Missions isn’t just a New Testament idea. It’s not a side project Jesus tacked on at the end of the Bible. From the very beginning, God’s heart has always been set on all nations.
When we talk about missions, we’re really talking about God’s long, steady plan to bless the whole world through people who say yes. Let’s zoom out and see how the entire Bible points that way.
Many people think the Old Testament is mostly about God choosing one nation and ignoring the rest. But reading closely tells a different story. Right at the beginning, God’s plan and His intentions are clear.
Genesis 12:1-3 is key:
“I will bless you… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
God chooses Abram (later Abraham), not because He only cares about him, but so that all can be reached. This pattern shows up again and again:
God’s people were never meant to hoard His presence, they were meant to carry it. Election was always about missions.
In the New Testament, God’s heart for the nations becomes even clearer. Jesus doesn’t just affirm the mission. He embodies it, and he crosses boundaries constantly:
After His resurrection, He makes it crystal clear:
“Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:18–20)
This isn’t a suggestion for just a few people, it's a call to everyone who follows Jesus. The Great Commission is the invitation to join into what God has always been doing. In Acts, we can see it unfolding in real time:
The gospel can't stay put. If the church stops carrying the message outward, it stops aligning with God’s heart.
The Bible doesn’t end with one nation, one church, or one culture. It ends with every nation and Revelation 7:9 shows the finish line:
“A great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne…”
Everything has been heading here since Genesis. The Bible starts in a garden with one family. It ends in worship with a global family.
That changes how we see missions today. Missions isn’t:
Missions is God bringing history to its intended conclusion. And He chooses to do it through ordinary people willing to go, send, pray, give, and obey.
Hesitancy to jump into missions often isn’t a lack of heart, it’s about not seeing yourself in the story. But Scripture shows that missions is the natural overflow of knowing God. Once you see how the Bible points outward, the question isn’t “Is missions biblical?” It becomes “What part of this story am I meant to play?”
If the Bible is one unified story of God blessing the nations through His people, then missions isn’t optional. It’s formational. Here are a few ways to respond:
God has always been sending His people to bless the world. The question isn’t whether He’s still doing that. It’s whether we’re willing to join Him.