Class Notes from Perspectives

Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Gen 12:1-3

How does God's promise to Abraham in Gen 12:1-3 reveal that God is a missionary God?

God’s purpose (to redeem a people from every people, and to rule a kingdom over all kingdoms) is embedded into the promise given Abraham. Abram was blessed exceedingly and called apart for the purpose of blessing all the nations of the world, bringing them into a saving relationship with the Almighty. God had a passionate message for the world and he needed a messenger--Abraham became that missionary patriarch. I am so blessed to see God's missionary heart revealed from the beginning.

It's also fascinating to see that this missionary mandate came in the form of a promise, which emphasizes what God would do through Abraham, not what Abraham could accomplish on his own. It is a promise of being co-laborers in a vital relationship with God, not slaves with a missionary “to do” list. What a promise to hold on to; man will fumble in his attempts to follow God, but God’s mandate (because it is also a promise) will never fail.