Missions

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” — Matthew 28:19—20

The mission of God — the missio Dei — is not an appendix to Scripture but its central plotline. From Genesis to Revelation, YHWH is a God who pursues the nations, and He calls His people to join Him in that pursuit.

Nations in the Biblical Vocabulary

Two key terms define the biblical concept of “nations”:

• Goyim (גּוֹיִם) — the Hebrew word for nations or peoples (singular goy, גּוֹי), used broadly in the Old Testament for non-Israelite ethnic groups; sometimes translated “Gentiles.” The root may relate to the idea of a “body” or corporate group. In Genesis 10 (the Table of Nations) the term is neutral, referring to all peoples; only later does it acquire the specific connotation of “non-Israelite.”
• Ethne (ἔθνη) — the Greek equivalent in the New Testament (singular ethnos, ἔθνος), from which we derive the English word “ethnic”; refers to distinct people groups, not modern nation-states. A related term is laoi (λαοί, “peoples”), and the two often appear together to stress comprehensive reach (e.g., Revelation 7:9).

When Jesus said “make disciples of all ethne,” He was commissioning His followers to reach every distinct people group on earth — every language, culture, and tribe. The central verb in Matthew 28:19 is matheteusate (μαθητεύσατε, “make disciples”), an aorist imperative from matheteuo. It is the only imperative in the passage; the participles “going,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” describe the means by which disciple-making happens. The word mathetes (μαθητής, “disciple, learner”) implies not mere intellectual assent but a life reoriented around a master’s teaching and example.

God’s Heart for the Nations: A Biblical Thread

The missionary impulse is not a New Testament innovation. It runs through the entire canon of Scripture:

In the Torah

• Genesis 1—11 — God creates all humanity in His image; the Table of Nations (Genesis 10) shows His awareness of every people
• Genesis 12:1–3 — The Abrahamic covenant: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”
• Exodus 9:16 — God tells Pharaoh, “For this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.” The Hebrew shemi (שְׁמִי, “my name”) is central: in biblical thought, God’s shem (שֵׁם, “name”) encompasses His reputation, character, and revealed nature. Missions is fundamentally about making God’s name known

In the Psalms and Wisdom Literature

• Psalm 67:1—2 — “May God be gracious to us and bless us… that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations”
• Psalm 96:3 — “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples”
• Psalm 117 — The shortest psalm is a summons to all nations to praise YHWH

In the Prophets

• Isaiah 42:6; 49:6 — The Servant of the LORD — Hebrew ‘eved YHWH (עֶבֶד יהוה) — will be “a light for the nations,” ‘or goyim (אוֹר גּוֹיִם). The word ‘or (“light”) in prophetic usage signifies divine revelation, truth, and salvation breaking into darkness
• Jonah — God sends a reluctant prophet to Nineveh, Israel’s enemy, and shows compassion on a pagan city. The book’s closing question reveals God’s rachamim (רַחֲמִים, “compassion, tender mercy” — from the root rechem, “womb”), a visceral, maternal love extended even to Israel’s enemies
• Malachi 1:11 — “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations”

The Great Commission

The risen Christ gave His followers a mandate that has shaped the Church’s identity for two millennia. The Great Commission appears in multiple forms:

• Matthew 28:18—20 — “All authority… make disciples of all nations”
• Mark 16:15 — “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation”
• Luke 24:46—47 — “Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem”
• Acts 1:8 — “You will be my witnesses” — Greek martyres (μάρτυρες, from which English derives “martyr”), meaning those who testify from personal knowledge and conviction — “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth”

These commissions share a common structure: the authority of Christ, the scope of all nations, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. For how the Church carries out this mandate through mission and evangelism, see the companion article.

Paul’s Missionary Journeys

The apostle Paul is the New Testament’s foremost missionary. His journeys, recorded in Acts 13—28, established the pattern for cross-cultural gospel witness:

• First journey (Acts 13—14) — Cyprus and southern Asia Minor; the gospel offered first to Jews in the synagogue, then to Gentiles
• Second journey (Acts 15:36—18:22) — Macedonia and Greece; the gospel enters Europe, reaching Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth
• Third journey (Acts 18:23—21:17) — Extensive ministry in Ephesus and the Aegean region
• Journey to Rome (Acts 27—28) — Paul carries the gospel to the heart of the empire

Paul articulated the theological foundation for missions: “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14). The key verb here is kerysso (κηρύσσω, “to herald, to proclaim publicly”), which in the ancient world described a herald announcing a king’s decree. Paul also describes himself as apostolos ethnon (ἀπόστολος ἐθνῶν, “apostle to the nations/Gentiles,” Romans 11:13), signaling that his entire calling was defined by the missionary reach of the gospel beyond Israel.

Unreached Peoples and the Task Remaining

Missiologists estimate that there are approximately 17,000 distinct people groups in the world. Of these, roughly 7,000 are considered “unreached” — meaning they have little or no access to the gospel and no self-sustaining community of believers.

Key concepts in missions strategy include:

• Unreached people group — A people group in which less than 2% of the population is evangelical Christian
• Unengaged — No known church-planting effort is under way among the group
• The 10/40 Window — The geographic band between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude, stretching from West Africa to East Asia, where the majority of unreached peoples live
• Frontier peoples — Groups with less than 0.1% Christian presence, representing the most challenging remaining task

The Church’s mission is not yet complete. Jesus Himself linked the completion of the missionary task to His return: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).

The Eschatological Vision

The Bible’s final portrait of redemption is emphatically multinational:

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” — Revelation 7:9—10

This vision is not a hope that might fail. It is a certainty grounded in the character and promises of God. Every tribe, every tongue, every nation will have representatives before the throne. The missionary task is participation in what God has already determined to accomplish. The story that began with one man called from Ur will end with a new creation filled with worshippers from every corner of the earth — the kingdom of God in its consummated glory.