Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper is a foundational
book in rethinking missions and recognizing the
supremacy of God. Piper asserts that God’s
sovereignty is absolutely necessary in missions, and the entirety of this book is dedicated to this topic.
Piper begins his book by discussing that through worship, God is supreme. This first chapter is perhaps the most beautiful of all of the chapters in the book. The discussion sums up all of missions as simply a means to the greater goal of worshipping God. This point is the single most necessary point in the entire book and all of missiology. There is no other reason missions should occur. God greatly desires Himself, and He shall be glorified. Missions is a means to bring worship of Him to places where it has not existed before. It is a path to bring Him worship and glory, but not the destination. Seeking to bring glory to God through missions will ultimately flow out in compassion and love, but truly it is the single sufficient motivator.
His second chapter is centered on prayer. God’s supremacy in missions can be seen through prayer which is the out working of the humble attitude that humanity is insufficient and with out Christ can do nothing. Through prayer, one admits that the Holy and Powerful God is the provider and that apart from Him, humanity cannot engage in missions.
The case is made that life is war. Piper points to 1 Tim. 1:18 and 2 Tim. 2:4 in asserting that missions, and ministry in general, is war. Prayer shows the limits of man amidst this war but exalts the limitless God. It distributes all glory to Him and attributes every victory to His name. God is exalted through prayer and His supremacy in missions is clearly displayed through it.
In his third chapter, Piper says that God is shown to be supreme in missions through suffering. One who is willing to go through the pain and suffering for God displays His value and worth to the rest of Christianity. When one is so sacrificial to endure such trials, God’s supremacy can be seen.
Martyrs who have paid it all have shown God to be above all and second to nothing, not even life itself. The Bible warns of persecution (2 Tim. 3:12) and amidst such persecution, the glory of God can be seen. Our suffering is to be a reflection of His. Therefore, when we endure suffering, we should immediately recall His ultimate suffering. His suffering happened all because of love. Man’s suffering on behalf of God shows that He is worth the suffering. Man’s suffering for others should reflect that of Christ’s and we should suffer as He did. Suffering may bring about deeper faith and holiness which further brings glory to God. God is able to use suffering, loss, pain, and persecution to refine, grow, and discipline His church (Heb. 12:4-6, Rom. 8:28-30). Because He is able to use suffering for good, He is magnified through it.
Piper enters into a different approach of showing the supremacy of God in missions in part two of his book by showing the necessity of that affirmation. He Biblically shows that Christ is the only way for salvation. There is no other way to get to Heaven, no other way to be saved, therefore His supremacy is clearly seen since missions is all about spreading His Word. Piper answers questions such as “Is the work of Christ necessary?” and “Is