Mission and the Scandal of Particularity, a Summary Repost
We have reached the end of this series on Missiological Snapshots and before we completely wrap up, I wanted to repost “Missiological Fluidity: The Scandal of Particularity.” God has made it clear, as we have discussed, since the beginning, that the kingdom of God is populated with people from every tongue, every tribe, and every nation.
We started this series by considering the True Story of the Whole World—the story which we inhabit.
Remember, in Genesis 10 we are introduced to the Council of the Nations—the nations that descended from Noah (Gen 10:5, 20; 31). This chapter is tied together with an inclusio: “These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood” (Gen 10:1, 32).
God in time calls Abraham, promising him that all the nations on earth will be blessed through him, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless and make your name great” (Gen 12:1–3; 18:18). Jesus, as we learned in this series, just before he ascends into heaven, commissions his followers, “Go and make disciples of all nations.”
The Scandal of Particularity
Stop for a second to consider what the Scripture is saying—every tongue, every tribe, every nation. The scandalous truth is that God is drawing boys and girls, men and women, brown and black, white and freckled, brown-eyed and green, tall and short to himself with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus, you might recall, was a particular male, born of God’s Spirit, from the womb of a specific teenage girl named Mary, in the historically located town of Bethlehem. He grew up in an unpopular town called Nazareth, learned a trade from his earthly father Joseph.
Joseph’s particular genealogy (by the way) traces all the way back to Abraham, then to Noah, and eventually to the very beginning” (Gen 1:1; Matt 1:1–17; Luke 2:23–38).
Jesus, as a Hebrew man preached good news to the downcast, forgiveness and freedom to the prisoner, everlasting hope to the diseased and the desperate, love and compassion to the lonely and the helpless.
God in human flesh then hung on a cross and died the death we deserved to die. God’s one and only Son, shed his human blood on our behalf and miraculously, gloriously, quietly, rose from the grave victorious over sin and death.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)
Since then, God’s Spirit has fueled the wildfire of the gospel as it spread from Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Ethiopia, Greece, Turkey, China … to Lynn in Chicago who eventually shared with me, in Salt Lake City the good news. In very specific, personal ways, God’s Spirit, who knows our names, reveals the truth of the gospel to particular people like us.
Whoever we are and wherever we live, we live among people who represent the nations. Let’s lift our eyes and cultivate a Spirit-led awareness. God is drawing particular people right next door to accept the gift of forgiveness and eternal life.
Amazingly, he uses particular people like you and me to be his witnesses!
