Discussion Questions

1. Explain why Jesus generally confined his personal ministry to the house of Israel.
2. In the Gospels, Satan interacts with Jesus numerous times (the temptation, through Peter’s declaration, in the life of Judas, and so on). Based on what you know of those interactions, in what ways might he continue to hinder mission today?
3. Why are demonic encounters so much more prominent in the New Testament than in the Old? What difference does this make for contemporary mission?
4. In his Gospel, Mark prominently displays the consistent failures of the disciples of Jesus. Chapter 8 alone has three stories showing this: 8:1–9; 8:14–21; and 8:31–38. Read these stories and discuss lessons that missionaries can draw from them for today.
5. Is the Great Commission really necessary? Why or why not?
6. If you were working among a people with no translation of the New Testament and were asked to translate one of the Gospels into the local language, what factors would be important in helping you decide which Gospel to translate?
7. Jesus taught that the greatest command is to love God with all that we are, and the second greatest is to love our neighbor as ourselves. What is the impact on mission of these two commandments and the order in which they are placed significant for mission?

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Bibliography

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———. 1991. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Carson, Donald A. 1984. "Matthew." In The Expositor's Bible Commentary, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, 8:3–599. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Culver, Robert Duncan. 1984. A Greater Commission: Theology for World Missions. Chicago: Moody.

Dyrness, William A. 1983. Let the Earth Rejoice! A Biblical Theology of Holistic Mission. Westchester, IL: Crossway.

Erdmann, Martin. 1998. "Mission in John's Gospel and Letters." In Mission in the New Testament: An Evangelical Approach, edited by William J. Larkin and Joel F. Williams, 207–26. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Flemming, Dean. 2005. Contextualization in the New Testament: Patterns for Theology and Mission. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

———. 2013. Recovering the Full Mission of God: A Biblical Perspective on Being, Doing and Telling. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Gooding, David W. 1987. According to Luke: A New Exposition of the Third Gospel. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Green, Joel B. 1994. "Good News to Whom? Jesus and the Poor in the Gospel of Luke." In Jesus of Nazareth: Lord and Christ; Essays on the Historical Jesus and New Testament Christology, edited by Joel B. Green and Max Turner, 59–74. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Hahn, Ferdinand. 1965. Mission in the New Testament. London: SCM.

Harvey, John D. 1998. "Mission in Matthew." In Mission in the New Testament: An Evangelical Approach, edited by William J. Larkin and Joel F. Williams, 119–36. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Köstenberger, Andreas J., and Peter T. O'Brien. 2001. Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Ladd, George E. 1974. A Theology of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Larkin, William J. 1998. "Mission in Luke." In Mission in the New Testament: An Evangelical Approach, edited by William J. Larkin and Joel F. Williams, 152–69. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Liefeld, Walter L. 1984. "Luke." In The Expositor's Bible Commentary, edited by Frank E. Gaebelein, 8:795–1059. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Marshall, I. Howard. 1978. The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

O'Brien, Peter. 1976. "The Great Commission of Matthew 28:18–20: A Missionary Mandate or Not?" The Reformed Theological Review 135 (September–December): 66–78.

Peters, George W. 1972. A Biblical Theology of Missions. Chicago: Moody.

Piper, John. 1993. Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions. Grand Rapids: Baker.

Stott, John R. W. 1975. "The Biblical Basis of Evangelism." In Let the Earth Hear His Voice: Official Reference Volume, Papers and Responses: International Congress on World Evangelization, Lausanne, Switzerland, edited by J. D. Douglas, 65–78. Minneapolis: World Wide Publications.

Williams, Don. 1989. Signs, Wonders, and the Kingdom of God: A Biblical Guide for the Reluctant Skeptic. Ann Arbor, MI: Vine.

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