INTERFAITH MISSIONS

SCRIPTURAL BASIS FOR INTERFAITH MISSIONS There is a clear record in the Bible with at least 239 occasions when the people of God, the Old Testament patriarchs, Israelites, and the New Testament followers of Jesus came in contact with people of other religious traditions or faiths with the purpose of reaching them with the Word of God. These 239 encounters accordingly provide lessons to teach Christians how they can responsibly do Mission with people of other faiths such as Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and others. The Bible, the Word of God, essentially from start to finish is a missionary book because it contains the inspired story of God Himself reaching out into human beings’ history to reconcile a fallen and rebellious people to Himself and to restore his reign over all creation. The Bible pictures two kinds of missionaries, going and sending missionaries, and God is clearly both. God sent many people. The variety of reasons for which people were sent is remarkable. The “Sending” language is used in many Biblical stories. Joseph was sent to be in a position in Egypt in order to save lives during famine (Gen 45:7). Moses was sent to deliver people from oppression and exploitation (Ex 3:10). Elijah was sent to affect the course of global politics (I Kings 19:15). Jeremiah was sent to proclaim the Word of God (Jer. 1:7). Jesus was sent to proclaim the good news, to proclaim freedom, to provide eyesight for the blind, and to release them from oppression (Luke 4:16-19, Isa 61:1). The disciples were sent to preach and display the delivery and healing power of the reign of God (Matt 10:5-8). The Apostles also were sent to make disciples to baptize and teach (Matt 28:18-20). Mentioning but these few Biblical texts, it is clear that the concept of sending and being sent lies at the core of missions. There is a wide range of biblically authorized activities that people may be sent by God to do, including preaching, evangelism, teaching, and healing. The living God, Maker of heaven and earth, the eternal Father, sends His people on a Mission into the world. Having redeemed His people by the blood of His Son, having given people His message in the Bible and having equipped people with the Holy Spirit, He sends them out to be His instruments for fulfilling His purpose in history. According to Ott, Strauss, and Tennent, “to send” is a word derived from the Latin word mitto, and missio, which means “sending.” The Greek New Testament uses two terms to describe sending: pempo and apostello. These terms are used more or less synonymously to describe God sending angels and prophets, the Father sending the Son, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and the sending of the disciples. Indeed, God is a God who sends His representatives, messengers, and eventually, His Son, as agents in the story of salvation. This salvation will ultimately include persons of every group, nation, tribe, and languages. It is God’s initiative, and it is God who receives all the glory. God initially mainly sends angels and prophets, after which He calls people, known as Israelites, to be sent as witnesses to His righteousness and glory among the nations of the world. The story continues with the sending of God’s Son Jesus Christ to effect salvation for all mankind and defeat the evil on the cross, and then, the sending of new people of God in the power of His Spirit, the Church, to become His instrument and a sign of His Kingdom. The story concludes victoriously with the return of Christ, the ultimate consummation of His Kingdom, the final defeat of evil and the universal confession that Christ is Lord. The Old Testament is full of promises and anticipation that people from all nations of the world would one day adore God. According to John Piper’s survey of all case variants of the phrase panta ta ethne in the plural, which occurs in the Old Greek Testament approximately 100 times, it virtually never carries the meaning “Gentile individuals” but always carries the meaning “all nations” in the sense of the people groups outside Israel. This chapter therefore explores the Biblical and theological basis of Mission to the people of other faiths in both the Old and New Testaments.