What's new?
Missions Biblical foundation
Compassionate ministry in the Bible
Online concordances
Classic missionary hymns
"Among all nations" devotional
Canaan: Strategic land bridge
Want more out of life?
10/40 Window
Searching for God's will?
Commitment: African martyr
Praying for missionaries
Mission trip fund raising
10 ways to ruin mission trips
Youth in Mission
Missionary statistics
Nazarene Missions International resource pages
Linking to me
Bible verses on missions: Harvest passages
Why missions? Biblical passages dealing with world evangelism
Are you working on a missionary sermon or message? Do you have to do a Bible study on missions? Has someone asked the question: Why missions? Why should I be concerned about the global harvest of souls?
Sacred scripture is full of explicit as well as implicit references to God's will for world evangelism. Most evangelical believers know the Great Commission: "Go ye into all the world."
The Great Commission is only one reason for God's people to be doing global mission. There are lots of other missions verses in God's Word. Here is a partial listing of missionary scriptures from both the Old and New Testaments. Use these to encourage a clear missionary vision. Several of the passages have links to where they are cited on other pages of this web site.
Some of these Bible phrases relating to missions would make great Faith Promise convention themes.Old Testament and missions
- Genesis 12:1-3 (repeated in Gen. 18:18, 22:17-18, 26:24 and 28:12-14)
- Exodus 9:14-16 -- purpose of the plagues
- Exodus 19:6 -- Israel was to be a "kingdom of priests"
- Numbers 14:21 -- glory of Lord fills the whole earth
- Deuteronomy 4:6-8 -- show your understanding to the nations
- Deuteronomy 10:19 -- "You are to love those who are aliens"
- Deuteronomy 28:10 -- "all the peoples on the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord"
- Deuteronomy 32:1 - "Hear, O earth, the words of my mouth."
- Joshua 4:24 -- "so that all the peoples of the earth might know"
- 1 Samuel 2:10 -- "The LORD will judge the ends of the earth."
- 1 Samuel 17:46 -- "the whole world will know there is a God in Israel"
- 1 Kings 8:41-43, 59-60 (also in 2 Chronicles 6:32-33) -- "so that all peoples of the earth may know your name" (Solomon's prayer at dedication of Temple)
- 2 Kings 19:15 -- "Hezekiah prayed . . . : O LORD, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.'"
- 1 Chronicles 16:31 "Let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, The Lord reigns!'"
- 1 Chronicles 16:24 -- "Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples"
- 2 Chronicles 6:33 -- "so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you"
- Psalm 2:7-10 -- "You are my Son . . . I will make the nations your inheritance"
- Psalm 7:7-8 -- "Let the Lord judge the peoples"
- Psalm 8:9 -- "How majestic is your name in all the earth!"
- Psalm 18:49 -- "I will praise you among the nations"
- Psalm 22:26-28 -- "all the families of the nations will bow down"
- Psalm 19:1-4 -- "their words to the ends of the world"
- Psalm 22:27 -- "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord"
- Psalm 24 -- "The earth is the Lord's"
- Psalm 33 -- "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"
- Psalm 45:17 -- "The nations will praise you for ever and ever"
- Psalm 46:10 -- "I will be exalted among the nations"
- Psalm 47 -- "God reigns over the nations"
- Psalm 48:10 -- "Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth"
- Psalm 49:1 -- "Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world"
- Psalm 50 -- "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets"
- Psalm 57 -- "I will sing of you among the peoples"
- Psalm 59:13 -- "It will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob."
- Psalm 65:5-8 -- "the hope of all the ends of the earth . . . where morning dawns and evening fades you call forth songs of joy"
- Psalm 66 -- "All the earth bows down to you . . . Praise our God, O peoples"
- Psalm 67 -- "your salvation among all peoples"
- Psalm 68:32 -- "Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth"
- Psalm 72 -- "all nations will serve him"
- Psalm 72:9 -- "the desert tribes will bow before him"
- Psalm 72:17, 19 -- "All nations will be blessed through him . . . May the whole earth be filled with his glory"
- Psalm 77:14 -- "you display your power among the peoples"
- Psalm 82 -- "all the nations are your inheritance"
- Psalm 83:18 -- "You alone are the Most High over all the earth."
- Psalm 86:8-13 -- all nations will come and worship
- Psalm 87 -- the register of the peoples
- Psalm 96 -- "sing to the Lord, all the earth . . . Declare his glory among the nations"
- Psalm 97 -- "The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice"
- Psalm 98:3 -- "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God."
- Psalm 98:9 -- "He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity."
- Psalm 99:1-3 -- "He is exalted over all the nations. Let them praise your great and awesome name"
- Psalm 102:15 -- "The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory."
- Psalm 102:22 -- "when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord"
- Psalm 105:1 -- "make known among the nations what He has done"
- Psalm 106:8 -- reason for dividing the Red Sea
- Psalm 108:3 -- "I will sing of you among the peoples"
- Psalm 108:5 -- "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth."
- Psalm 110:6 -- "He will judge the nations,"
- Psalm 113:3 -- "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised"
- Psalm 117 -- "Praise the Lord, all you nations"
- Psalm 126 -- "it was said among the nations"
- Psalm 135 -- "our Lord is greater than all gods"
- Psalm 138:4 -- "may all the kings of the earth praise you, O Lord"
- Isaiah 2:3 -- "Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob.
- Isaiah 6:3 -- "They were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'"
- Isaiah 11:9 -- "fill the earth with the knowledge of the Lord"
- Isaiah 11:10 -- "in that day a Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples, the nations . . ."
- Isaiah 12:4 -- "Make known among the nations what He has done"
- Isaiah 24:16 -- "From the ends of the earth we hear singing: Glory to the Righteous One.'"
- Isaiah 25:6 -- "the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples"
- Isaiah 42:4 -- "in His law the islands will put their hope"
- Isaiah 42:6 -- "I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles."
- Isaiah 34:1 -- "Come near, you nations, and listen; pay attention, you peoples!"
- Isaiah 37:16 -- "O Lord Almighty . . . , you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth."
- Isaiah 42:4 -- "He will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his law the islands will put their hope."
- Isaiah 43:6 -- "I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.'"
- Isaiah 45:6 -- "from the rising of the sun to the place of its setting men may know there is none besides me."
- Isaiah 45:22 -- "Turn to me . . . all you ends of the earth"
- Isaiah 49:1-6 -- "I will make you a light for the Gentiles"
- Isaiah 49:22 -- "The Sovereign Lord says: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples."
- Isaiah 52:10 -- "The Lord will lay bare his holy arm in the sight of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God."
- Isaiah 56:7 -- "my house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations"
- Isaiah 59:19 -- "From the west, men will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere His glory."
- Isaiah 60:3 -- "Nations will come to your light"
- Isaiah 62:11 -- "The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth"
- Isaiah 66:19 -- "They will proclaim my glory among the nations"
- Jeremiah 3:17 -- "All nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord"
- Jeremiah 16:19 To you the nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods, worthless idols that did them no good."
- Ezekiel 36:22-23 -- "The nations will know I am the Lord"
- Daniel 2:47; 4:1-2; 6:25 -- "Surely your God is the God of gods"
- Daniel 7:13, 14 -- "all peoples, nations and languages should serve Him"
- Jonah's story -- the missionary book of the Old Testament [ e-book on Jonah ]
- Micah 1:2 -- "Hear, O peoples, all of you, listen, O earth and all who are in it."
- Micah 4:2 -- "Many nations will come"
- Micah 5:4 -- "His greatness will reach to the ends of the earth."
- Habbakuk 2:14 -- "The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the water cover the sea"
- Zephaniah 2:11 -- "Nations on every shore will worship him"
- Zephaniah 3:9 -- "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord."
- Haggai 2:7 -- "Desire of all nations"
- Zechariah 2:11 -- "Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people"
- Zechariah 8:20-23 -- "Many peoples and inhabitants of many cities will come"
- Zechariah 9:10 -- "He will proclaim peace to the nations"
- Zechariah 14:9 -- "The Lord will be king over the whole earth."
- Malachi 1:10-11 -- "My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun"
New Testament and missions
- Matthew 4:8-11 -- Temptation of Jesus
- Matthew 6:9-10 -- The Lord's prayer
- Matthew 10:18 -- "On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles."
- Matthew 13 (Ezekiel 17:23) -- parables of sower, weeds, mustard seed, fishing net
- Matthew 24:14 -- the gospel will be preached in the whole world
- Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15 - The Great Commission (which many say is a re-statement of God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12) [ Rev. Susan Fitkin's reflection on the passage ]
- Mark 11:17 (Isaiah 56:7) -- a house of prayer for all nations
- Mark 13:10 -- "the gospel must first be preached to all nations"
- Mark 16:15 (see Matthew 28:19-20)
- Luke 2:32 -- "a light for revelation to the Gentiles"
- Luke 10:2 -- "harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few" (see John 4:35)
- Luke 10:27 -- "love your neighbor as yourself"
- John 3:16 [ text of verse ]
- John 4:35 -- whitened fields (see Luke 10:2)
- John 12:32 -- "I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."
- John 21:4-14 -- some Biblical commentators have said the 153 fish equals the number of all the tribes and nations which the ancients thought existed on earth
- Acts 1:8; 2:5-12 13:47 (Isaiah 49:6) -- witnesses in all the earth
- Acts 3:25 -- "He said to Abraham, Through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed.'"
- Acts 9:15 "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings."
- Acts 11:18 -- "They praised God, saying, So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.'"
- Acts 13:47 -- "I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6)
- Acts 14:27 -- "They reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles."
- 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 -- "We received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to obedience."
- Romans 3:29 -- "Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too."
- Romans 10:12-15 -- "How can they hear?"
- Romans 15:10 "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people." (Deuteronomy 32:43]
- Romans 15:11 "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples." (Psalm 117:1)
- Romans 16:26 -- So that all nations might believe
- 2 Corinthians 4:15 -- "grace that is reaching more and more people"
- 2 Corinthians 10:16 -- "so that we can preach the gospel to the regions beyond you"
- Galatians 3:8 -- "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.'" (Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18)
- Galatians 3:14 -- "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles."
- Ephesians 1:10 -- "To bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ."
- Ephesians 2:11-19 -- "you are no longer foreigners and aliens"
- Philippians 2:10 -- Every knee shall bow
- 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16 -- "to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved"
- Hebrews 6:13-14 -- God's promise to Abraham
- 2 Peter 3:9, 12 -- "not wanting anyone to perish"
- 1 John 2:2 -- "He is the atoning sacrifice . . . for the sins of the whole world"
- Revelation 5:9 -- "you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation"
- Revelation 7:9 -- Every tribe, tongue, people and nation
- Revelation 14:6 -- "The angel had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth -- to every nation, tribe, language and people."
- Revelation 15:4 -- "all nations will come and worship before you"
- Revelation 21:23-24 -- "The Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light"
Into whatever groups we divide humanity -- races, nations, languages, cultures -- it is clear that God loves all of them and wants people from all those groupings to be reconciled to Him.
In Don Richardson's top line blessings/bottom line responsibilities categories, many of these scriptures are of the bottom line responsibility type.
"The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" -- Luke 10:2 (New King James Version)
 | In the years 400-800 the Germanic tribes of central Europe turned to Christ in massive numbers. [ read more ] |
| ||||||||||||||
Howard Culbertson, Southern Nazarene University, 6729 NW 39th, Bethany, OK 73008 | Phone: 405-491-6693 - Fax: 405-491-6658
Copyright © 2000, 2001 - Last Updated: June 3, 2008 | URL: http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/biblical.htm