INTRODUCTION

Many people argue that the Old Testament contains no mission for all nations. It is not an accurate interpretation of the Old Testament. According to St. Augustine, “the New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old is disclosed in the New.”[1]That is why we must examine it thoroughly in order to comprehend the real significance of the term mission. God called the Israelites to be kingdom priests (Exo. 19:5-6). Their responsibility as a priestly nation is to convey God’s glory to other nations (Gen. 12:3-4, 18:18-19). Israel’s mission to reach the rest of the world was a failure. Nonetheless, the God of all grace did not abandon his decision. He would still use the nation of Israel to bless the nations and eventually fulfill his promises through the Jewish people (Rom. 11:11–29). The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ fulfill God’s mission in the New Testament. The Apostles began to spread the Gospel to all nations in the book of Acts. This paper will attempt to provide answers to these questions and determine how the book of Acts fulfills missions. Did the early church bear any responsibility for carrying out God’s mission? Is the Holy Spirit necessary for God’s mission to be accomplished? Yes, they are both vital to God’s work. God has appointed certain tasks, and the book of Acts explicitly indicates how God employs them to accomplish His mission.

1. MEANING AND DEFINITION OF MISSIO DEI
“Missio Dei” is Latin for the sending of God, the meaning of being sent. This phrase, used in missiological discussions in the English form, is “the mission of God” which includes a wide scenario of the mission of God in the world.[2] The word mission is rare in both the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament. What is emphasized regularly is the concept of being sent, with an emphasis on the authority and purpose of the sender. The New Testament uses apostellö and pempo somewhat interchangeable.[3] In the New Testament apostollein certainly begins to be a theological word for “Sending forth to serve God with God’s own authority” but only in context and not with any radical departure from its normal sense. In relation to the general use of apostellein in the NT we must say finally that the word does begin to become a theological term meaning “to send forth to service in the Kingdom of God with full authority (grounded in God).”[4] The mission does not come from human sources since it is not a human enterprise. It stems from God’s desire to reconcile sinful mankind to Himself.[5]

The Old Testament must be learned in order to properly comprehend the teachings of the New Testament. The Christian mission begins with the Old Testament in terms of mission.[6] Without the Old Testament, the New Testament is similarly unclear. According to Jesus, his biography is already recorded in the Old Testament (Luke. 24:27). That is why the Christian mission did not begin during Jesus Christ’s earthly existence, but rather in the Old Testament. From the call of Abraham, the Israelite people would seek God’s elect. God gave a promise to Abraham that he would be a blessing to all nations around the world (Gen.12:3). God is delighted with Abraham because of his unwavering faith in Him. He acquired righteousness through faith, but not by works, as Apostle Paul detailed in the New Testament (Rom.3:21,5:21, Gal.3). All nations will not be blessed because of Abraham’s descendants. Faith alone, however, will be given to everyone who thirsts for God.

The book of the Gospels in the New Testament demonstrates that Jesus accomplished God’s mission to redeem all nations. According to the book of Matthew, all of the Old Testament prophesies concerning Jesus have been fulfilled in Jesus Christ; therefore, he must be the Messiah anointed to redeem the entire world. It contains one phrase that goes through it like a theme: ‘This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophets.’ The phrase appears as many as sixteen times in the gospel.[7] Mark states that Jesus’ ministry is to all nations, and he makes no distinctions. He began preaching in the Gentile region of Galilee (Mark 1:2-8:21), and concluded in the Jewish area of Jerusalem (Mark. 11:1-16:8). It plainly demonstrates that Jesus has no preference for the races.[8]

In Matthew 10:2-5, 15:24, it appears that Jesus prioritizes the Jewish nation. Matthew carefully included both sets of contradictory sayings to further the main goal of his gospel. It is probable that the various sayings represent conflicting ideas and customs in Matthew’s community and, as a result, were responsible for some significant disparities. Matthew, on the other hand, includes both. This demonstrates his pastoral concern; he does not merely pit one group against another. But it also illustrates his theological position: missions to Israel and missions to Gentiles should not be mutually exclusive, but rather embrace each other.[9]Jesus stated this so that Jewish might plainly grasp the message. We saw no discrimination between Israel and Gentiles in the great commission, he commanded them to go to all nations (Matt.28:18-19). In the book of Matthew, Jesus’ final and most crucial remarks do not draw a distinction between Jewish and Gentile missions.[10]

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus began his ministry with a reading from Isaiah 61:1-2. In four areas, these Scriptures give hope for the impoverished. The mission of Jesus is to preach God’s favors. God’s desire for Gentile, the poor and suffering, to be freed from their oppressor.[11]In the book of John, Jesus instructs followers to participate in missions (John 20:21-22). He claimed that God sent His Son, but He also sent believers to carry out God’s mission. This term is repeated again in John 17:18. Only the Gospel of John mentions this sequence of sending.[12]

2. MISSION FULFILLMENT IN THE EARLY CHURCH (ACTS)
The early church was extremely important in God’s mission. All of the church’s ministry today originated in the early church. However, the early church’s purpose was not without flaws. As time passes, a broader mission scope becomes available. From the book of Acts, we can witness the early church’s mission and its growth.[13] With a strong belief in the operation of the Holy Spirit, the early church members gathered in the church. Initially, the church was comprised of a few Jewish people who believed in Jesus Christ. After the church’s inception at Pentecost, the apostles and evangelists moved to all regions of the Roman empire to announce the good news with the help of the church and their support. When the Holy Spirit descended on them at Pentecost, the early church was born. The church was established as the result of a significant transformation. When the Holy Spirit appears, it opens a big door for the mission and strengthens Christians to be witnesses all over the world.[14]

2.1 The Holy Spirit Originates, Inspires, and Guides Mission
Mission is so inextricably linked with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples that some have proposed that a suitable title for this book may be Acts of the Holy Spirit. “The Spirit’s participation does not cease with the launch of the missionary endeavor. He also empowers and guides it, even causing churches to set apart missionaries (Acts 13:1-3) and guiding missionaries on where to go (Acts 16:7). He is the one who gives them the capability and the bravery to bear testimony to the truth of the resurrection everywhere they go (Acts 4:8).[15]
The Apostle and Evangelist were sent on missions by the Holy Spirit, not by their own choice (Acts 8:29). When the Holy Spirit pours forth on the Cornelius family, it is apparent that the Holy Spirit leads them in every way (Acts 10:44-48). Furthermore, they were able to carry out their mission among the Gentiles without difficulties, indicating that the Holy Spirit abides with the disciples.[16]

2.2 Called to be Witness of Resurrection Christ
Witnessing is the primary mission activity in Acts. One of Luke’s distinctive terms is “witness” (martys). It appears frequently in Luke’s second book with verbs referring to the activity of bearing testimony. This should come as no surprise. This notion was already there in Jesus’ post-resurrection commission to his disciples in Luke 24. (“You are witnesses of these things,” Luke 24:48).[17] Witness is used in two contexts: bearing witness to Christ’s historical life, death, and resurrection, and bearing witness to the risen Christ, Lord Jesus (Acts 2:32, 530, 10:40, and 13:3). Witnessing is not just presenting doctrinal truths about Jesus Christ, but also expecting listeners to repent and follow the resurrected Lord Jesus. Following Him is more vital than everything else, and witnessing this reality constitutes the missionary effort.[18]

2.3 Mission as the Crossing of Border
Acts 1:8 depicts the great reversal of mission movement. whereas the eschatological vision of the Old Testament saw the nations coming to Jerusalem, Luke depicts the gospel going out to the nations from Jerusalem. Many commentators have suggested that the progression of the spread of the gospel here provides an outline of the entire book of Acts. Acts 1–7, the gospel in Jerusalem, Acts 8–9, the gospel in Judea and Samaria, Acts 10–28, to the ends of the earth.[19] On Paul’s first missionary journey, he and Barnabas encountered the reality of communicating across cultural boundaries (Acts 14:8–20). Paul and Barnabas roughly three years to cover almost fifteen hundred miles on this journey. Churches were planted in at least nine cities along the way; the gospel was taking root in new territories.[20]
Mission is the whole task of the church as it is sent into the world to bear witness to the good news. As such mission is literally a perspective on all of life: the whole life of God’s people both as a gathered and a scattered community bears witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the entirety of human affairs. Mission is one part of this bigger role that the church plays in God’s story. Its task is to establish a witness in places where there is none. Cross-cultural missions are prominent. However, missions are not just an important aspect of the church’s mission; it is also the ultimate goal. The ultimate horizon of God’s people’s mission to spread good news is the ends of the earth.[21]

2.4 Repentance, Forgiveness of Sin, and Salvation
The book of Acts focuses far too much on the early church’s activities and the predicament of Gentiles. Conversion is the most crucial aspect of a church mission. The Pharisees become Christians as well (15:5). Many Jews turn to Christ on the Day of Pentecost. Conversions of Paul and Pharisees, Ethiopian eunuch and Cornelius, and many others have been mentioned (Acts 8:26-40, 10:1-11, 2:41, 4:4, 9:35, 42).[22] As the gospel is preached among the nations, people repent, believe, and are born again into the kingdom (Mk. 1:15; John. 3:3–5). New communities are formed as witnesses to the transforming power of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:8). They live as salt and light in the world glorifying the Father (Matt. 5:13–16). They live to the praise and glory of God in holiness (Eph. 1:4–6), break down barriers dividing people (Eph. 2:11–22), and evidence his wisdom according to his eternal purpose in Christ (Eph. 3:10)[23]

2.5 The Reach and Poor New Relationship
Compassion and sharing were practiced inside the Christian church in Acts, when many members were destitute, to the point where Paul had to appeal to the Gentile churches to help the needy Christians in Judea. Luke never ceases of reminding us of the sacrificial mindset that existed in the early days of the Jerusalem church. He informs us that they shared whatever they had (Acts 2:44f; 4:32), and as a result, there was no poor person among them (Acts 4:34).[24] The believers’ sense of spiritual unity was expressed in communal living and sharing with the poor members of their church in Jerusalem.[25] The gospel cannot be good news if the witnesses are incapable of discerning the real issues and concerns that matter to the marginalized. As was the case in Jesus’ own ministry, those in pain are to liberate, the poor cared for, the outcasts and rejected brought home, and all sinners offered forgiveness and salvation.[26]

2.6 The Church as a Point of Departure and Destination of Mission
We see in the book of Acts that the church is not only the “place of departure for missions,” but also the destination. It is apparent, for example, that Paul saw the establishment and development of churches as an important element of his ministry (Acts 14:23, 15:41). Whole chapters at the end of Acts are devoted to detailing the tale of how churches were started and developed. The well-being and expansion of these churches are seen as exceedingly essential, not just for the purpose of their members’ spiritual health, but also because they are recognized as being crucial to the propagation of the Gospel (Acts 20:28).[27]

2.7 Mission Requires Faith and Courage in the Face of Adversary
Persecution ignites the narrative of the spread of the Gospel. Acts record the first Christian martyr (Acts 6:8-7:60), Christians fleeing for their life before bloodthirsty rulers (Acts 8:1), and sermons that end in riots (Acts 17:5). Nothing about the early church’s founding was simple. I do not believe we should conclude from this that missions will always be accompanied by persecution and opposition, despite the fact that there are very few occasions in church history when the arrival of the Gospel did not cause some resistance. Persecution does occur, However, Acts clearly demonstrates the finest possible reaction in all circumstances: steadfast confidence in God, prayer, and endurance (Acts 4:23-31 16:25).[28]

CONCLUSION
God showed himself to the people of Israel in the Old Testament as an ambassador for himself. Similarly, the church is Christ’s body on earth, carrying out his will. The church is made up of all people who have been saved. “Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her,” Paul says in Ephesians 5:25.[29]When the church was established at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit empowered them to carry out God’s mission, and they begin to proclaim the word of God, and spread across the nations. Mission will be completed when Christ returns. Until that time arrives, the church should prioritize God’s mission (Missio Dei).

(Endnotes)
[1] Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible(Chicago: Moody Press, 1986),22.
[2] Ginnei Thang Ngaihte, Leading Missions: An Asian Perspective(Secunderabad: GS Books, 2017),17.
[3] Charles Van Engen, Missionshift: Global Mission Issue in the Third Millennium, ed. David J.Hesselgrave and Ed Stetzer (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2010), 10.
[4] Engen, Mission shift: Global Mission Issue in the Third Millennium, 11.
[5] VS. Lalrinawma, Missiological Issues Facing the Contemporary Church in India, (Bangalore:CFCC, 2011), 1-2.
[6] Roger E. Hedlund, God and The Nations, (Delhi:ISPCK, 2002),1.
[7] William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1, (Bangalore: Theological Publication in India, 2013),7.
[8] Donald Senior and Carroll Stuhlmueller, The Biblical Foundation for Mission, (London: SCM Press Ltd., 1983), 218.
[9] David Bosch, Transforming Mission: Mission Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, (Bangalore: Omega Book World, 2021),61.
[10] Ferdinand Hahn, Mission in the New Testament, (London: SMC Press Ltd., 1965), 120.
[11] Roger E. Hedlund, The Mission of the Church in the World: A Biblical Theology, (Madras: Evangelical Literature Service, 1985), 176.
[12] J. Verkuyl. Contemporary Missiology: An Introduction, (Grand Rapids: Willam B. Eerdsmans Publishing Company, 1978), 112.
[13] Brian Wintle, Missiology for the 21st Century: South Asian Perspectives, ed. Roger E. Hedlun and Paul Joshua Bhakiaraj (Delhi: ISPCK/MISS, 2004), 87.
[14] Wintle, Missiology for the 21st Century: South Asian Perspectives, 87.
[15]Vikas Ram, Mission in the Early Church: Gospel and Acts, podcast video, (BTM Lecture- 12, SAIACS, Notes from Bangalore MP4, July 18, 2022). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1IJlA5TMV8OFnM1QRxeKAAgMtNe3aYhaE/view
[16] V.Lawrence, Mission in the Bible: Mission and Evangelism, ed. Somen Das (Delhi: ISPCK, 1998), 21.
[17] Dean Flemming, Recovering Full Mission of God: A Biblical Perspevtive on Being Doing and Telling, (Illinois: Inter Varsity Press, 2013), 135.
[18] Ram, Mission in the Early Church: Gospel and Acts,
[19] Craig Ott, Stephen J. Strauss and Timothy C. Tennent, Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundation, Historical Development, and Contemporary Issues, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), 41.
[20] A Scout Moreau, Gary R. Corwin and Gary B. MacGee, Introducing World Mission: A Biblical, Historical and Practical Survey, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academy, 2015), 57.
[21] Michael W. Goheen, A Light to the Nation: The Missional Church and the Biblical Story, (Grand Rapids: Baker Academy, 2011), 219.
[22] Lawrence, Mission in the Bible: Mission and Evangelism, 25.
[23] Craig Ott, Stephen J. Strauss and Timothy C. Tennent, Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundation, Historical Development, and Contemporary Issues, 196.
[24] Bosch, Transforming Mission: Mission Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, 120.
[25] Merrill C. Tenny and Richard N. Longeneker, The Expositors Bible Commentary, Volume-9, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1989), 290.
[26] Bosch, Transforming Mission: Mission Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, 120.
[27] Ram, Mission in the Early Church: Gospel and Acts,
[28] Ram, Mission in the Early Church: Gospel and Act,
[29] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Bible Doctrine, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994),