The Theme Of World Missions And The Great Commissions

The theme of this thesis as given is “World Missions and the Great Commissions”. The words Missions or Missionary are not found in the bible but are good words that we need to understand what they mean. The word Missions comes from a Latin word Mitto which means I send. God’s purpose is to make Himself known and to achieve this purpose, He sends certain people on Missions. Those whom God sends are called Missionaries meaning sent ones. Although the bible does not have the words “Missions” or “Missionary”, it does however have much to say about God sending people into the world (Chichetu 2014).
The Great Commission: Tells us what we are to do and where
More than two thousand years ago, Jesus told us to take the Gospel to the whole world.
Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
I have commanded you and behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.”

2. Mark 16:15 emphasizes the breadth and quantity of the sowing.
“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

3. Luke 24:46--‐47 shows the surety of the Great Commission.
And said to them, “Thus it is written: that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem.”

4. John 20:21 shows Jesus as the model of the Great Commission. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

5. Acts 1:8 speaks of the extent of the Great Commission.
“ ……….My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Eshleman
In as much as they were successful in some areas of their missions, they also faced some failures. One’s approach to a subject determines the outcome. When the Apostle Paul did mission work, he faced many challenges and then came up with a strategy which helped him; (1 Corinthians 9:20),“To the Jews I became as a Jew inorder to win the Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law”. This action by Apostle Paul of being like one of them shows how he took time to learn about the people he wanted to preach to before preaching to them. As they were in the new dispensation of Jesus Christ, they were no longer expected to live by the Mosaic Law. Most Jewish rituals and rites were fulfilled by the coming and dying of Jesus Christ as they were a shadow of the things to come. An example of how believers were urged not to follow Jewish rites and ritual is Colossians 2:18 which says, “Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind” (ESV 2012). Instead of worshipping angels Apostle Paul reminded them that their new faith required them to worship God alone and trust in Jesus Christ. This is a problem that comes into play whenever there is an interaction of two or more cultures or religions. The