One of the textbooks for the missiology class is Perspectives on the World Christian Movement edited by Ralph Winter & Steven Hawthorne. I had the privilege of taking this course in the mid 90s and it did what the titles says - changed my perspective of missions. Let me share a couple of thoughts that I've been reminded of while reading a couple of the articles in the book.
What we call the Great Commission says,
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. (Matthew 28:18-20)
This passage contains rich applications for the Church and for all believers. I want to focus today upon the first part of verse 19 which says, "go and make disciples of all nations." The words "all nations" come from the Greek words panta ta ethne.
When we first hear the word "nations" what often comes to mind is a political, geographical, or religious grouping such as the United Nations, the nation of India, or the Islamic nations. Yet that is not the use of these words found in Matthew 29:19.
Panta simply means "all," "every," or "whole." Ta is the word for "the." Ethne is the plural form of ethno which means an "ethnic group" or "a people with a unifying ethnic identity." Thus the phrase could say, "go and make disciples of all the ethnic people groups."
I was brought up being taught that the Great Commission was God's call for me to be a witness for the lost. It was God's commission upon my life to evangelize those who do not know Christ and to make them disciples of Christ by the grace of God. I saw this as my task both locally and globally but specifically with the individual in mind. By making local disciples who made disciples, it would become a discipleship process that eventually became global in scope.
I believe that this can be an application of this passage although it is not at the foundation of its meaning. In the NT, the singular ethnos never refers to individuals; it always refers to a people group or nation. The plural form ethne can refer to either individuals or people groups. Of the 18 times the plural form is used, only once must it refer to individuals (Matt. 25:32) Nine others demand the people group definition based upon context or connection with the OT (Mark 11:17, Luke 21:24, Acts 2:5, 10:35, 15:17, 17:26, Gal. 3:8, Rev. 12:5, 15:4). The remaining eight could go either way (Matt. 24:9, 24:14, 28:19, Luke 12:30, 24:47, Acts 14:16, Rom. 1:5, 2 Tim. 4:17). Further, almost all of the 100 or so uses of panta ta ethne in the Greek Old Testament refer to nations when not talking about the nation of Israel.
I like the way John Piper put it in his book Let the Nations Be Glad:
In all likelihood Jesus did not send His apostles out with a general mission merely to win as many individuals as they could, but rather to reach all the peoples of the world and thus to gather the "sons of God" which are scattered (John 11:52), and to call all the "ransomed from every tongue and tribe and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9), until redeemed persons from "all the peoples praise Him" (Rom. 15:11).
Heaven will not just be about individuals worshipping God, but rather about people groups or nations worshipping God. The nations will bring their splendor, and honor, and glory before Almighty God in holy, new-song worship (Rev. 21:24-26).
Therefore, I will pray for the nations or people groups of the world. I will send and I will go to the nations or people groups of the world. Why? Because God desires worship for every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. God not only wants my ceaseless worship, He wants all nations in ceaseless worship.
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