Missions: The Heart of God

Brief commentaries on world evangelism Bible verses

Need ideas for a sermon on missions?

Is world missions on God's heart? How passionate is God about us evangelizing the lost people groups of the world? Should you preach a sermon on God's mission? Do you need to prepare a sermon on the Great Commission?

"Global missions is not a 'new' or even a New Testament concept. From Genesis 3 onward, it has been an integral part of God's ultimate plan for humanity." -- Buford Edwards, Northwest Nazarene University student

What does the Bible say about missions?

Check out these mini-essays on global missions verses that are at the heart of the Bible

These three dozen brief articles were published as a series in Engage magazine, an online missions magazine. Use these to build a faith promise sermon or even a sermon series on missions.

Articles translated into Spanish | Traducciones en español
    Translated by Jose Samuel Merida

Do you need a sermon for mission Sunday? Use one of these biblical passages as the focal point of a sermon about missions.

  1. Nothing left but the covers — Genesis 1:1 (also Jonah 2:8, Acts 14:15, Romans 1:25, Revelation 4:11 and 14:7)
  2. More than "a place in the country" — Genesis 12:1, 15:8 (also Exodus 19:6, Isaiah 42:6, 49:6 and Acts 13:47)
  3. Blessed to be a blessing — Genesis 22:18 and Galatians 3:7 (also Genesis 3:15, 12:1-3, 17, 18, 22, Matthew 28:19-20, Galatians 3:8)
  4. A call to mission at Sinai — Exodus 19:5-6 (also Genesis 12:1-3, 18:18, 22:18, 28:14, Exodus 28, Isaiah 49:6, 2 Corinthians 5:18, Galatians 3:7)
  5. Loving all people -- even foreigners — Deuteronomy 10:19 (also Genesis 12:3 and 1 John 4:8)
  6. Heart of God: Psalm 9:11 (also Psalm 18:49, Psalm 105:1, John 3:16, and Matthew 28:19-20)
  7. Among the Nations — Psalm 18:49 (also Matthew 28:19-20)
  8. Missions exist because worship doesn't — Psalm 48:10
  9. Global hope — Psalm 65:5 (also Acts 1:8 and Colossians 3:12)
  10. Recruiting for the heavenly choir — Psalm 68:32 (also Matthew 28:19-20 and Romans 10:14)
  11. Keeping track of everyone — Psalm 87:6 (also Exodus 32:32, 1 Chronicles 16:24, Psalm 69:28, Matthew 24:14, Luke 12:7, and Revelation 7:9)
  12. Make known among the nations — Psalm 105:1
  13. From farthest East to farthest West — Psalm 113:3 (also Exodus 19, Psalm 50:12, Isaiah 45:6, 59:19, Matthew 28:19-20)
  14. Proclaiming to every island of the sea — Isaiah 24:15 and Isaiah 42:12
  15. The way Isaiah ends — Isaiah 66:18-19 (also Isaiah 6:1-8, Isaiah chapters 7, 9, 11, 35, 40, 53 and 65, Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 16:15 and Acts 1:8)
  16. Proclaim in the distant coastlands — Jeremiah 31:10 (also Isaiah 42:12 and Psalm 97:1)
  17. Jonah's attitude problem — Jonah 1:2-3 (also Jonah 4:11)
  18. For All Peoples — Zephaniah 3:9 (also Genesis 12:3, Psalm 16:4, Hosea 2:17, John 3:16, Acts 8, 10-11, 16, Romans 10:14 and Revelation 7:9)
  19. Your Kingdom come — Matthew 6:10 (also Jonah 2:8, Matthew 9:38, and Matthew 28:19-20)
  20. Pareable of the Mustard Seed — Matthew 13:32
  21. No room for "all nations" — Mark 11:17 ( also Isaiah 56:7, Jeremiah 7:11, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8, 1 John 2:2)
  22. Signs of the coming End Times — Matthew 24:14
  23. Missions declaration from the Cross? — Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34 ( also Psalm 22, Matthew 28:19-20)  | en español
  24. Great Commission: Suggestion or Command? — Matthew 28:19-20 (also Genesis 12:3, Isaiah 49:6 and Revelation 7:9)
  25. Tell everyone, everywhere — Mark 16:15 (also Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 24:46-48, John 20:21 and Acts 1:8)
  26. Good News to all people — Luke 2:10 (also Joshua 2, Psalm 67:2, 98:2-3, Isaiah 49:6, 52:10 and Luke 2:30-32)
  27. The Heaert of God: His Lost Sheep — Luke 15:4 (also Acts 1:8)
  28. What's the hurry? — John 4:35 (also references to Matthew 9 and Luke 10)
  29. I am sending you — John 20:21 (also Luke 19:10, John 1:14, Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 1:17)
  30. Is missions first local and then global or all at once? — Acts 1:8 (also Matthew 28, Mark 16:15, Acts 8, Acts 15)
  31. Carrying out God's plans — Acts 13:47 (also Isaiah 42:6, Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8 and Galatians 3:7, 29)
  32. Light to the Gentiles — Acts 13:47 (also Isaiah 42:6, 49:6, Matthew 28:19-20, Luke 2:28-32 and Acts 1:8)
  33. How can they believe in whom they have not heard? — Romans 10:14 (also Romans 10:12 and Isaiah 52)
  34. Unless they are sent — Romans 10:15 (also Luke 10:2, Acts 13:2, and Romans 10:9-10 and 15:24)
  35. The Regions Beyond — 2 Corinthians 10:16
  36. The Purpose Driven Life — Galatians 3:14 (also Matthew 28:19-20)
  37. Looking across the finish line — Revelation 7:9 (also Genesis 11, 12:3, 22:18, Isaiah 49:6, Matthew 24:14 and Acts 1:8)
  38. Revelation's Promise — Revelation 21:23-24 (also Genesis 12:3, 18:18, 28:14, Isaiah 60:3, John 8:12, Revelation 7:9, 7:9, and 14:6)

Essay: The Church as Missionary: Biblical Foundations

    -- Howard Culbertson,

"It was certainly eye opening (and humbling) to see that from Genesis 1 all the way through Revelation, references to God's desire for the whole world to know Him can be found." -- Robert P., Northwest Nazarene University student

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