What does the Bible say about God's purpose for us, the witness of the church, and our mission to spread the message of the gospel?
Chris Wright's pioneering 2006 book,
The Mission of God
, revealed that the typical Christian understanding of "missions" encompasses only a small part of God's overarching mission for the world. God is relentlessly reclaiming the whole of creation for himself, and each of us fit into that big-picture plan.
In
The Mission of God's People
, Wright argues that having a strong biblical theology that shapes our thinking and behavior must be in place before answering the call of the Great Commission. Wright first steps back and answers some of the biggest questions of God's story and our place within it:
Who are the people of God?
What kind of people are we?
What are the priorities and limits of our mission?
What exactly is the gospel that lies at the core of our mission?
What was it that made Christianity a missionary faith from the very start?
While answering these essential questions, Wright thoroughly details what the Old and New Testaments teach Christians about being God's people. He addresses questions of both ecclesiology (the theology of the church) and missiology (the practice and methodology of missions) with topics like "called to care for creation," "called to bless the nations," "sending and being sent, and "rejecting false gods."
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Part of the
Biblical Theology for Life
series, this practical and robust book will help you and your church ground your witness-bearing purpose and worship on the solid foundation of biblical understanding and reflection.