Christ instructed his followers before the ascension not to immediately commit to witnessing to the nations through but to tarry in Jerusalem until enduement with the power to do so. The Father sent the Son; the Son sent the Spirit, and the Spirit sends the church. 

If the Pentecostal church is to align with the precise biblical definitions of the empowering work of the Holy Spirit, it should be readily identifying with the very purpose of the Spirit’s empowerment, be a witness, and to the end of sending and being sent.  To quote the theologian Lesslie Newbigin, “Mission is not just something that the church does; it is something done by the Spirit, who is himself the witness, who changes both the world and the church, who always goes before the church on its missionary journey.”  Newbigin suggests that churches, established by missionaries from other cultures, must discover their moral compass from the Spirit and not anchor it to the teaching or mores of the missionary’s culture. In this way, the Gospel will have an authentic connection with the new culture and allow the spiritual development of locally relevant Christian traditions and avoid the imposition of the missionary culture.  
		A foundation missiological contribution to theology is Glaser’s postulation of God’s mission through the Holy Spirit as it applies to God’s invitation for all to participate in the worldwide mission of the church. Glassar cites Peter’s proclamation when he “stood up with the eleven” as the first expression of Christian obedience to the task of mission. As a result of the fulfillment of Joel 2:28 Men and women, young and old, could now become part of The Kingdom and could participate in the worldwide mission of the church. Glassar then explains that this meant a new Israel was being formed consisting of Messianic Jews and “all who are far off . . . all whom the Lord our God will call”.
York aptly offers a succinct missiological understanding of the mission of God to the whole world by using the words of the prophet Joel. We learn that the prophet Joel saw the outpouring of the Spirit as being for all people, sons, and daughters, old and young, resulting in the salvation of all who call upon the Lord: “‘And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men, and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.… And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved;”  The importance of this truth reveals a coming age of the Spirit to be in God’s intention. We see his purpose from the begging, blessing all nations through the promised seed of Abraham.

For the church to clearly understand it’s mission, it must first know the mission of the Lord it worships. Discovering the nature of the mission of our Lord is foundational to defining the nature of the church. Where can the church begin? The strongest attestation to the theological truth of the missio Dei is the word of God.  “Mission is not something the Bible talks about; mission is what the Bible is about.”  The Mission of God is the grand narrative and central theme of the entire Bible. From the call of Abraham to bless all nations in Genesis to the final story in Revelation, we see God’s promise fulfilled.  Missions are central to the very essence of the people of God in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament. The Church is a chosen people by God’s grace, a royal priesthood to serve, a holy nation of character, and a transformed people belonging to God, who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light.
