You Will Be My Witnesses: Theology for God's Church Serving in God's Mission (DeVires)

Description

Mission is God’s work. God spoke the first promise of gospel hope, sent his Son into this fallen world, and commissioned his Spirit to empower his church for witness. Until the day Christ returns, God has called his people to participate in his mission through evangelism, apologetics, church planting, cultural engagement, gospel suffering, and many other activities that faithfully communicate gospel hope in Christ.

This practical introduction provides a biblical framework for understanding the church’s role in God’s mission. It reviews the biblical story of God’s mission, draws insights from the church’s witness since Pentecost, and studies aspects of contemporary Christian witness. Each chapter ends with study questions to encourage further reflection and discussion by church members and ministry leaders. Readers will gain refreshing insights into how they can participate in faithfully bearing witness to Christ through the church’s work in the world today.

• Confessional and Contemporary: Precisely defines the biblical aspects of God’s mission and Christian witness, built upon time-tested theology, yet freshly applied for witness in the post-Christendom world
• Accessible: Written for church members, college and seminary students, ministry workers, and church leaders who are committed to creating a community that bears witness to Christ in an unchurched society
• Practical and Motivational: Clear and crisp writing style, enhanced by many helpful figures and charts, and infused with a gospel passion to declare God’s glory among the nations
• Spurs Discussion: Thought-provoking study questions at the end of each chapter to encourage further reflection and faithful action

Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface: Your Church Serving in God’s Mission
Introduction: Witness within God's Mission

Part One: The Biblical Story of God’s Mission
Chapter 1: Mission in the Old Testament
Chapter 2: The Mission of Jesus Christ
Chapter 3: The Mission of the Holy Spirit
Chapter 4: Witness in the New Testament

Part Two: Concise History of Christian Witness
Chapter 5: The Church’s Witness after Pentecost
Chapter 6: Historical Themes in Christian Witness

Part Three: Our Witness in an Un-Christian World
Chapter 7: Christian Witness as Gospel Presence
Chapter 8: Christian Witness by Gospel Message
Chapter 9: Christian Witness by Gospel Response
Chapter 10: Christian Witness in Gospel Community

Conclusion: Motivating Our Churches to Witness

General Index
Scripture Index

Endorsements

“In this book, Brian DeVries helps us to see that we as Christians are called to be witnesses of what we have come to know of God’s saving purpose in Christ. He shows this across the Bible and across history since the days of the apostles. I love the fact that he wrestles with how we can carry out this task in light of today’s challenges. I am grateful for this warm and informative book!”
—Conrad Mbewe, Pastor, Kabwata Baptist Church, Lusaka, Zambia; Founding Chancellor, African Christian University

“We are not ‘building’ but ‘receiving’ a kingdom. Brian DeVries shows from Genesis to Revelation that God’s mission in Christ is center stage. Instead of bearing this mission on our shoulders, we get to be ambassadors of this good news! This paradigm-shifting message from a veteran in missions should be at the top of any reading list on the subject.”
—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California

“At its heart, this fresh reflection on witness and mission in the Scriptures, church history, and the world today is a book about the sort of piety that truly honors God. It shows how love for God and obedience to his command to bear witness to the great acts recorded in his holy word results in what DeVries rightly calls ‘missional piety’: a spirituality marked by passion and intentionality when it comes to sharing one’s faith. All in all, an important reminder!”
—Michael A. G. Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

About the Author

Brian A. DeVries (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the president of Mukhanyo Theological College in South Africa and adjunct professor of missiology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. DeVries has led three multiethnic church-planting teams in South Africa and currently serves as the pastor of Grace Reformed Church in Pretoria. He and his wife, Lanae, are blessed with five children.