Week 9: Chapter 8 — Missions: The Overflow of Christian Hedonism

1.Piper describes missions as "the overflow of Christian Hedonism" — not a duty imposed from outside, but joy that cannot keep itself to itself. How does this framing change the emotional texture of the missionary call? Does it make it feel more or less compelling to you?

2.Piper quotes Romans 15:9 — that Christ came so that the Gentiles might glorify God — and argues that the ultimate goal of missions is not human happiness but the worship of God among all peoples. And yet those two goals are, for Piper, identical: when people worship God truly, they are most satisfied. How does this dual motivation — God's glory and human joy — unite in the missionary task?

3.Piper argues from Psalm 67 that Israel's blessing was always meant to flow outward — "that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations." How does this Old Testament missionary impulse connect to the New Testament commission in Matthew 28?