You Will Be My Witnesses E-Book

Brian A. DeVries

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 502

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

A Theological Introduction to the Witness of the Church within the Mission of God Mission is God's work. God spoke the first promise of gospel hope, sent his Son into this fallen world, and commissioned his Spirit to empower his church for witness. Until the day Christ returns, God has called his people to participate in his mission through evangelism, apologetics, church planting, cultural engagement, gospel suffering, and many other activities that faithfully communicate gospel hope in Christ. This practical introduction provides a biblical framework for understanding the church's role in God's mission. It reviews the biblical story of God's mission, draws insights from the church's witness since Pentecost, and studies aspects of contemporary Christian witness. Each chapter ends with study questions to encourage further reflection and discussion by church members and ministry leaders. Readers will gain refreshing insights into how they can participate in faithfully bearing witness to Christ through the church's work in the world today. - Confessional and Contemporary: Precisely defines the biblical aspects of God's mission and Christian witness, built upon time-tested theology, yet freshly applied for witness in the post-Christendom world - Accessible: Written for church members, college and seminary students, ministry workers, and church leaders who are committed to creating a community that bears witness to Christ in an unchurched society - Practical and Motivational: Clear and crisp writing style, enhanced by many helpful figures and charts, and infused with a gospel passion to declare God's glory among the nations - Spurs Discussion: Thought-provoking study questions at the end of each chapter to encourage further reflection and faithful action

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“By arguing convincingly that ‘bearing witness’ is both the central aspect of the church’s mission and the identity of God’s people, DeVries helps correct a number of mistaken notions about mission and opens up new avenues for embracing our own calling as witnesses. This book is a tremendous resource: careful, clear, confessional, biblical, hopeful, inspiring, and practical. This will be one of the first books—if not the first book—on missions that I recommend to pastors, students, and church members.”

Kevin DeYoung, Senior Pastor, Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, North Carolina; Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte

“In this book, Brian DeVries helps us to see that we as Christians are called to be witnesses of what we have come to know of God’s saving purpose in Christ. He shows this across the Bible and across history since the days of the apostles. I love the fact that he wrestles with how we can carry out this task in light of today’s challenges. I am grateful for this warm and informative book!”

Conrad Mbewe, Pastor, Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka, Zambia; Founding Chancellor, African Christian University

“Brian DeVries has put together a wonderful arching overview of God’s redemptive plan throughout history and the role of his people, through the church, in seeing his glory made known among all peoples. The quality of research, historicity, and biblical rooting make this book a must-read for serious students of missions. May its impact be felt by those in the academy but even more by those faithful Christians in the pew, who through persevering witness will see the gospel of Jesus Christ reach the ends of the earth.”

Brooks Buser, President, Radius International

“This book is itself a witness. It’s a witness to a mature understanding of a discipline refined by years and years of teaching and ministry. A rich confessional depth coupled with crystal clarity and concision will surely make You Will Be My Witnesses a standard missiology textbook relevant to both seminaries and local churches around the globe. Highly recommended.”

Daniel Strange, Director, Crosslands Forum, United Kingdom; Vice President, The Southgate Fellowship

“You Will Be My Witnesses should be the default introductory textbook for classes in missions, laying the theological groundwork carefully and thoroughly. But it also deserves to be read by a multitude of pastors and ordinary Christians who will be stimulated and encouraged to pray for and to participate in the task of bringing the gospel to all nations.”

Iain M. Duguid, Professor of Old Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary

“You Will Be My Witnesses is an essential work for all who long to understand and effectively participate in God’s mission. This book not only captures the essence of the divine mission but also translates it into practical terms, solidly grounded in Scripture. DeVries, with erudition and theological depth, guides the reader on a journey that spans from the biblical call for faithful witness to its contemporary application in the local church. This book is a valuable resource that encourages and equips the church to obey Christ’s Great Commission.”

Augustus Nicodemus Lopes, Pastor, Esperança Bible Presbyterian Church, Orlando, Florida; former Chancellor, Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Brazil

“For years I have been waiting for a book to recommend that helps Christians think biblically about their place in God’s glorious mission today. This is it. Brian DeVries has drawn together in one accessible book an appreciation of the biblical foundations, historical development, and contemporary challenges of Christian witness. This is a book that lifts our gaze, warms our hearts, and provides practical steps that we and our churches can take to be more faithful witnesses wherever we find ourselves in God’s world.”

Simon Gillham, Vice Principal and Head of Department of Mission, Moore Theological College, Australia

“At its heart, this fresh reflection on witness and mission in the Scriptures, church history, and the world today is a book about the sort of piety that truly honors God. It shows how love for God and obedience to his command to bear witness to the great acts recorded in his holy word results in what DeVries rightly calls ‘missional piety’: a spirituality marked by passion and intentionality when it comes to sharing one’s faith. All in all, an important reminder!”

Michael A. G. Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“We are not ‘building’ but ‘receiving’ a kingdom. Brian DeVries shows from Genesis to Revelation that God’s mission in Christ is center stage. Instead of bearing this mission on our shoulders, we get to be ambassadors of this good news! This paradigm-shifting message from a veteran in missions should be at the top of any reading list on the subject.”

Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

“If you seek to respond faithfully to the redemptive work of Christ, I urge you to read this book. It will embolden you to proclaim the gospel with confidence, recognizing that without mission, there is no church; without evangelism, there is no advancement of Christ’s kingdom; and without witness, there is no growth. Brian DeVries’s work can add a relatable and impactful dimension to the recommendation for those who have missionary zeal. May the Lord’s saving grace permeate our society through our faithful witness.”

Changwon Shu, Emeritus Professor, Chongshin Theological Seminary, South Korea

“The author has provided us with a comprehensive, robust biblical theology of what it means to be Christian witnesses within the mission of God. It is a scholarly work of high caliber and should be recommended as an academic textbook, yet it is also a practical resource for all serious Christians who seek to understand their role in God’s saving plan.”

Mohan Chacko, Principal Emeritus and Professor of Theology and Mission, Presbyterian Theological Seminary, India

“Drawing from years of personal engagement in God’s universal mission and enriched by insights from church history, Brian DeVries challenges us to reexamine the local church’s role in God’s mission. With a balanced blend of biblical theology of mission, historical perspective, and practical wisdom, this book inspires us to move into a deeper, more fervent commitment to Christ’s kingdom. It is a call to rediscover the passion for missions within our church communities as we align ourselves in God’s sovereign plan for the world. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to ignite a renewed zeal for God’s mission.”

Sherif A. Fahim, New Testament Chair, Alexandria School of Theology, Egypt; General Director, El-Soora Ministries

You Will Be My Witnesses

You Will Be My Witnesses

Theology for God’s Church Serving in God’s Mission

Brian A. DeVries

You Will Be My Witnesses: Theology for God’s Church Serving in God’s Mission

© 2024 by Brian Allen DeVries

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Jordan Singer

Cover image Jordan Eskovitz

First printing 2024

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated into any other language.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-9138-9 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-9140-2 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-9139-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: DeVries, Brian A., 1975– author.

Title: You will be my witnesses : theology for God’s church serving in God’s mission / Brian A. DeVries.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2024. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2023053506 (print) | LCCN 2023053507 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433591389 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433591396 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433591402 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Witness bearing (Christianity) | Church work. | Theology, Practical.

Classification: LCC BV4520 .D48 2024 (print) | LCC BV4520 (ebook) | DDC 248/.5—dc23/eng/20240331

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023053506

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023053507

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2024-08-14 04:09:56 PM

To Lanae, a faithful witness and my best friend.

Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface: Your Church Serving in God’s Mission

Introduction: Witness within God’s Mission

Part 1: The Biblical Story of God’s Mission

1  Mission in the Old Testament

2  The Mission of Jesus Christ

3  The Mission of the Holy Spirit

4  Witness in the New Testament

Part 2: Concise History of Christian Witness

5  The Church’s Witness after Pentecost

6  Historical Themes in Christian Witness

Part 3: Our Witness in an Un-Christian World

7  Christian Witness as Gospel Presence

8  Christian Witness by Gospel Message

9  Christian Witness by Gospel Response

10  Christian Witness in Gospel Community

Conclusion: Motivating Christian Witness

General Index

Scripture Index

Illustrations

Figures

 1  The mission of God the Father

 2  Witness in God’s mission in world history

 3  Mission and witness in the Old Testament

 4  Four lenses for viewing Christ’s mission

 5  The Spirit’s ministry in the world

 6  The mission of the triune God

 7  Mission and witness in the New Testament

 8  Historical themes in Christian witness

 9  Christ’s threefold office and our witness

10  The evangelistic trialogue

11  God’s ancillary witnesses

12  The church’s posture in the world

13  Actions and features of missional reform

Tables

 1  Parallel passages of the Great Commission

 2  Bearing witness to Christ

 3  Ten aspects of witness in Scripture

 4  Biblical and historical aspects of witness

 5  Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 12

 6  Church witness assessment scorecard

Preface

Your Church Serving in God’s Mission

How is your own local church a part of God’s universal mission? Most of our churches are involved in some form of witnessing activity. Perhaps your church is faithfully sending out and supporting missionaries, either internationally or for other good causes locally. Perhaps some members of your church participate regularly in local ministries: speaking with inmates at a prison, helping the homeless at a shelter, or counseling at a crisis pregnancy center. Perhaps other activities of your church could be grouped into the larger category of outward-facing ministries: leading short-term mission trips to needy areas in your region, donating money to global relief organizations, engaging publicly with political and cultural leaders, or participating in local campus evangelism or even open-air street preaching. These all are often wonderful ways to do our part, to share our time and resources for a good cause around us and across the world.

Many of us, however, wish our churches were more faithful in Christian witness. Our church is the community of God’s people in our locality with whom we gather weekly for worship. We love our church and know the community well, and so we are in a position to ask probing questions about ourselves: Are the majority of our members filled with the Spirit of mission, a holy passion for the cause of Christ and his kingdom around the globe? Are we praying fervently for a revival of true religious affections in our community, and for the salvation of our unsaved neighbors next door? Are the majority of our fellow church members participating in at least one form of local witness? Are we living consciously as witnesses of Christ, commissioned to “make disciples” in our local region “and to the end of the earth” (Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8)? Is our church truly zealous for God’s mission, in soul and passion, or are we only associated with several outward-facing ministry projects from time to time?

Some of us may admit that our churches are not yet where they ought to be in this area. We admit that we have been distracted by other things—good things, perhaps, but still diversions from faithful Christian witness. It is a good church, we might say, but this is not our area of strength. Or perhaps we are praying fervently that the Holy Spirit would stir up more of this zeal within our church. We desire to see the witness of Christ become the driving heart-passion of God’s people in our church community.

My Prayer and Purpose

My prayer is that this book will help you motivate your church to more faithful participation in God’s mission. In his sovereign wisdom, God has appointed his church to be his witness in the world, especially in the present age following the Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost (Isa. 43:8‒12; 44:8; Acts 1:8). The collective witness of God’s people has always been his primary human agency within the history of his mission. For this reason, we will reflect in later chapters on the empowered witness of all believers and the public witness of the communion of saints. We desire to reform our churches so that they will be more faithful witnesses of Christ. This book is designed to be a resource for Christians who are prayerfully working to stir up their church communities for increased participation in God’s mission.

Our motivation for mission, however, must be built on biblical knowledge and vision. Often the weakness of a church’s witness is due to an incomplete understanding of God’s mission and the best way to participate in it. We do not have a rich and robust biblical theology of mission. We have not reflected biblically on contemporary issues in Christian witness. We have not yet been inspired with biblical hope and passionate desire to see Christ’s kingdom filling the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isa. 11:9). We are still distracted by the church’s growing ministry challenges in a world that is increasingly hostile to our gospel. Like Christ’s disciples experiencing the demonic storm in Matthew 8:23‒27, we are distracted by the fearsome winds and waves, forgetting that the Lord of glory is with us in the boat. Christ must first refocus our vision and strengthen our faith before rebuking the circumstantial distractions.

What will motivate us to more faithfulness in Christian witness? We do not want another five-point pep talk about how to be successful witnesses. We also do not want more nebulous dreams built on ungrounded hopes. Instead, we need a biblical theology of God’s mission, and especially a robust theology of Reformed experiential witness that is grounded in Trinitarian missiology. We need to see the vision of God’s glorious plan that will soon be consummated.

Mission is God’s work within the world to save sinners for the praise of his glory.1 He planned this work from eternity, and his mission is now being accomplished in the world. God’s mission of redemption started in time when he first came to the world to evangelize fallen sinners (Gen. 3:9‒15). Jesus Christ, the sent one, is the center of this mission. God’s mission will end when the last of God’s elect have been gathered. The Holy Spirit continues this mission today by gathering God’s people and empowering them to be his witnesses. God’s people have always been called to serve in God’s mission by bearing witness to God’s Son among all nations.

Bearing witness to Christ is the work of the church in the world today. Our role, as God’s people living within this un-Christian world, is to serve in evangelism, apologetics, global gospel partnerships, church planting, compassion ministries, biblical counseling, cultural engagement, gospel worship, gospel suffering, and the many other activities that faithfully bear witness to Christ. Christian witness is the activity of the church serving within God’s mission. The many conflicting definitions of mission, however, require us to ground our understanding of the church’s task in a biblical theology of God’s overarching mission, to illustrate this definition with practical examples from church history, and to reflect theologically on practical activities of Christian witness in the contemporary world.

The goal of this book, therefore, is to precisely define mission and witness by studying the story of God’s mission and the church’s participation in it. My primary method is not an exegetical examination of specific biblical passages but a missiological reflection on how Scripture as a whole portrays the grand metanarrative of God’s mission and guides our reflection on issues in contemporary Christian witness. We will define and shape our understanding of the church’s witness from Scripture in a way that is grounded in and consistent with the bigger picture of God’s sovereign plan and purpose. In this way we guard ourselves from the many extremes and deviations in the history of Christian witness. We can also evaluate and correct recent differences among evangelicals about mission, evangelism, apologetics, and related activities. With this in view, let me sketch a quick picture of where we are going together.

This book begins with an introduction that gives preliminary definitions, continues with three parts, and then ends with a conclusion that brings it all together. Part 1, the biblical story of God’s mission (chaps. 1‒4), concisely explains the triune God’s mission, highlighting ten aspects of the church’s witness as taught by the Old and New Testaments, with a specific focus on the ministries of both Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. My objective is to lay a foundation of biblical theology and identify principles for the contemporary theological reflection that follows.

Part 2, a concise history of Christian witness (chaps. 5‒6), further describes the witness of the church in the world, looking at the apostolic age and mission history from God’s perspective and highlighting seven major themes of faithful Christian witness throughout the past two thousand years. This section could have been much longer, but space was limited and there are many excellent historical accounts and missionary biographies available today.

Part 3, our witness in an un-Christian world (chaps. 7‒10), reflects theologically on the church’s contemporary witness, based on the preceding biblical theology and brief historical review. We look specifically at the church’s witness in four areas: identity and calling of gospel presence, effectual and effective gospel communication, apologetic response to idolatry and opposition, and the public witness of the community of saints. The conclusion is more practical, ending with a case study of the missional hope that motivates our Reformed experiential witness.

Becoming More Faithful

There is much we can do, by God’s grace, to help our own church members become more faithful in Christian witness. Throughout church history God has often used the following three activities to arouse and encourage the missional zeal of his people.

First, we can strive together in prayer for our churches to be filled with the Spirit of mission. As William Carey writes, we “must be men [and women] of great piety, prudence, courage, forbearance; of orthodoxy in [our] sentiments . . . and, above all, must be instant in prayer for the effusion of the Holy Spirit upon the people of [our] charge.”2 Many times in the past our sovereign God has graciously answered the passionate prayers of his people for a fresh outpouring of Christ’s Spirit. Therefore we continue steadfastly in prayer for the Holy Spirit to fill our church communities afresh, so that our churches will be empowered with boldness and endurance to witness of Christ, and so that Christ’s mission will advance both locally and globally (Acts 4:29‒31; cf. Rom. 15:30; Col. 4:2‒3; 2 Thess. 3:1‒5).

Second, we can remember together the wonderful works of God in church history, how “the word of God” has “continued to increase” and “multiplied greatly” and prevailed “mightily” around the world (see Acts 6:7; 12:24; 19:20). We must remember these glorious deeds of the Lord; we must not hide them from our children, since forgetting will confuse our vision and kill our zeal for God’s mission. The countless biographies of faithful Christian witnesses should be greatly treasured, not only to learn from their strengths and weaknesses but also because God has often used their stories to stir up missional hope and renew missional piety for contemporary Christian witness, as we will consider in the conclusion. Though usually forgotten by the world, the undying testimony of thousands of Christ’s faithful witnesses continues to speak (Heb. 11:4).

Third, along with praying and remembering, we must also carefully study together God’s word to reflect on the mission of God’s people, both theologically and practically, in order to learn how our local churches should best participate in God’s universal mission. The systematic study of God’s people serving in God’s mission is the focus of this book. My hope is that this book will help you better understand the significant role of your church within the bigger story of God’s redemptive history. Thus we study all of Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, reflecting on how each part of the story relates to Christian witness and considering the many examples in Scripture of how God’s people were called and commissioned to serve in his mission.

My primary audiences are faithful Christians, church members and church leaders together, who long to see their own church community more committed to the cause of Christ and his kingdom in this world. The conclusion’s closing section is especially designed for church leaders to use as a template to aid discussion within their own church communities. This book can also be used as a textbook or for supplemental reading at the many faithful Bible schools and seminaries around the world. Additionally, I hope this book will aid your personal reflection and spiritual growth, and especially I desire that this study motivates you to both fervent prayer for the success of God’s mission and faithful service in your various activities of Christian witness.3 This book is especially designed for Bible study groups, with discussion questions at the end of each chapter to stimulate further reflection. It can be used as a fourteen-week study series, starting with an initial discussion and time of prayer, then reading one chapter per session, and concluding with a final review and prayerful reflection on how our churches can be intentional about growing in Christian witness.

Personally, I have taught this material many times over the past twenty years, at various levels of learning, to hundreds of Bible students in both Africa and America. During this time, my academic ministry was never divorced from ministry practice: by God’s grace, I planted three churches in Pretoria, South Africa, served as leader of Mukhanyo Theological College, and participated in a number of local and global ministries. Though I do not yet fully understand the mystery of God’s mission, and while I certainly do not pretend to have all the answers, I can unreservedly say that I have wrestled personally with all the content in this book. My prayer still is “to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth” of this mystery (Eph. 3:18). Along with many other faithful Christians around the world, I am trying to practice the principles of Christian witness and can, by God’s grace, share from personal experience a few things that may be helpful to others. My desire is that you will find this format helpful as you prayerfully motivate other people to reflect biblically on God’s mission and Christian witness.

I am indebted to the many students at various schools, as well as my ministry coworkers over the past three decades, who have helped me think through this material and test it in various ways. I am also indebted to colleagues who read earlier drafts of this work, including Iain M. Duguid, Simon J. Gilham, Terreth J. Klaver, Ronaldo Lidório, John W. Span, Daniel Strange, Jan H. van Doleweerd, Alistair I. Wilson, and other friends who gave valuable advice along the way. I am especially grateful for my family: my wife and cowitness, Lanae, carried a heavier load so that I could carve out time for writing in the midst of many other ministry commitments. My children also—Krista, Micah, Titus, Andrew, and Mercy—received less attention from me than desired during the past year—but now Daddy’s book is finally finished. We as a family continue to pray that the Lord will use this meager contribution as he continues to bless all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:3).

1  We will further explain and expand this preliminary definition of mission in the chapters that follow. Theologians speak of God’s external works of creation, providence, and redemption. In this classification, we consider God’s mission as parallel with his work of redemption. As with all his works, the purpose of God’s salvific mission is to the praise of his glory (Eph. 1:3–14).

2  William Carey, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens (Leicester, UK: Ann Ireland, 1792), 75–76. Likewise, Andrew Murray (1828–1917) states, “The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.” Jason Mandryk, Operation World, 7th edition (Colorado Springs, CO: Biblica, 2010), 301.

3  As George Muller (1805–1898) often stated: “This is one of the great secrets in connexion with successful service for the Lord; to work as if everything depended upon our diligence, and yet not to rest in the least upon our exertions, but upon the blessing of the Lord.” Mueller, A Narrative of Some of the Lord's Dealings with George Muller, Written by Himself, Jehovah Magnified. Addresses by George Muller Complete and Unabridged, 2 vols. (Muskegon, MI: Dust and Ashes, 2003), 2:290.

Introduction

Witness within God’s Mission

What is mission? Many Christians answer this question by turning to Jesus’s familiar words in Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . .” Known as the Great Commission, these words are essential for understanding the mission of the church in the world. But using only the Great Commission creates an incomplete picture. There is so much more to the story of God’s mission!

I often start by asking my students to make a list of Bible passages that speak about mission. These lists always include Matthew 28 and usually many other verses: Acts 1:8 (witness); 2 Timothy 4:5 (evangelism); Matthew 5:16 and 1 Peter 2:12 (gospel community); 1 Peter 3:15 and 2 Corinthians 10:5 (apologetics); or related activities like Hebrews 13:2 (hospitality). Some students add Old Testament passages, like Genesis 12:1‒3, Exodus 19:5‒6, and Psalm 67, or even Isaiah 45:22 and 61:1‒3.

The deeper concern, however, is how these (and similar) passages fit together to form a comprehensive theology of mission. We know instinctively that faithful mission practice must be grounded in a biblically-based theology, but we often struggle to present a clear and concise—yet also comprehensive—definition of mission. My goal is to help us do just that.

We begin by sketching a preliminary definition of mission in this introduction. It will take several chapters, though, to see how mission fits within the full panorama of Scripture before we can formulate a more comprehensive definition. For now, let’s look briefly at two pivotal passages: Genesis 3:1‒21 and Acts 1:1‒11.

God’s Mission in the Garden

In Genesis 3:9, God speaks to Adam for the first time after the fall, asking: “Where are you?” God had spoken the world into existence at creation, but now he speaks within his world for the purpose of redemption. Now we see God seeking out sinners who are trying to hide from him. This divine activity in Genesis 3 is the beginning of God’s mission of redemption. It is the start of the story, a glorious history of redemption that will continue until Christ concludes God’s mission when he comes the second time to judge all nations.

Consider the mission activity of the Lord, the first evangelist in the fallen world. First, the Lord comes to his world (Gen. 3:8). God’s world had been created very good, perfectly displaying his power, wisdom, goodness, and beauty. The whole creation, with Adam and Eve at the pinnacle as God’s vice-regents, had unfailingly declared his glory. Adam’s sin, however, brought into God’s world the reign of death (Rom. 5:12). As a result, the sovereign Creator could have destroyed all nature and created something new in its place. But God acts with sovereign grace, choosing rather to redeem dying sinners from their fallen state in the now sinful world.

The Lord also calls out to sinners in hiding (Gen. 3:9). Before the fall, Adam and Eve had enjoyed fellowship with God as their Creator. But after their rebellion against him, they also know God as their Judge and his righteous wrath against sin (Rom. 1:18). Now Adam and Eve experienced fear, guilt, and shame for the first time. They responded in fear by running from God, hiding behind human attempts to cover their sense of guilt and shame. But God, being rich in mercy, chose to seek and to save these lost sinners (Luke 19:10; Eph. 2:4).

The Lord then convicts sinners by exposing their lies with probing questions (Gen. 3:9, 11, 13). God already knew where Adam was hiding and what he had done, but he asked these questions so that Adam would be convicted with a sense of his own guilt and shame. God drew Adam out of hiding, unmasking his human attempts to hide from the truth and exposing his fallen condition.

Finally, the Lord comforts sinners with the gospel promise. This first promise is the beginning of the story of redemption: another Adam is coming who will carry the curse of sin, crush Satan’s head, and remedy the mess that the first Adam had made (Gen. 3:15; cf. 1 Cor. 15:45). The Lord himself is the first evangelist; he himself comes to this sinful world to declare the glorious gospel message of forgiveness and hope.1

All three persons of the Trinity are at work already in Genesis 3. The Christ enters his world in his preincarnate form as the Word to evangelize sinners who are running away. The Spirit is also present, working with the Word to expose guilt and shame; he convinces Adam and Eve of sin, righteousness, and coming judgment (John 16:8). In this way, the Father begins to reveal his plan of redemption. This passage introduces mission as, first and foremost, the work of the triune God.

We will return to these themes in later chapters. For now, we may summarize several essential truths about mission already taught in Genesis 3, in the aftermath of the fall. We see the context of mission: God’s created world, once beautiful and very good but now cursed after sin, having become a mixture of both the truth of God’s revelation and the opposition of Satan’s lie. We see the objects of mission: humans created in God’s image to glorify him but now running from God’s righteous judgment. We also see the consequences of sin: fear, guilt, and shame, which motivate man-made religions and ethical systems as attempts to hide from God’s truth. We learn the wonder of mission: God has sovereignly chosen to save sinners who deserve eternal death. We get a glimpse into God’s comprehensive plan of mission in the first promise of the gospel (Gen. 3:15), though the details are not yet clear. We also realize that there is more to the story than merely the redemption of elect sinners; there are also strong hints of a coming final judgment, when Satan will be punished and God’s righteousness will be fully vindicated. With these principles in place, let’s turn to another crucial passage.

Empowered to Be Witnesses

Acts 1:1‒11 is the second pivotal passage for a biblical theology of mission. It comes at the conclusion of Jesus’s earthly mission, forty days after his resurrection. It is also ten days before Pentecost, serving as a prelude to mission in the New Testament. Verse 8 is central in this passage and for the entire book of Acts: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This verse completes the “Great Commission collection” (Matt. 28:18‒20; Mark 16:15‒18; Luke 24:46‒49; John 20:21‒22). This passage gives us at least three keys to understand the witness of the church in the world.

First, Jesus’s words in Acts 1:8 are rooted in the Old Testament. We do not fully understand this verse until we see it in the light of God’s whole story. Many readily acknowledge the clear allusion to Psalm 2:8, the Father’s promise to the anointed Son: “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” But there is more. With these words, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah to give us a much grander vision of mission than what could be had by limiting it to its New Testament context. Already in the Old Testament, the Lord described his people as his witnesses among the unbelieving nations: “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I am God’” (Isa. 43:12; cf. 44:8; 49:6). They were to worship him alone and declare that he is the only true God.

We will consider the Old Testament foundations of the church’s witness in chapter 1. For now, we simply note how Jesus grounds the witness of the New Testament church in the identity and role of God’s Old Testament people. As in Isaiah’s day, God’s people today are called to be his witnesses among the nations. This has not changed. But something very significant has changed, which the disciples realized only after Pentecost.

Second, Jesus’s parting words in Acts 1:8 are not news to the disciples. Surely, these words did not surprise them. Bearing witness to Christ was not a new concept for these men; Jesus had already plainly taught them about their task: “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:26‒27).

Furthermore, the followers of Christ had already practiced what they were now commanded to perform. The apostles had been chosen and sent out to proclaim the good news about the coming kingdom of God (Matt. 10:5; Mark 6:7; Luke 9:1). Seventy-two others had also been appointed and sent out to do the same (Luke 10:1).

Although the activity described in Christ’s parting words was not new in essence, what followed in his instruction as he left them was very significant. Now they would be filled with his Spirit to accomplish the task for which they had been trained. Now the promise of the Father was to be poured out upon the church, as anticipated by the Old Testament prophets. Now God’s people would receive much greater empowerment for this task of bearing witness, preparing them for the much greater scope of the Gentile mission.

Did they fully understand the significance of this truth? Perhaps not immediately, but within days they would experience its reality. Ten days later, they all were filled with the Spirit and empowered to testify to the saving truth of their Lord. This event in Jerusalem on Pentecost was only the beginning of the story of New Testament mission. Soon the apostles went out, joined by an ever-increasing crowd of evangelists, to bear witness of Christ in all Judea, Samaria, North Africa, Asia Minor, and to the ends of the earth.

Third, the truth of Acts 1:1‒11 is very important for the church today. In this passage, it is clear that the disciples did not yet fully understand God’s larger plan. Jesus gave them final parting instructions not as an afterthought, but as central to God’s mission of redemption. But they were only beginning to see the big picture of God’s plan.

Our definition and practice of Christian witness today can also be limited if we fail to see the bigger picture of God’s plan: his mission of redemption. It is easy to be distracted by details—even important details—while, in practice, we lose sight of what is most important. As a result, the witness of many churches becomes cluttered, if not confused or misguided. So we need to step back to see the whole scope of God’s mission of redemption, and then allow Scripture to reform our understanding about our own role and responsibility in the light of it.

These two stories—narrated in Genesis 3:1‒21 and Acts 1:1‒11—are both pivotal parts of the one story of God’s mission in the history of redemption. They help us reflect theologically on God’s mission and the church’s role in it. We started in the preface with a simple definition of mission as God’s work within the world to save sinners.2 But now let’s build upon these insights, first by considering briefly the mission activity of the triune God and then by reflecting theologically on the place of the church within this mission.

The Mission of the Triune God

Each of the triune persons is at work in the history of God’s mission. As we already observed from Genesis 3, the three persons of the Godhead have specific roles in the salvation of sinners. While never working inseparably, it is helpful to distinguish these three roles (fig. 1).

Figure 1. The mission of God the Father.

God the Father decreed the plan of mission before the creation of the world (Ps. 2:7‒9). The Father’s mission is rooted in his plan from eternity to save sinners (Eph. 1:4‒6).3 He enacts his plan in the history of redemption: the Father prepares for Christ’s coming in the Old Testament (Gal. 3:8), sends his Son in the fullness of time to secure redemption (John 3:16), and sends his Spirit to empower his people for witness (Luke 24:48‒49). This plan of mission will be fully accomplished when all God’s chosen people have been gathered, when every knee bows before Christ, when the rebellious nations are judged with equity, and when God’s creation is restored in perfect righteousness. The Father’s mission will be completed when all enemies of Christ are punished (Rev. 19:11‒21), when Christ’s kingdom has fully come (1 Cor. 15:24‒28), and when his glory is climactically magnified (Rom. 11:36).4

God the Son was sent as the great missionary-apostle (John 20:21; Heb. 3:1). He was commissioned by the Father to display God’s truthfulness in this sinful world and to confirm the Old Testament’s messianic promises (Rom. 15:8‒9; cf. Isa. 42:1‒9). Christ came into the world “to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He also came to institute the messianic kingdom and to inaugurate the Gentile mission (Matt. 24:14; Rom. 15:9‒12). Christ now reigns in heaven, gathering God’s people from all nations through the gospel witness of his people and Spirit. He will soon return to judge all people and to consummate the kingdom. Christ’s work has a unique place in God’s mission, which we will consider more fully in chapter 2.

God the Spirit was sent into the world, by the Father and the Son, to bear witness to Christ and to gather God’s chosen people from all nations. As the divine evangelist, the Spirit convicts people in the world of sin (John 16:8), he illumines sinners with gospel truth, and he regenerates those dead in trespasses and sins, granting faith (Eph. 2:3, 8‒9). As the divine church planter and church revitalizer, he revives and edifies God’s people and he educates and unites all believers (John 16:13; 1 Cor. 12:11; Eph. 4:3). As the divine apologist, he exposes Satan’s lie and ensures that the gates of hell will never prevail against the church (2 Cor. 10:4). The mission of the Spirit also includes empowering us to bear witness to Christ, gifting us with spiritual abilities to make us competent gospel witnesses (2 Cor. 3:4‒6), and sovereignly guiding our witness in order to accomplish God’s eternal plan (Acts 16:6). In chapter 3, we will consider more fully the Spirit’s mission and its implications for us.

Recently there has been a renewed focus on the work of the triune God in mission.5 The term missio Dei, Latin for “the sending of God” or “the mission of God,” has become popular in the past century for explaining mission as the work of God.6 The Great Commission passage in John’s Gospel conveys this concept clearly: “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).

The concept of missio Dei, however, is not new. It is rooted in the fourth-century teaching of Augustine of Hippo (354‒430) on God’s triune sending work in salvation. It was also clearly taught in the seventeenth century by Dutch theologian Gisbertus Voetius (1589‒1676), who developed the first comprehensive Protestant theology of mission.7 For Voetius, the will of God is the primary theological foundation for mission, which includes the eternal decree to save sinners, the gospel promises of Christ’s coming and the messianic kingdom of peace, and the specific mandate for the church’s witness given after Christ’s resurrection. Voetius used the term missio Dei to distinguish God’s activity in mission from all subordinate human activity.8

As a popular term today, missio Dei is used in many divergent ways. Some define it as “everything God does in relation to the kingdom and everything the church is sent to do on earth.”9 In this view, the church’s task in the world is usually seen as collaborating with God as he establishes shalom and his reign over all peoples and places on earth. Others go further to define mission as a divine attribute, describing God as missional.10 Others are more restrained, using missio Dei to describe the hermeneutical key that unlocks the Bible’s story, and seeing God’s mission—and the participation of God’s people in it—as a framework for the whole Bible.11

Unfortunately, the diverse uses of missio Dei have made this term ambiguous.12 It is important, therefore, to be precise as we define mission since slight ambiguity here often results in critical confusion later. In my opinion, missio Dei is a helpful concept when used in a limited way to distinguish God’s overarching work of redemption from the church’s activity. For example, missiologist J. H. Bavinck (1895–1964) continues in the tradition of Voetius by defining mission as God’s work and distinguishing this work from the church’s work in mission.13 It is most helpful to follow Voetius by grounding the study of mission in God’s will and eternal decree, and by framing all that Christians think and do in mission as only part of the mission of the triune God.

For our present study, therefore, I use the term God’s mission simply to draw attention to the triune God’s overarching work of redemption, and to distinguish between the mission activities of the triune God and of his people in both Old and New Testaments. To avoid misunderstanding, however, we must be careful to affirm the following. First, God’s mission activity in the world flows out of but must be distinguished from his gracious character.14 Second, Christ our mediator has a unique and central role in the history of God’s mission. Third, God’s people, in both Old and New Testaments, have specific roles and responsibilities within God’s mission. Fourth, to be considered in later chapters, God’s church has a subordinate role within God’s mission, participating in it with many activities of Christian witness. Hence we consider next the place of God’s people, the church, within the different periods of God’s mission.

My Church in God’s Mission

Your local church has an important place in the bigger story of God’s mission as part of God’s plan for his church worldwide. We confess this fact as true. It is crucial, though, to define clearly how the church—and specifically, each of our local churches—fits within this bigger story. Three distinctions help us better understand the place of God’s church within God’s mission.

First, as considered above, the church’s witness must be distinguished from the mission of the triune God. The mission of the church is only part of God’s bigger plan. This fact is both humbling and liberating. My local church’s witness is only a small part of what God is doing in the world. We trust God to use our local churches in a way that advances his mission and brings him greater glory.

The witness of the church is also different than the mission of Christ. Our activity cannot duplicate or repeat the unique place of Jesus Christ in God’s mission. Rather, our primary role is to proclaim the gospel of Christ as we bear witness to what he has done.15 Furthermore, the church’s witness is guided by the sovereign mission of Christ’s Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is the primary agent of mission, the spiritual success of the church’s witness is dependent upon him.

Second, the witness of God’s people has progressed and expanded within the history of God’s mission. The Old Testament, as the start of God’s story of mission, lays the foundation for a comprehensive biblical theology of mission. It was the textbook for the apostle Paul’s Gentile mission, which he quotes at crucial points to explain his mission theology and practice (Acts 13:41, 47; 28:26‒28; Rom. 15:8‒13).

Mission in the New Testament is a continuation of what was started in the Old Testament. Already in the Old Testament, God’s people were called to be separate from the nations (Gen. 12:1) and to declare God’s glory among them (Ps. 96:3). They were called to be a “light for the nations” (Isa. 49:6), though not to the same extent as we see in the New Testament after Pentecost (Acts 13:47). The witness of God’s people started in the Old Testament before the flood (2 Pet. 2:5); it continued and was greatly expanded in the New Testament after Christ’s coming and the Spirit’s empowerment.

Yet witness in the Old Testament was not identical to witness in the New Testament. God’s people in the Old Testament were not commanded by Christ to make disciples of all nations. They were not equally empowered by the Spirit of Christ for this enlarged task, though the Old Testament saints were certainly led by the Spirit of Christ to proclaim the gospel (Gal. 3:8; 1 Pet. 1:10‒11) and to anticipate the enlargement of its scope (Isa. 54:2‒3; Mal. 1:11). It is helpful, therefore, to compare and contrast God’s mission in both Testaments, and to trace the progression of the church’s witness within the bigger story of God’s mission (fig. 2).

Figure 2. Witness in God’s mission in world history.

Third, the church as God’s people is both the object of God’s mission and an agent in it. We must keep this distinction in mind, not only as we interpret the biblical story of God’s mission, but also as we seek to better understand our own role and responsibilities within it. We are the objects of God’s mission. God came to this world to seek and to save us, so we bear witness to what God has done for us, in us, and through us.

God has also, in his sovereign wisdom, chosen to use his people as agents to further the cause of his mission. God could have evangelized sinners without any human agency, as he did in Genesis 3. He could have used angels as his messengers. But instead, he chose to use fallen sons and daughters of Adam to proclaim the message of Christ to lost sinners and to declare his glory among the nations. Thus, as agents of God’s mission, we bear witness to Christ through our lifestyle and with our words.

These three distinctions help to define the place of our church in God’s mission. We will continue to expand our understanding of God’s mission in chapters 1‒4 (part 1), then develop it further with examples from church history in chapters 5‒6 (part 2), and finally add more detail with theological reflection on the church’s witness in chapters 7‒10 (part 3).

Our Witness in the World

We started our study with a simple definition of mission, but it should be obvious by now that this subject area has many nuances and complexities. One word alone is unable to capture the richness and intricacy of this concept. In fact, a whole cluster of words is needed, each in relation with the others, to understand the story of God’s mission and our participation in it. Let’s now consider several of these words to further introduce this subject.

The word mission is most popular today, though it has become ambiguous due to many divergent definitions and uses.16 This English word is derived in part from the Latin mittere and misso, meaning to send or sending. It corresponds with several Greek words: a noun, apostolos, meaning one who is sent to represent with authority, and two verbs, pempo and apostello, meaning to send a message or a person for a particular purpose. Hence the concept conveyed by the English word mission is associated with the activity of sending or being commissioned (Matt. 11:10; 28:19; John 20:21; Rom. 10:15; 1 John 4:14) and the apostolic ministry of gospel proclamation (Rom. 1:5; Eph. 4:11; Gal. 2:8; Heb. 3:1).

From this word mission are derived other related words: missionary, a person who is called and sent to serve in the ministry of mission; missiology, the study of the theology, history, integration, and practice of mission; missions (plural), the activities we do to accomplish the goal of mission;17 and missional, an adjective for mission that has taken on a diversity of connotations.18

In addition to its ambiguity, the word mission also has unhelpful baggage.19 For example, in the minds of many today, Christian mission is often linked inseparably with geographic expansion and Western colonialism.20 Some who equate mission with geographic expansion even accuse the Protestant church after the European Reformation of being very slow to engage in mission since the church’s witness at that time was focused locally with much less attention on distant regions.21 Others unintentionally bifurcate mission and evangelism, limiting mission to ministry activity that is geographically removed from the local church.22

Therefore, I suggest that the biblical word witness is a much better term to comprehensively describe the church’s participation in God’s mission.23 This term is central to the book of Acts and a key concept in the entire New Testament (Acts 1:8; John 15:26‒27; 16:16).24 In this book, therefore, I use the term witness to describe all the various ways in which God’s people participate in God’s mission.

There are two Greek root words for witness, the noun martus and the verb martureo. These root words are used with at least four overlapping areas of meaning: the identity, character, and conduct of the church in the world (Acts 1:8; 1 Pet. 2:12); the verbal proclamation of the gospel of Christ (Acts 23:11; John 1:34; 1 John 1:2); testifying to the truth of Christ despite opposition (Acts 28:23; Rev. 11:3); and suffering persecution for the sake of Christ (Rev. 2:13; 17:6).

As a noun, witness (often translated as “testimony”) denotes the identity of God’s people as those who bear witness to Christ. As a verb, witness (often translated as “testify” or “testifying”) denotes the activity of God’s people as those who communicate the gospel message about Christ. This holistic concept of witness permeates two terms, used throughout this book somewhat interchangeably: Christian witness is the personal practice of all believers by which they testify to the gospel of Christ; and the witness of the church is the corporate testimony of God’s people by means of their gospel presence, evangelistic message, apologetic response, and loving community within society.

The word witness is also used in Scripture to describe divine activity in the world (1 John 5:6‒12). God witnesses about himself through general revelation (Ps. 19:1‒6; Acts 14:17) and special revelation (Deut. 31:19, 26; cf. Isa. 44:8). Christ made an exemplary confession in his witness before Pilate (1 Tim. 6:13). The Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ, and he witnesses within our hearts (Acts 15:8; Rom. 8:16). Thus the word witness can be used to speak of both divine and human agency in mission.

Related terms in Scripture are also helpful. For example, the apostles were eyewitnesses of Christ, so likewise, we who have personally experienced Christ’s truth and love are sent out to bear witness of him. Other related concepts include testifying (Acts 20:24), making defense (1 Pet. 3:15), living as examples (Matt. 5:14‒16), and suffering for the sake of Christ (1 Pet. 4:1).

Therefore, we will structure our study of the church’s witness in the world around the overlapping nuances of the word witness: the witness of gospel presence as the identity and calling of the church to display Christ’s truth in the world (chap. 7); the witness of gospel message in the preaching, teaching, writing, and other modes of evangelistic communication (chap. 8); the witness of gospel response in the church’s apologetic ministry within the context of false teachings and ideologies (chap. 9); the witness of gospel community by faithful churches within un-Christian and even hostile societies (chap. 10).

In addition to the terms mission and witness, many other biblical concepts pertain to our present study. We will unpack these in later chapters; here I only give several short definitions, for the sake of clarity, of various activities included in Christian witness.

Gospel communication is central to the witness of the church. Evangelism is sharing the gospel by public preaching or personal witness. Preaching is the public proclamation and application of God’s word. An impressive range of terms is used in Scripture to describe various communication modes: speaking, teaching, proclaiming, exhorting, reasoning, appealing, urging, convicting, testifying, and so on.

Discipleship ministries are also central to the church’s witness in the world, following Christ’s example and in obedience to his command (Matt. 28:20). Discipleship is the process of training believers with God’s word, in Christian relationship and for ministry, so that they will grow in their spiritual walk and mature in their witness of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1). It includes theological education, an advanced form of training church leaders (Acts 18:24‒28; 2 Tim. 2:2).

Apologetics and its related activities have an important role in the church’s witness “to make a defense to anyone” who questions or opposes God’s truth (1 Pet. 3:13‒17; 2 Cor. 10:4‒6). All apologetic ministries serve to promote the witness of God’s church, though various ministries often specialize in specific areas to witness more effectively to targeted audiences.

Church planting and church revitalization are also important. Church planting is the activity of establishing a spiritually mature church in a new area. Church revitalization is the activity of leading an unhealthy church back toward a state of spiritual maturity. With God’s blessing, these ministries of gospel witness lead to the upbuilding and multiplication of local churches.

Gospel partnerships, both local and global, often assist the church’s witness (Phil. 1:5). Many other related ministries also find their origin in the witness of the New Testament church, such as hospitality (Heb. 13:1‒3), the witness of good works (1 Pet. 2:12), and gospel suffering (2 Tim. 1:8). We will consider many of these ministries in later chapters.

Reformed Experiential Witness

What is your personal confession and witness? This question requires attention before we go deeper into our study of mission. It is here that our study becomes personal, as the contemplation of God’s word always should be. Witness is not simply a topic for academic study; it is a calling for every true believer. As Paul wrote to Timothy shortly before his death: “Therefore do not be ashamed of the [witness] about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling . . .” (2 Tim. 1:8‒9). Or as a long-forgotten missionary in southern Africa wrote: “We must remember that it was not by interceding for the world in glory that Jesus saved it. He gave himself. Our prayers for the evangelization of the world are but a bitter irony so long as we only give of our superfluity, and draw back before the sacrifice of ourselves.”25 So we conclude this chapter with a brief review of the church’s confessions and our own spirituality, both of which are undergirding themes essential for all faithful witnesses of Christ.

First, the true church since Pentecost has always confessed the importance of gospel witness. We will review some of this rich history in part 2. For now, consider briefly how the historic confessional statements promote the church’s witness.26 For example, mission is implicitly described as Christ gathering his church “out of the entire human race” by means of his word and Spirit.27 The Canons of Dort, which some have unfairly said is opposed to mission, makes a very strong statement for gospel proclamation to all nations without reserve.28 Several confessions also link mission to the second petition of the Lord’s Prayer.29

More recently, the doctrine of Christian witness has been given more explicit attention in the official statements of various groups. For example, many modern confessions echo similar biblical truths.30 Other related statements include the Lausanne Covenant and the Southgate Fellowship.31 Further reflection on and affirmation of the church’s public witness is still needed, especially due to the rapidly shifting ideologies at present in the postmodern world.

Second, bearing witness to Christ in the world is very personal for every true believer. If God has mercifully chosen us, if Christ has graciously atoned for our sins, if the Holy Spirit now graces us and empowers us to be witnesses in our world, then how can we not be passionate about this task? So let me conclude this introduction by briefly noting the importance for witness of missionary doxology and biography, and by leaving you with a few personal questions for reflection.

Christian witness is not simply a doctrinal theme in our church’s confession, expressed either implicitly or explicitly. Witness is a central part of our personal confession, our personal doxology (Pss. 67:3; 107:2). The Psalms celebrate God’s mission and anticipate what God will do on earth for the glory of his name. Many Christian hymns do the same, rejoicing in the triumph of the gospel of Christ among the nations. Indeed, these praise songs often become the songs of our own soul as we learn to think God’s thoughts after him and to boast of his gracious deeds in all the earth (Jer. 9:23‒24; 2 Cor. 10:13‒18). Missionary doxology has always had an important place in the spiritual life of God’s people.

Witness is also a central part of our corporate confession, the church’s public worship. Worship is both the ultimate goal of God’s mission and a vital activity of the church’s witness to accomplish this glorious end. In fact, as we will consider in chapters 7 and 10, the church’s presence in society—particularly evidenced in its public display of faithful worship and good works—is itself the most powerful witness to Christ. The church’s doxological witness in biblical worship continues to serve a vital role in the history of God’s mission.

Furthermore, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses (Heb. 12:1), not only in Scripture but also in the centuries since Pentecost. These witnesses must not be ignored. Indeed, reading missionary biographies is an excellent way to stir up within us a biblical passion and zeal for Christian witness. This book, however, is not a missionary biography or doxology; it is a systematic summary of the theology of witness. Yet while we stay focused on this task, the experiential dimension of this study must not be minimized or excluded from our applications in each chapter.

We will return to this theme of Reformed experiential witness in the conclusion. For now, we conclude this introduction with a series of personal reflections to highlight the experiential element of our study. I leave you with these questions for your prayerful contemplation:

Have you experienced the saving truth and power of Jesus Christ yourself? If you don’t know Jesus yourself, how can you tell other people about him?