Original Research
‘Met hart en mond en hande’: Die integrale bediening van Woord en daad volgens ’n missio Dei-perspektief
Submitted: 15 September 2014 | Published: 03 July 2015
About the author(s)
P.J. (Flip) Buys, School for Ecclesiastical Science, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South AfricaAndré Jansen, Researcher in Missiology, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa and The cooperating congregation of the Free Reformed and Christian Reformed Churches, Woerden, Netherlands
Abstract
Die Sendingwetenskap, kerke en sendingorganisasies dink wêreldwyd opnuut na oor die bybelse fundering vir die integrasie van Woord en daad in die verkondiging van die evangelie. Die Lausanne-beweging het ’n kongres in Kaapstad gehou, waar 4200 kerkleiers van 198 lande vanaf 16 tot 25 Oktober 2010 vergader het. Die program het besinnings ingesluit oor hoe om kwessies soos armoede, ongeregtigheid en die voorspoed-teologie skrifgetrou te hanteer. Die Miga-netwerk is ’n groeiende wêreldwye koalisie van kerke en organisasies wat hulle in die lig van Miga 6:8 tot die uitbou van integrale sending verbind. Die Gospel Coalition is ’n netwerk van teoloë wat hulle daartoe verbind het om gelowiges te stimuleer sodat hulle geloof in die evangelie van Christus verdiep. Die doel is ook dat bedieningspraktyke ’n teosentriese en Christosentriese fokus vertoon. Hierdie koalisie het verskeie debatte oor aspekte van integrale sending in hulle mondstuk, Themelios, gepubliseer. Die World Reformed Fellowship het in hulle geloofsverklaring duidelik gestel dat gelowiges uit gehoorsaamheid aan die opdrag van God met twee hande na alle mense moet uitreik, naamlik die hand wat hulle roep om hulle sonde te bely, om te glo en só die ewige versoening met God deur Christus te ontvang, en tweedens die hand wat deur dade van dankbaarheid en deernis die goedheid van God se koninkryk in die naam van Christus na vore bring.Verskeie missiologiese publikasies het onlangs verskyn wat uitdruklik oor integrale en dus die behoefte aan holistiese sending handel.
Missiological reflection indicates that mission organisations and churches worldwide, are reconsidering the biblical foundations of the integration of Word and deed when proclaiming the Gospel. The Lausanne Movement held its global congress in Cape Town, where 4200 church leaders of 198 countries gathered from 16 to 25 October in 2010. The program also included in-depth discussions on dealing in a valid biblical way with issues such as poverty, social justice and prosperity gospel theology. The Micah Network is a growing global coalition consisting of churches and organisations that committed themselves in the light of Micah 6:8 to promote integral mission. The Gospel Coalition is a network of theologians who are committed to stimulate Christian believers in order to deepen their faith in die gospel of Christ. Their aim is that ministry and missionary practice should reflect a Theocentricand Christ-centred vision. This coalition also published several debates in their mouthpiece,Themelios, on aspects of integral mission. The World Reformed Fellowship made it clear in its statement of faith that Christians, in obedience to the commission of our God, have to present two hands to all people, namely the hand calling them to repentance, faith and eternal reconciliation with God through Christ, and secondly, the hand manifesting deeds of mercy and compassion, extending the goodness of God’s kingdom on earth in the name of Christ. Several missiological publications have recently been published that explicitly deals with the integration of Word and deeds and the need for holistic missions. Forum discussions and blogs on the Internet are debating whether to embrace, or to reject the concept of integralmissions on biblical grounds. This article attempts to make a contribution to the debates by analysing a few key biblical terms in which God reveals himself through the integration of Word and deeds. Thus this calls for a holistic approach in missions, in which people’s words and deeds should not be separated when proclaiming the gospel.
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