The Purpose of Missions

I have had a heart for missions since coming to Christ in 1977 at age 27. I have felt compassion for those in physical need - supporting children's homes and international relief missions. I have observed the devastation of the lack of God's Spirit in nations and cultures and supported efforts to see Christ revealed for the purpose of the joy that could come to those peoples. In short, my motive for missions involvement and activity has been compassion for needs and evangelism for salvation.

The Perspectives course study has begun to reveal to me that my motives, although having merit in helping people around the world, have been off the mark.

So, why missions? Are missions to be a compassionate response to human needs? - Yes! Are missions to evangelize and bring people to Christ for their ultimate joy and eternal life? - Yes!

But, although the benefits to people from mission work is compassion and evangelism, God's purpose is to bring glory to Himself from all nations, eliciting worship, thanks and praise. That should be our primary motivation as well. It seems on the surface a very subtle difference, but if we focus on missions existing to bring glory to God - for God - it prevents us from human focused compassion which can be fickle and influenced by our prejudices and other limitations. A motivation on God and His Glory in missions directs us beyond evangelism which stops at the "what" we need to do to follow Christ and emphasize the "why" - God's glory.

In Romans 15:8-9 Paul states that Christ came to fulfill the promises to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy.

Jesus' reason for cleansing the temple was not religious fervor but because,"my house will be called a house of prayer(to give glory to God) for all nations" IS. 56:6-7; Mark 11:17

God said through Moses, "Let my people go..." which seems like an act of compassion because they were in slavery, but the whole sentence is:"Let my people go so they may worship me."

One author I read wrote,"the ultimate value of people's salvation is not to be seen in what they are saved from, it is what they are saved for which really matters."

Another author summed this up as "God reveals His glory to all nations in order to receive glory from all nations" and "missions happen because worship is not"

I am changing my motivation for missions. I want to be in line with God's purposes in this world; moved by God's passion not my human compassion, moved by God's desire to draw mankind to Himself, not my human dogma of how it should be done.