Introducing World Missions, 2nd Edition

A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey

series: Encountering Mission

Materials available for professors by request only

Chapter

4. Encountering Mission in the New Testament Church

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think Paul did not repeat or expand on the Great Commission anywhere in his epistles?
  2. What do you think it was like for Timothy during the earliest days of his work with Paul? (For background, read over Acts 14:1–23—Timothy may have been an eyewitness to these events or at the very least he would have known of them—and 16:1–4.)
  3. Why do you think the apostles appeared to be so reluctant to leave Jerusalem? Are there any situations that are equivalent to that in today’s world?
  4. Why did God use the Antioch church, rather than the church at Jerusalem, to start what became the broadest missionary movement of the early church?
  5. What is the significance of spiritual warfare in mission today?
  6. What do you think are the core (and non-negotiable) components of God’s mission?

Bibliography

Allen, Roland. 1927. The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church. London: World Dominion Press.

———. [1912] 1962. Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours? Reprint, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Arnold, Clinton. 1992. Ephesians, Power and Magic: The Concept of Power in Ephesians in Light of Its Historical Setting. Grand Rapids: Baker.

Barrett, David B., and Todd M. Johnson. 2001. World Christian Trends AD 30–AD 2200: Interpreting the Annual Christian Megacensus. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

Bolt, Peter, and Mark Thompson, eds. 2000. The Gospel to the Nations: Perspectives on Paul's Mission. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Bowers, W. Paul. 1993. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, edited by Gerald F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin, s.v. "Mission." Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Boyd, Robert T. 1995. Paul, the Apostle: The Illustrated Handbook of His Life and Travels. N.p.: World Publishing.

Bruce, F. F. 1977. Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

———. 1988. The Book of Acts. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Carson, Donald A. 2000. "Paul's Mission and Prayer." In The Gospel to the Nations: Perspectives on Paul's Mission, edited by Peter Bolt and Mark Thompson, 175–84. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Cranfield, C. E. B. 1985. Romans: A Shorter Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

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

Daniel, Robin. 2012. Mission Strategies Then and Now. Chester, England: Tamarisk.

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.

Gallagher, Robert L. 2013. "Missionary Methods: St. Paul's, St. Roland's, or Ours?" In Missionary Methods: Research, Reflections, and Realities, edited by Craig Ott and J. D. Payne, 3–22. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

Gilliland, Dean S. 1983. Pauline Theology and Mission Practice. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

Grudem, Wayne A. 1988. The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today. Westchester, IL: Crossway.

Hafemann, Scott. 2000. "'Because of Weakness' (Galatians 4:13): The Role of Suffering in the Mission of Paul." In The Gospel to the Nations: Perspectives on Paul's Mission, edited by Peter Bolt and Mark Thompson, 131–46. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Hughes, Philip Edgcumbe. 1962. Paul's Second Epistle to the Corinthians: The English Text with Introduction, Exposition and Notes. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Johnstone, Patrick. 1998. The Church Is Bigger Than You Think: Structures and Strategies for the Church in the 21st Century. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.

Kane, J. Herbert. 1976. Christian Missions in Biblical Perspective. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

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.

Lawson, Michael. 1987. Unfolding Kingdom. Eastbourne, England: Kingsway.

Longenecker, Richard N. 1971. The Ministry and Message of Paul. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Marshall, I. Howard. 2000. "Luke's Portrait of the Pauline Mission." In The Gospel to the Nations: Perspectives on Paul's Mission, edited by Peter Bolt and Mark Thompson, 99–113. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

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

Peterson, David G. 2000. "Maturity: The Goal of Mission." In The Gospel to the Nations: Perspectives on Paul's Mission, edited by Peter Bolt and Mark Thompson, 185–204. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Pollock, John. 1972. The Apostle. Wheaton: Victor.

Schnabel, Eckhard J. 2008. Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies and Methods. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Seccombe, David. 2000. "The Story of Jesus and the Missionary Strategy of Paul." In The Gospel to the Nations: Perspectives on Paul's Mission, edited by Peter Bolt and Mark Thompson, 115–29. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Stibbs, Alan. 1959. The First Epistle General of Peter. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

Wenham, David. 2000. "From Jesus to Paul—Via Luke." In The Gospel to the Nations: Perspectives on Paul's Mission, edited by Peter Bolt and Mark Thompson, 83–97. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.

Wink, Walter. 1992. Engaging the Powers: Discernment and Resistance in a World of Domination. Philadelphia: Fortress.

Winter, Bruce W. 2000. "Dangers and Difficulties for the Pauline Missions." In The Gospel to the Nations: Perspectives on Paul's Mission, edited by Peter Bolt and Mark Thompson, 285–95. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity.