When I was first considering becoming a missionary to Tokyo, Japan, I remember sitting beneath a grove of trees at the edge of a 9-mile long lake nestled between two beautiful Adirondack Mountains. Looking around at the splendor of God’s Creation I was thinking, “How can I leave all of this behind to go and serve God in a place filled with concrete and steel?” And yet, here I sit, in a room with paper windows behind which lie the vast streets of Tokyo. What was it that led me to leave the beauty and comfort of a place that I loved in order to come and live in an unfamiliar land in one of the world’s busiest and most complex cities? What compelled me to come here and how can a family from the backwoods of New York and Maine hope to have an impact on such an unreached foreign city?

At the end of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus addresses His disciples with these words: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV) It can be easy to jump right into this passage and focus on the “what” of Jesus’ call to us as His church. However, He carefully bookended the call with both purpose and provision. It is that purpose and provision that has brought me here to Tokyo. It was coming face to face with the reality of who God is and what He desires for the nations that led me to leave behind the home that I love so much. Christ’s call to make disciples is predicated upon “All authority in heaven and on earth” having been given to Him. This answers the all-important question of “why” we should be making disciples of all nations. The answer is because He is worthy. John Piper has aptly pointed out that “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t” (Let the Nations Be Glad, 3rd Edition). The purpose of missions is itself bound up in the worthiness of God to receive all of our praise, honor, and worship. We go to the nations with the good news of the Gospel so that they too might join with us in worshiping Him.

As I sat there on the edge of that lake in the Adirondack Mountains, I was overwhelmed by the beauty and wonder of God’s handiwork. I had grown up in the mountains, and I had always loved the water, especially when the sun first peaked over the horizon, covering the glassy surface with vibrant colors and dancing mist. There were few things as breathtaking as looking down from a mountaintop at the fiery colors of autumn rolling off into the distance under wisps of white cloud in a bright blue sky. But all of this was meant to fill our hearts with wonder. It was all meant to make us shout with joy to our Maker. Every drop of creativity bound up in the petals of a flower, the fire of a sunset, and the crashing surf was meant to echo in peals of praise from the lips of God’s people. I knew that and I knew that my enjoyment of that beauty was simply not enough. I was left with the question “How could I stay here, soaking up the beauty of God’s Creation, when what God has in store for eternity is so much greater in wonder and splendor, and there are so many who still don’t know Him?”

A friend of mine in college was the first one to introduce me to the significance of John 17:3 in our understanding of what it is that we are offering to the world. Jesus says in this passage “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”There certainly are immeasurable riches to be had for those who are in Christ, but it is God Himself that is our greatest treasure. While Christians enjoy the blessings of wisdom, knowledge, peace, joy, and much more as members of God’s family, it is ultimately God Himself that is to be our greatest pursuit, aim, and joy. And it is God Himself that we offer to the nations.

The Westminster Catechism has famously acknowledged that “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” It is for these two reasons that we must “make disciples of all men.” Firstly, because “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to [Him]” there is no greater call for the people of this world than to worship Him. He is worthy of all of their worship and praise. And within that highest calling lies the second reason for making disciples, which is that it is in the worship of God that they will find their greatest joy and satisfaction. There is no greater gift we have received, and no greater gift that we can give than the invitation and privilege of knowing, worshiping, and enjoying the Triune God in all of His glory and wonder.

So, here I sit, in Tokyo, offering myself as an instrument in God’s hands to raise up worshipers amongst one of the least-reached people groups in the world. I consider it a great privilege to bring the Gospel to those who truly have never heard and I am eager to see more and more Japanese people come to join in the wonderful praise of our glorious King. As I live and serve here, I don’t look back with longing on that place between the mountains, but instead, I look forward to seeing more and more people’s eyes opened to the wonder of their King here and around the world. I long for the day that people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will together raise up His name in praise.

As we consider Christ’s call to make disciples, we must remember that it is Christ Himself that we are offering them. He is not only the gift that we give, but it is our own affection for and wonder in Him that fuels our passion for reaching the lost. If we desire to cultivate a passion for missions in our churches . . . if we desire for the nations to know our King, we must begin by turning our own eyes to Him. We must recognize that it is out of our own worship and enjoyment of the King that we ourselves evangelize, and it is into that same worship that we invite the nations. As we turn our eyes upon our glorious Lord, the fire of worship and adoration cannot help but overflow in a desire that others would lift up His name for His glory and for their own immeasurable enjoyment.