God’s Heart Beats for Missions

Dr. Tan Kok Beng

---

We worship the God of Missions. God’s heart beats for missions. We know that because He has revealed this in His Word

God’s will is that all men be saved. Consider the following:

who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, (1 Tim. 2:4-5). 

It is not God’s will that any person should perish, but desires that all men come to repentance in Christ (2 Pet. 3:9):

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Hence He commands all men to repent (Acts 17:30-31):

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.

If we don’t repent we will perish (Luke 13: 3):

I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

God Loves Us and Gave His Son for Us

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16).

God proves His love for all mankind by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die for all sinners (Rom. 5:8):

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

How can we not believe His love when He has sacrificed His Son for us? This fact must also make us realize that He wants all men to know Christ and be saved. If we are not involved in this mission of God then we don’t really love God.

God Commands Us to Preach the Gospel

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. (Mark 16:15).

This is called the Great Commission.

Christian is a Supernatural Person – A New Creation

Remember that a Christian is a supernatural person, unlike others. The reason being that he is a new creation in Christ and has the power of God, the Holy Spirit, living in and through him. That makes him a “miniature” Christ, and therefore more is expected of him: he must live like Jesus!

Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:6).

This is our primary goal in the mission field.

Holiness Is Commanded of Us!

One hallmark of Christ-likeness is holiness. Christ is the Light and therefore His followers are also lights shining in this dark world:

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16) 

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out[a] the word of life-in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. (Phil.2: 14-16).

It is in living a holy and righteous life that we show the world we are different. Paul tells us that the Church is like a pure virgin and spotless, holy bride:

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. (2 Cor.11:2) 

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. (Eph.5:25-27).

Thus the Christian is committed to keeping himself holy and unstained from the world. Only then can he make an impact on the world and qualify for heaven:

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Heb. 12:14).

Only in holiness can he have an intimate relationship with his Master.

The Reasons for Living a Holy Life on the Mission Field and Everywhere

God is holy and all His children must be holy:

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16).

That is the divine standard; anything less is displeasing to Him.

God’s calling and will is holiness:

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (1 Thess.4:3-7).

Not to do so is unbecoming of a Christian.

The New Creation

The new creation makes us new people, so that the old life is gone.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor.5:17).

We have received the new nature of Christ and therefore must live like Him:

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Col. 3:5-12).

The power of God in us, the Holy Spirit, enables us to live a holy life:

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8).

No Excuse for a Christian Not Living a Holy Life!

A Christian cannot excuse himself for not living a holy life, because God’s DNA is in him:

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. (1 John 3:9).

The Bible commands us to be separate-not to live and behave like those who do not know the Lord. We are to free ourselves from the contamination of flesh and spirit so that we may “perfect holiness in the fear of God” (2 Cor.7:1).

A true believer is committed to living a holy life that is pleasing to God. Only then will we live in victory and abundance, enjoying the blessings of God.

Since there is always the grace of God as we seek Him, we not only serve Him and His creation on the mission field,, but we also help our own salvation through obedience to Him. God’s heart is always beating for missions.