THE UNDERSTANDING OF MISSION 1.

The Idea of Mission Generally mission is a assigned work of community or organization which is carried out by individual or group as a representative to accomplish her vision or aim. So that mission in church field means assigned work or calling of community which is carried out by churchs members as a representative to accomplish her vision or aim on knowing and believing in Jesus Christ as The Lord and The Savior. 2. My Reason to Study Mission To know about mission more and deeper especially in contemporary and modern context. To enlarge and sharpen my skill in mission so that I can contribute it to my church in doing mission in Indonesian context. Nowadays, churches in Asia need to emphasize mission to implement theology in their context, so that theology can be understood, touched in the reality of social life. Interreligious issues which spread become a challenge for Indonesian church to do mission intensively 3. The Bible saying about mission: Our Bible contains 2 main parts, The Old Testament and New Testament. There are 2 character of our Bible saying about mission, the first is universal, and the second is transformative. The mission in the Bible is based on the mission of God, and it is begun from the creation story. God has created universe, including human (Gen 1:26). There is no description of specific human about nationality, job and conduct, so that it is universal because human is the representative of all people in the world. Even though human became sinners or fallen, God punished them, however, God kept showing his mercy. He called his people into restoration through his servants and prophets. He commissioned Moses to save Israel in the Exodus story, he commissioned Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Joel and others to come to God. Now the people of God seems to be particular because He chose Israel, but Israelites have been prepared to call all nations in restoration, so that all nation becomes Gods people. See Isaiah 2:2-5
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In the last days the mountain of the LORDs temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths. The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
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He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
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Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD. In the New Testament the mission of God has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ. And it is also universal because Jesus has commissioned his disciple to all the earth (Mat. 28:20). And then the mission of God continued through the apostle, and the most of them Paul took the mission to call all people believe in Christ. No Greek or Jews, but all people. The second is transformative. All people in the Old Testament or the New Testament are transformed to worship God. They are invited to believe in God as The One who is creator of universe and the Savior. All people are transformed from idolatry to believer, from unbaptized to baptized people. Creatures cannot help us, even religion cannot either. But God is the only one way, so that all people should follow God and the ultimate revelation, Jesus Christ.

June 15th, 2011

Amran Simangunsong