MISSIONS SCRIPTURES          By Juan Guerra

 Although the following scriptures are some of the most obvious in their missionary intent, the list that follows is by no means all-inclusive. And it is not that we are trying to show that the Bible has a missionary intent, but rather that it is a missionary handbook; and missions is at the core of the gospel message.

In reading these scriptures, the following information will help you interpret them properly. The Greek word ethne has traditionally been translated as “nations”. A better translation would have been “ethnic groups” or “peoples”. Basileas is the word for political units or countries but this word was not used in the Greek. The reference is always to ethne. So, India is a basilea containing some 1,800 ethne. Thus, when reading the verses below you could, in your mind, replace the word “nations” with “ethnic groups” for a more correct interpretation of God’s word.

Genesis 12:1-3

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Genesis 18:18

Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.

Genesis 22:18

…and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Genesis 28:14

Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

Exodus 19:5-6

For all the earth is mine and you shall be to me a Kingdom of priests

Leviticus 19:24

The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself.

Deuteronomy 32:43

Rejoice, O nations, with his people.

Joshua 4:23,24

For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until  you passed over… so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty.

1 Samuel 17:46

This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand… that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

2 Samuel 22:50

Therefore I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations.

2 Kings 19:19

Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God.

1 Chronicles 16:23-23

Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations.

2 Chronicles 6:32,33

As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your name.

Ezra 1:2

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem.

Psalm 18:49

Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O Lord; I will sing praises to your name.

Psalm 46:10

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.

Psalm 47

Clap your hands, all you nations;

shout to God with cries of joy.

How awesome is the Lord Most High,

the great King over all the earth!

He subdued nations under us,

peoples under our feet.

He chose our inheritance for us,

the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.

God has ascended amid shouts of joy,

the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.

For God is the King of all the earth;

sing to him a psalm of praise.

God reins over the nations;

God is seated on his holy throne.

The nobles of the nations assemble

as the people of the God of Abraham,

for the kings of the earth belong to

God;

he is greatly exalted.

Psalm 57: 9-11

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

let your glory be over all the earth.

Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us, that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

May the peoples praise you, O God; may all the peoples praise you.

May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples justly, and guide the nations of the earth.

May the peoples praise you, O God, may all the peoples praise you.

Then the land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us.

God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth will fear him.

Psalm 105:1

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done.

Psalm 117:1,2

Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.

Psalm 150:6

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Isaiah 49:6b

... I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah 11:10

In that day a Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him..

Isaiah 25:6-8

On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples… He will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever.

Isaiah 60:3

Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Jeremiah 32:27

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?

Jeremiah 33:9

And this city shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and a glory before all the nations of the earth who shall hear of all the good that I do for them and shall fear and tremble.

Daniel 7:13,14

And he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.

Habakkuk 2:14

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

Haggai 2:7

I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty.

Zechariah 14:9

The Lord will be King over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

Malachi 1:11

My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord Almighty.

Matthew 9:37,38

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field”.

Matthew 24:14

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Mark 11:17

My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”

Mark 13:10

And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.

Luke 2:30-32

Simeon prophesies: For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for Glory to your people Israel.

Luke 24:44-47

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem…”

John 1:12,13

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 4:35

Do you not say, “Four months more and then the harvest”? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.

John 10:14-16

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me – just as the Father knows me and I know the Father – and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

John 17:22,23

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Acts 3:25

You are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, "Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.”

Acts 10:34,35

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who will fear him and do what is right.”

Acts 13:47

For this is what the Lord has commanded us: “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 26:17b,18

I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins…”

Acts 28:28

Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!

Romans 1:5

Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.

Romans 10:14

But how can they call on one in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in one of whom they have not heard? How can they hear without someone preaching to them, and how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”(Isaiah 52:7)

Romans 15:8,9

For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God’s truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles…”

All the missionary journeys of the apostles. See as an example Paul’s description in Romans 15:19-26. In 15:20a Paul writes: “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known”.

Romans 15:20

It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.

Romans 16:25-27

Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel… so that all nations might believe and obey him – to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

1 Corinthians 9:22b

I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.

2 Corinthians 5:19

that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them…

Galatians 3:6-9

Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”  Understand, then, that those who believe are children of Abraham.  The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the Gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”  So those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Galatians 3:14

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Ephesians 6:19

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel..

Philippians 2:9-11

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Colossians 1:6

.. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God’s grace in all its truth.

1 Thessalonians 1:7,8

And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia – your faith in God has become known everywhere…

1 Timothy 3:16

Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.

Titus 2:11

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.

1 Peter 5:9

Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

 2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

1 John 4:14,15

And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.

Revelation 5:9-10

Your are worthy …because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation …and they will reign on the earth.

Revelation 7:9

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

Romans 10:13-15

..”Everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21) How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Isaiah 52:7)

Examples of God Blessing Gentiles via His Covenant People (Taken from “Vision for the Nations - Leader’s Guide pp10. US Center for World Mission)

• Abraham, as an individual, blessed other nations as he  came into the presence of kings and rulers (Gen. 14:21-24; 20:17,18; 21:22-34; 23:1-20).

• Through his prayers, Abraham persuaded God to delay the judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:16-33).

• Joseph became CEO of Egypt and kept much of that part of the world from famine (Gen. 41:41-57; 47:13-26)

• Moses drew his Midianite father-in-law, Jethro, into God’s plan for the Hebrews (Exod. 18:1, 9-27).

• Some of the Egyptians who witnessed the ten plagues, as well as the counterfeit miracles of the court magicians, saw the greatness of God (Exod. 8:19; 9:27,28; 14:17).

• The Moabite woman, Ruth, was blessed by God through Naomi, a Hebrew (Ruth 1-4).

• Many of David’s right-hand men were people of other nations, such as Hittites (2 Sam. 23:24-39).

• Solomon interacted with the Queen of Sheba, and she praised his God, the Lord (1 Kings 10:1-13).

• Elijah healed the son of the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-24).

• Elisha healed the leper, Naaman, from Syria (2 Kings 5:1-15).

• Daniel was a blessing to the Babylonian and Persian leaders (Daniel 1-12).

• God used Esther, a Jewish woman, in the Persian kingdom to bless others, especially the king – her husband (Esther 1-10).

• Jonah, though reluctant, was a blessing to the Ninevites as they repented and turned en masse to God (Jonah 3).

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