Christian missions does not begin with us. It does not begin with the missionary who goes, or even with the church that sends him. Missions begins with the Lord Himself. The Church is certainly a sent people. Jesus calls us “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14), and Revelation pictures the churches as lampstands bearing witness to Christ. As the body of Christ, the whole Church has been sent to proclaim the gospel and make disciples of all nations. At the same time, the Church is the body that sends. From among her members, the Church identifies qualified and called men and women, commissions them, and sends them to make Christ known where He is not yet known. These missionaries do not go as independent religious adventurers. They go on behalf of Christ’s church (Acts 13:1–4). Sending is not merely “a moment.” The churches that send missionaries remain their co-laborers. We support them, pray for them, care for them, encourage them, and hold them accountable (Acts 14:26–28). They go, and we go with them through our fellowship in the gospel.
