#26 Finish the Mission
Mathis, David, and John Piper, eds. Finish the Mission: Bringing the Gospel to the Unreached and Unengaged. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. 191 pp. $16.99.
Biographical Sketch of the Editors
While many authors wrote this helpful book on missions, it was edited by David Mathis and John Piper. Mathis is the executive director of Desiring God and serves as an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Twin Cities, Minnesota. He earned his degree from Furman University and, when this book was published, was completing a degree at Reformed Theological Seminary. Likewise, Piper has served at Bethlehem Baptist as the pastor since 1980. He graduated from Wheaton College, Fuller Seminary, and the University of Munich. He is also the founder of Desiring God, a ministry that offers many resources for all the things of the Christian faith. Mathis and Piper have authored many books, articles, and resources for Christians of all gifts and callings.
Summary of the Contents
Finish the Mission is divided into an introduction, six main chapters, and a few appendices. The introduction, written by Mathis, reminds readers that God is sovereign over all things, including missions. Mathis references verses such as Matthew 28:18, saying, “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to [Christ]… [He] rules the whole universe (our little globe included) with the very sovereignty of God, ensuring the success of His global mission” (p. 13). He then describes the Great Commission, the role of believers in it, what biblical missions are, and summarizes the book's contents. He ends the introduction with a profound statement: “Remember, Jesus never lies. As surely as He is God, He will finish the mission” (p. 28).
Chapter 1, by Louie Giglio, is titled “The Galactic God Who Invites Us into His Glorious Plan” (p. 29). Giglio implores astronomy to describe the vastness and greatness of the Lord. He states that “the universe’s primary function wasn't to house humanity but to magnify its Creator” (p. 36). He then mentions Psalm 148 and elaborates how the entirety of the heavens declare the glory of God. In verse 7, “God invites [the earth] into His chorus” (p. 37). The earth joins the stars, who “don't just shine; they sing” (p. 38). He then explains that because of this invitation, humanity has a genuine part in fulfilling the Great Commission.
Chapter 2, “The Glory of God, the Lostness of Man, and the Gospel of Christ,” is written by David Platt. Platt first references Isaiah 6, the story of Isaiah’s calling to ministry, to demonstrate the glory of God, His holiness, and man’s unworthiness. He shares that “the foundational truth of Isaiah 6 is clear: [Christians] have an incomprehensibly glorious God” (p. 49). He then reminds readers that Isaiah’s initial response was not “wow” but “woe.” Man is depraved and, therefore, deserves wrath. Platt states, “[sin] before an infinitely holy God warrants infinitely horrifying judgment” (p. 55). Fortunately, Christians have received the Gospel of Jesus, and Platt describes this in his chapter. He proceeds from Isaiah 6 to Isaiah 53, where Christ's propitiation is prophesied. In his final paragraph, Platt tells the readers that “[they] must take the Gospel to unreached people groups because their knowledge of God is only enough to damn them to hell, and the Gospel of God is powerful enough to save them for heaven” (p. 65).
In chapter 3, “Christ, Courage, and Finishing the Mission,” Michael Ramsden shares that the mission is complex and costly. Christians today face two problems: they have lost conviction and married convenience. Christians have a difficult time sharing what they do not truly believe and have an even harder time when sharing the Gospel is not convenient for them. After introducing these two problems that so many Christians face, Ramsden tells of the courage that is found in Christ and refers to Hebrews 11:34, “[they] were made strong out of weakness… [they did not] make themselves strong, just that they made themselves available. As a result, they were made mighty. God is able to do more than [Christians] can imagine” (p. 81).
Chapter 4, “From Every Land to Every Land,” is an exposition of the Lord’s Prayer from Michael Oh. He goes through every statement of Jesus’s Prayer and explains its importance to Christian life, missions, and the Mission of God. He posits that for comfort and provision, people often take the road of safety rather than the one laid out for them in the Lord’s Prayer. Oh shares that “when [they] hold on to those provisions, [they] halt the advance of His kingdom” (p. 108). He ends with an exhortation: “May God grant [Christians] with the grace to serve with undeniable, unshakable, illogical, and foolish passion for the hallowing of God’s Name and the building of His global kingdom” (p. 109).
Ed Stetzer describes whom the Gospel is to be shared with in chapter 5, “To Our Neighbors and the Nations.” He declares that Christians are to be mission-focused in their community and beyond. They do so through the power of the Holy Spirit, as Stetzer states, “remember the words of Jesus. He says ‘You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you.’ [Christians] can’t accomplish any of those things in [their] own power and strength” (p. 132). They must declare, “Spirit, give us Your presence and Your power” (p. 133).
The final chapter, “Let the People Praise You, O God! Let All the People Praise You!” is written by one of the editors, John Piper. It focuses on Psalm 67, which describes what it means to be a blessing to the nations. Its prayer is rooted in the promises presented to Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3. God blesses Abraham so that he may be a blessing to the nations. Piper claims that we are to do the same, stating, “[t]hat is what we are supposed to do with God’s covenants—His promises. Bring them up to date and pray them into reality” (p. 136).
Critical Evaluation
Mathis, Piper, and all of the contributors of Finish the Mission should be commended for their commitment to the Great Commission, for sharing a theological justification for missions, and for encouraging and even imploring individuals who love God to spread the Gospel in their communities and the world.
It is clear that Finish the Mission accomplishes its purpose of “[breathing] a fresh fire for God’s global mission into a new generation of men and women being transformed by the Gospel—as well as to reignite the embers for an older generation to dream a crazy dream and finish their course” (p. 27-8). While orthodox and iterated many times before, the book's content has a fresh approach that appeals to generations, old and new. It is highly grounded in the Scriptures and references specific cultures and objective sciences such as astronomy. In other words, it keeps the topic of missions fresh and exciting, no matter the audience.
While the book has many strengths, it may appeal to readers' emotions too much. For example, in chapter 4, Michael Oh prays that God would “grant Christians with the grace to serve with undeniable, unshakable, illogical, and foolish passion for the hallowing of God’s Name and the building of His global kingdom” (p. 109). While the idea that Christians should be zealous to share the gospel is agreeable, their sharing is not done illogically or under the influence of passion alone. Instead, Christian missionaries should be highly cautious and logical when sharing the Gospel with nations. They must adapt and contextualize the Gospel to the particular culture's needs. That is a logical task. It is not abandoning biblical truth but adapting it so the culture may understand it. Missions must be done with a passion for the Gospel, logical interpretation of Scripture, and love for the neighbor Jesus commands Christians (Matt. 19:19). On another occasion, Piper writes that Christian’s joy should be the mission at hand (p. 147). Again, the book encourages the readers' emotions to motivate them towards the mission. This is not necessarily wrong, but it is not right either. The joy of Christians should be the glory of God alone, and spreading the Gospel is a part of that, but it is not the Gospel message in itself. Perhaps this overemphasis on emotion is due to Piper’s belief in Christian Hedonism, that God’s glory is connected to human happiness. This is a theological bias that the book may demonstrate.
Overall, Finish the Mission is a practical and edifying book on missions within the church for all nations. It demonstrates the greatness of God, the intricacies of His Mission, the church’s role in God’s plan for Redemption, and the promise that the Mission will be accomplished. It succeeds in encouraging a new generation towards missions and teaches them the reasons for missionary trips, evangelism, and how to encourage motivation for missions in their churches. With all of that being said, Finish the Mission is by no means perfect, but it dramatically reflects the need and reasons for the mission in the world. Therefore, it is a recommended read for all Christians aspiring to play a significant role in fulfilling the Great Commission.
