'movement' missions where one church starts many local churches that start churches, until churches reach to the uttermost. I am tired of hearing about only certain people going out to start churches. Helpers for key missionaries is scriptural. If only a church would be willing to send out teams of members, with a single missionary leader whom they follow to start churches we would see churches started year by year, not once in blue moon. The idea of sending a man to one town for life must change. I don't believe God ever intended for men with a missionaries heart to settle down and stay put and become lifelong Pastors. Missions is going, preaching, baptizing, establishing (teaching) and repeating. Our motivation to reach the lost must be love. The world must hear that Jesus is the Son of God. He is the center of Christianity, God's religion. Through Christ men find God and without Him they will die in their sins. God is the Father of the Son and entrance to God is by Him alone this message must reach out far beyond our local church. We must bring the message of the Saviour of the world to all nations. By the cross He made reconciliation to God possible for all (II Peter 3:9). The whole center of missions work must be this gospel message. The missionary must be crucified to the world. We must bring the message that Jesus Christ died because He loves sinful man, and by His resurrection He brings hope and peace, forgiveness, justification and salvation to all who will come to Him and receive Him. The gospel message is Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). The missionaries calling is to preach the Gospel therefore to the world for life. It calls for people to be spend and spent for others (II Cor. 12:15). His ministry is primarily preaching the cross (I Cor. 1). In Acts 2, Peter preached. In Acts 4, Peter and John were preaching. In Acts 10, Peter is preaching. In Acts 16, Paul and Barnabas are preaching. The focus of missions is preaching Christ and Him crucified. Paul commanded Timothy to preach (II Tim. 4:1-2). Preaching is vital to the salvation of souls, therefore, we need missionaries to preach (Rom. 10:14-15).
It seems from what I have heard and studied that most if not all regional or international work is to be done by God-led men from a local church who God separates to go (Acts 13:1-5). God calls one man, usually two do this work (Acts 13:2). He sends them as well as the church (Acts 13:3). They go out and preach being led of God. Where they found open people, who got saved, they would ground them in truth after they were baptized and then these missionaries would appoint elders or pastors over these new church bodies. I know some would argue that both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and uttermost should be done all at once, but I disagree. In Acts you never see this and in real life you don't either. The best way to conquer in war is one city at a time until that area has been conquered (or preached to). I am not for not going to the uttermost, but I don't believe it is wise to try to start a church 700 or 2,000 miles away without first trying to reach our Judaea. I believe God has sent "foreigners" to America and our country to show us that the uttermost could be reached if we reached these "foreigners" locally and they went to the uttermost. God in general used a two by two method but there was always a lead person (Mark 6; Acts 13). Love is our motivation for missions (II Cor. 5:13- 15). Love influences actions. Our debt to the world and to Christ ought to motivate churches to do missions work (Rom. 1:14-15). True love for God will lead to obedience to God, therefore a church that loves most will seek to obey Christ's Commission (Matt. 28). The work of missions is to be done as co-laborers (II Cor. 6:1-2). God goes with the missionary and the church (Matt. 28:30). God calls for men to go, for God promises and declares that the harvest is ready if we will only go (John 4:34-35). Sadly, few work and time is running out for the night is coming when no man will work and lost will not be saved (Jer. 8:20-22; John 9:4). The work of missions ought to be done because we are bought with a price (I Cor. 6:19-20). It should be done willingly and lawfully (II Tim. 2:5). The work ought not be grievous because we love Him (I John 5:3-5). Salvation ought motivate the saved to do missions work (Is. 9:16). Paul seen telling others as a necessity, not of convenience or wanting to. We need to be motivated to do missions work because we are called to be faithful stewards with the Gospel (Matt. 25). If we are Christians would we not be constrained to do what Christ did? He came to seek and to save the lost and we are to seek and to let Christ save the lost (Luke 19). He ordered us to go and tell the world about Him. If we do not we are lazy, disobedient, rebellious and wicked servants. We need to be motivated by the promise that going will result in reaping! We are called to follow in His steps (I Peter 2:21).
I want to conclude by saying missions work is not for the weak. It is supposed to be for the strong in Christ. For those who won't quit (II Cor. 11:22-33). It is for those who have studied to show themselves approved of God who have a good handle on the Scriptures. The saying your either are a missionary or a mission field is totally scriptural. You're either to do local, regional, or international work (Acts 1:8). Only those who proved faithful at home were sent abroad (Acts 13). If one church could get every member involved in missions [in] their region, the world would be greatly impacted in time.