God’s Heart for the Nations By Ken McLemore
Lesson Objective: Our lesson objective is 3 fold: 1. To share the biblical basis of missions and God’s heart for the nations. 2. To share an important part of Liberty’s international mission strategy based upon scripture, which is taking the gospel to ethnic groups that have little or no access to the gospel. 3. To share a little about Liberty’s mission strategy and how Lottie Moon fits as a part of that strategy.
Introductory Comments – When most people think of missions they think in terms of overseas ministry to poor, foreign countries. While this can be a very vital part of a churches mission’s engagement, there is more to missions than simply going to foreign countries. The plan for this lesson is to help us understand what God’s plan for all those nations who have never heard of His great name. Beginning in Genesis and continuing through the book of Revelation, there is a missiological thread in the scripture that reveals His plan for all nations, tongues, clans, and peoples to be represented around the throne in heaven (See Revelation 5:9, 7:9).
Biblical Background and Passages– The setting for this lesson begins in Genesis 12:1‐3. In this passage we see that God is telling Abram that in Him all the “nations” will be blessed. It is important at this point to share that the word nations in the English bible rarely refers to geo political countries. The Hebrew word used here is the word Gwy (pronounced Goy or goyim for plural). The Dictionary of Biblical Languages says it like this: ( גּוֹיgôy): people, nation, i.e., a
large group based on various cultural, physical, geographical ties, often extended clan relationships 1 Therefore the truly Biblical use of this word “nations” in the Old Testament refers to what we call people groups. These are segmented people who share a common language and culture. Many times they are spread across several geo political countries. Also in this passage we see the word families used which also carries the idea of a grouping of people. This theme of people groups continues in the New Testament. Throughout the NT, when you see the word “nations” it is mainly the Greek word “ethnos” from which we get the word ethnic. The idea of nations being an ethnic group was begun in the Old Testament and is carried into the New Testament. The Dictionary of Biblical Languages defines the word like this: ἔθνος (ethnos), nation, a
1 Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
people, a large group based on various cultural, physical or geographic ties2
Bible Passages & Commentary ‐ Many times when people think of the “nations” in scripture they connect it to God’s wrath and those who are against God’s people. This is no doubt true in many parts of scripture. But God as always had a heart to see these nations know Him and worship Him. I would like to share this lesson in 3 parts: 1. God’s heart to see the nations worship Him in the Old Testament. 2. God’s heart and plan for the nations in the New Testament 3. Our response to God’s plan.
The Old Testament Point: God Raised up the Children of Israel to speak of His glory to the nations 3. Even in the Old Testament, God’s plan was that the gentile people would know of His glory and worship Him. The Israelites were to be missionaries to the other people groups or “nations”. For Example: • Gen. 12:1‐3 –
Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country,
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And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” 4
2 Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Greek (New
Testament) (electronic ed.). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 3 Isaiah 66:19 ‐ “I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the
nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. 4 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ge 12:1–3). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation.
Genesis 18:18 – “since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed?5 Reference: o Galatians 3:8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the •
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Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” 6 o Acts 3:35 “It is you who are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL 7 BE BLESSED.’ 1 Chronicles 16:24‐25 – “Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; He also is to be feared above all gods.” 8 Psalm 22:27 – “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, And all the families of the nations will worship before You.9”
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According to Dr. Jim Slack of the IMB (International Mission board, there are two primary words for nations in the OT. The first is “goy” discussed above. The other is “am”. The Hebrew word “am” is primarily used in reference to the children of Israel. Goy is reference to the gentiles or nations. In this passage the word used for nations is goy, therefore it is considered that this passage refers to the gentile nations as the ones who will worship before Him.
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Psalm 67:1‐4 – Again this is a key Old Testament passage that uses the word “goy” when referring to the nations who will receive salvation in verse 2.
1 God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us— Selah. 2 That Your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise You, O God; 5 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ge 18:18). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. 6 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ga 3:8). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation. 7 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ac 3:25). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation. 8 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (1 Ch 16:24–25). LaHabra, CA:
The Lockman Foundation. 9 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ps 22:27). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation.
Let all the peoples praise You. 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For You will judge the peoples with uprightness And guide the nations on the earth.10 • •
Psalm 72:11 – All nations (goy) will serve Him. Psalm 86:9 ‐“All nations whom You have made shall come and worship
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Isaiah 2:2 – All nations will stream to the mountain of the Lord. 12 Isaiah 49:6 – “It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant, To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” 13
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Is. 66:19 “I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. 14
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Jeremiah 3:17 – All nations will gather….
before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name.” 11
“At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the LORD,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. 15 •
(Romans 9:17) For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME
10 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ps 67:title–4). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. 11 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ps 86:9). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation. 12 Isaiah 2:2 – “Now
it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.”
13 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Is 49:6). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation. 14 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Is 66:19). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation. 15 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Je 3:17). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation.
o
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Exodus 9:16 “But, indeed, for this reason I have allowed you to remain, in
MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH.”
order to show you My power and in order to proclaim My name through all the earth. 17
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Jeremiah 4:2 – “And you will swear, ‘As the LORD lives,’ In truth, in
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Jonah – Jonah is considered a biblical story of our missionary God seeking to reach out to ethnic groups that Israel despised. Jonah was called to share good news of repentance to the people of Nineveh, but instead he ran away. God had mercy bringing 120,000 people who were not Israelites to salvation in Him.
justice and in righteousness; Then the nations will bless themselves in Him, And in Him they will glory.”18
Bottom Line: The word “nations” in the scripture refers to ethnic, language, people groups, not geo political countries. Political lines change. Beginning in and throughout the Old Testament, God’s plan was to bring all the ethnic people groups to know Him and His glory. God’s heart has always been for all the ethnic groups, even in the Old Testament.
The New Testament
Point: God’s heart for the nations that was revealed in the Old Testament continues in the New Testament. •
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Matthew 28:19‐20 ‐ (Also see Luke 24:47) This passage is known as the great commission. The word “nations” in the New Testament Greek is the word ethnos, which is where we get the English word ethnic. Therefore the great commission is “ Go, make disciples, among the ethnic people groups”. This is a continuation of the theme in the Old Testament. Acts 2:1‐6 ‐ This is Pentecost. Here we see that God distributed tongues so that the diverse crowd of ethnic peoples could hear the gospel in their own language. The Greek word Glossa is used in this passage and refers to a known language spoken by an ethnic or people group. In missiology it is called a heart language. Romans 1:5 “…through whom we have received grace and apostleship
to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His 16 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ro 9:17). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. 17 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ex 9:16). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation. 18 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Je 4:2). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation.
name’s sake, 19 •
Roman’s 15:20 – Paul’s goal was to not preach where the gospel already existed but instead, where Christ has not been named. 20 “And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; 21
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but as it is written, “THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE, AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND.” 20
Revelation 5:9 & 7:9 – These are two key passages.
Rev. 5:9 “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.21
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Rev. 7:9 “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands;22 Revelation 21:24 “ The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 23 Matthew 24:14 – Moving back to Matthew we see one last key verse. 24 o V14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole
world as a testimony to all the nations (ethnos or ethnic groups),
19 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ro 1:5). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. 20 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Ro 15:20–21). LaHabra, CA:
The Lockman Foundation. 21 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Re 5:9). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation.
22 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Re 7:9). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation.
23 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Re 21:24). LaHabra, CA: The
Lockman Foundation.
24 There is disagreement with this idea presented. I provide the link so the reader
can research and come to their own conclusions. You find another view point here: http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2011/07/31/the‐anthropological‐approach‐ to‐missions/
and then the end will come.”25 o The gospel will go to every ethnic group before the second coming of Jesus. Bottom Line: The New Testament continues the idea that the gospel is to be spread among all the ethnic groups. This is consistent with the Old Testament idea of God’s glory among the ethnic peoples. In the bible there is a thread of God seeking to show His glory among all the ethnic groups of the planet. This goes farther than simply bringing the gospel to every country. Every country has the gospel, but not every ethnic group. There is a big difference.
Application: Why is this Important?
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There are currently 16,000+ ethnic people groups in the world.26 6400 of these ethnic groups have little to no access to the gospel. This comprises about 2.5 billion people around the world. To quote Dr. Bruce Ashford of Southeastern Theological Seminary
“ They could walk for days and weeks and not find anyone who could tell them about Jesus in their heart language. “ • •
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3800+ of these ethnic groups have no missionaries working to take the gospel to them. "96 percent of all foreign missionaries work among existing churches; only 4 percent work where no church exists." 27 40% of all missions money goes to 10 select countries that already have the gospel in their language and are considered reached. 28 In 2000, nearly 97 percent of the entire income of all Christian organizations was spent on, and primarily benefited, other Christians at home or abroad: $261 billion spent on ministering to Christians, $7.8 billion on already‐
25 New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Mt 24:14). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. 26 http://www.joshuaproject.net/index.php 27 David B. Barrett and Todd M. Johnson, World Christian Trends AD 30‐AD 2000:
Interpreting the Annual Christian Megacensus (Pasadena, Calif.: William Carey Library, 2001), 761. 28 David B. Barrett and Todd M. Johnson, World Christian Trends AD 30‐AD 2000:
Interpreting the Annual Christian Megacensus (Pasadena, Calif.: William Carey Library, 2001), 761.
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evangelized non‐Christians, and $0.81 billion on unevangelized non‐ Christians.29 By 2042, if trends continue, anglo’s will not be a majority in America. 4 Billion people on the planet cannot read a bible if we gave them one. Many are in languages that are not in written form yet. According to an IMB representative, about 150 of our 44,000 churches are strategically working to take the gospel to these unreached people groups. 30
What is Liberty doing about this? For 11 years now Liberty has been working in several of these unreached people groups. Beginning with our adoption of the Chadian Arab ethnic group in 1999, and continuing with partnerships in Morocco, Bahrain, Toronto, and the Navajo Indians we have been aggressively working to take the gospel to places where churches are few. We are also exploring working in new areas that have little to no access to the gospel. We partner with our mission board called the IMB, or International Mission Board located in Richmond Virginia. Our mission board is one of the leading mission boards in the country having developed leading strategies that other mission agencies follow. For example, in this issue of Mission Frontiers magazine, our own IMB strategist wrote 6 of the articles. We have some of the greatest strategist and researchers in all missiological circles. What can your class do? 1. Pray – One of our key strategies is that of prayer. We have seen God do amazing things through prayer. You can pray for trips, the partnerships we have ( Chad, Bahrain, Morocco, Navajo, and Toronto. Check the mission blog for more information on what is happening at : www.m2414.com , follow Ken’s twitter at @nationsone, or see the Liberty Missions Facebook page. Pray for what? a. Pray for Paul type missionaries: Timothy left Lystra, his hometown (Acts 16:1), and became a church worker (a Timothy‐ type missionary) in a foreign place, Ephesus, (1 Timothy 1:3) which had its own elders (Acts 20:17) and outreach (Acts 19:10). This is the model of a Timothy‐type missionary:
29 David B. Barrett and Todd M. Johnson, World Christian Trends AD 30‐AD 2000:
Interpreting the Annual Christian Megacensus (Pasadena, Calif.: William Carey Library, 2001), 661. 30 Personal conversation between Ken McLemore and IMB representative who wishes to
remain anonymous.
going far away to do Christian work where the church is fairly well established. It has Biblical precedent and it is a good thing to do, if God calls you. b. Pray that the we see people in our people groups come to Christ. c. Pray for our teams that go out , that they would see fruit.
2. Some may wish to go on one of our trips. Step out of that comfort zone. Those can be found at www.libertylive.com . We have many going out this next year. 3. Some may wish to help with projects that assist the team. For example: Each year the Morocco team collects school supplies they take into Morocco. 4. Some may wish to help us identify people groups that we work with right here in Hampton Roads. (If interested in this please see Ken McLemore the missions pastor) 5. Some classes may wish to visit our mission board and see where we train all the missionaries heading overseas. See Ken if this is something your class would like to do. 6. Another way Liberty is seeking to take the gospel to the unreached people groups is by partnering with other Southern Baptist Churches through our Lottie Moon Missions Offering. Lottie Moon was begun in 1888 as a way to help finance the work on the field. The IMB is focusing most of its efforts to reach the 2.5 billion people who have no access to the gospel. This has been a priority of Southern Baptist for around 15 years. Liberty has, for the past 10 years, been in the top 100 in giving to this offering reaching as high as #14 out of 44,000+ churches. 100% of the money given goes to the field to support gospel work among ethnics groups with zero access. Not one penny stays in America but instead funds missionaries and their needs overseas. Your gift to Lottie Moon on December 4th is a huge way to help fund missionaries to the ends of the earth. For further research please see: International Mission Board http://www.imb.org/main/default.asp The Joshua Project – A web site dedicated to helping us understand and reach the ethnic peoples of the world. http://www.joshuaproject.net/