the missionary God, his Son, and his Church

“The Lord of the Scriptures is a missionary God who not only reaches out and gathers the lost but also sends his servants, and particularly his beloved Son, to achieve his gracious saving purposes.  As many have rightly observed, the most important mission in the Scriptures is the missio Dei. Jesus Christ is the ‘missionary’ par excellence: the basic and foundational mission is his.  He has been sent by the Father to effect forgiveness and salvation, especially through his death and resurrection (cf. Luke 4:18-19; 24:47-47), and then to announce it to Jews and Gentiles alike.  In fulfillment of the Servant’s role his task is to bring (or, perhaps, be) God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.  

"The mission of the exalted Jesus is accomplished through the witness of the apostles in the power of the Holy Spirit.  The one who is himself sent by God sends his representatives to bear testimony to his salvation, to announce the forgiveness of sins and to make disciples of all nations.  In other words, his witnesses continue the mission of Jesus by declaring to men and women everywhere the glorious gospel of the grace of God.”

- Köstenberger, Andreas J. and Peter T. O'Brien, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth, pg. 269.