Three Missiological Perspectives: what Testimony?

In this brief presentation, I would like to present three perspectives of mission that seem to me to be both necessary and complementary. (1) I. The Trinitarian perspective Mission is basically the work of God, not humans. Trinitarian faith is a criterion of Christian faith. All the so-called "great commissions" have a trinitarian basis and are set in a trinitarian context (Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:20-23). Mission does not have its authorization through any decision by the church in the past, in the present, or ever. We are not at liberty to decide whether or not to engage in mission. It has its origin and source in God the Father, and his sending of his Son and his Spirit. It is missio Dei. Firstly, the fact that God the Father, the creator, is the source of mission means that mission does not bring God to people; he is already there, present in his creation in humans who God created in his image, the image that gives them their intrinsic worth and dignity. The Son came to "his own" (John 1:11). In mission Christ's disciples come to God's own world. This biblical vision of creation means that the church in mission respects all people regardless of their faith or situation. It may co-operate with all people concerned for "justice, peace and the integrity of creation", to use a well-known formulation. Secondly, the trinitarian perspective means that Christian mission has Jesus Christ and his work in its historical particularity as its central focus and message. Christian mission is christocentric, although not christomonistic. Mission to the world as a deliberate activity did not begin until after Christ's incarnation, earthly ministry, death, resurrection and ascension. He is the only God incarnate; his ministry combined character, words and works of mercy and power that are normative for the church in mission. Christ's death was an atoning death for the sins of the whole world. His resurrection was the divine authentication of his saving work, and the guarantee of the resurrection to come and the presence of the living Christ in his church today. No part of the gospel about Jesus can be downplayed or omitted without serious damage to the church and its witness to Christ. Christ is the unique Saviour and Lord. The apostle Peter's statement, "There is salvation in no other name" is not simply an expression of "love language" but has universal normative significance for the church in mission. (2) "We cannot point to any other way of salvation than Jesus Christ; at the same time we cannot set limits to the saving power of God." (3) This also means that the church invites people to faith in Christ and expects a response. Jesus himself called both pious and not-so-pious God-believing Jews to conversion and discipleship in order for them to enter the kingdom of God (cf. Mark 1:15). The kingdom of God is not God's rule over the world but the salvation in all its dimensions that Christ has brought "already" as a reality, and which will be consummated in the eschatological "not yet", when the kingdom comes in power. Entering this kingdom takes place through "coming" to Jesus, that is, through faith in him. This is the basic witness of the church. The crucified and risen Christ, the living and present Christ is the centre of the liberating missionary proclamation (1 Cot. 1:22-23). Thirdly, the trinitarian perspective implies that mission has the Holy Spirit as its driving, motivating and equipping power. Acts 1 and 2 are the continuance of the Lucan gospel story. The primary witness to Christ is the Spirit (John 15:26-27). The gift of the Spirit, or being baptized with the Spirit, is an integral part of Christian initiation and one that is tied to conversion, faith and baptism in ways that we cannot fully unfold here. One cannot be a Christian without the Spirit, yet it is possible, even mandatory, that Christians be filled with the Spirit in an experiential way in order to be equipped and empowered for mission in word and deed (Rom. …