All Nations Theological College and Seminary (ANTS) hosted a special seminar today titled “The Great Story and the Great Commission,” facilitated by Rev. Dr. Sam Hee Jeong.
The seminar brought together ANTS students and staff members for an engaging time of biblical reflection, discussion, and learning centred on God's mission and the calling of His people to participate in it.
Drawing from Christopher Wright's The Great Story and the Great Commission: Participating in the Biblical Drama of Mission, Rev. Dr. Jeong introduced participants to a missional understanding of Scripture, emphasizing the Bible as the record, product, and tool of God's mission.
Understanding the Bible as One Great Story
A major focus of the seminar was “The Great Story as a Drama in Seven Acts.” Participants were guided to understand the Bible not as a collection of disconnected stories, but as one unfolding narrative of God's purposes for humanity and creation.
The seven acts presented were:
- Creation — God's creation of humanity, the earth, and all that is in it.
- Rebellion — humanity's fall and rebellion against God.
- Old Testament Promise — God's continuing purposes and promises through Israel.
- Christ — the coming of Christ and the fulfilment of God's redemptive purposes.
- New Testament Mission — the Church's participation in God's mission.
- Final Judgment — God's judgment and the putting right of all things.
- New Creation — the ultimate renewal and redemption of creation.
Participants were reminded that the Church currently finds itself in Act 5 — New Testament Mission, called to live faithfully within the biblical story and play its part in God's ongoing mission.
An Interactive Learning Experience
The seminar was not limited to classroom-style teaching. Rev. Dr. Jeong engaged both students and staff through interactive exercises designed to help participants apply the biblical framework to Scripture and Christian life.
One of the activities involved participants working in pairs, selecting and discussing a Bible verse, and considering it within the framework of the seven-act Biblical Drama. Participants took turns explaining the Bible's story to their partners, with the exercise intended to help them develop the ability to communicate the overarching biblical story to others.
Another discussion invited participants to reflect on how the five marks of mission and the three focal areas of mission are currently being lived out in their churches and how they could be strengthened further.
Exploring the Great Commission
The second major session focused on The Great Commission and the Five Marks of Mission, drawing particularly from Matthew 28:18–20.
Rev. Dr. Jeong emphasized that the Great Commission must be understood within the larger biblical story and, importantly, that mission belongs to God. The Church participates in God's mission as His co-workers, responding to what God has purposed to accomplish through His people.
The seminar explored five marks of mission:
- Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom through evangelism.
- Teaching, baptizing, and nurturing new believers.
- Responding to human need through loving service and compassion.
- Pursuing justice, peace, and reconciliation while challenging unjust structures and violence.
- Safeguarding the integrity of creation and sustaining and renewing the life of the earth.
These were further explored through three interconnected focal areas: building the Church through evangelism and teaching, serving society through justice and compassion, and caring for God's creation.
Mission as a Calling for the Whole Church
A significant theme throughout the seminar was that mission is not the responsibility of a select few, but belongs to the whole Church and every member of God's people.
Participants were challenged to recognize that Christians participate in God's mission through both their specific callings and their ordinary daily lives. Whether serving in pastoral ministry, education, business, leadership, social work, or other professions, every believer is called to live as a disciple of Christ and to make disciples.
The seminar concluded with a call for participants to reflect on the insights they had gained and consider the practical steps they could take personally and within their churches.
For the ANTS community, the seminar was a valuable opportunity for students and staff to learn together, engage Scripture more deeply, and reflect on their shared calling to participate in God's mission.
Download the Seminar Material
For those who would like to explore the seminar content in greater detail, the seminar document is available for download below. The document provides additional material from the seminar, including the Biblical Drama framework, the Great Commission, and the Five Marks of Mission.
📥 Download the Seminar Document and continue exploring how we can faithfully participate in God's mission.
As the seminar emphasized, mission is the mode of existence for the whole life of every member of God's whole Church—a calling to live faithfully wherever Christ has placed us.
