Cornerstone Curriculum, Official Certification Edition

LESSON 1 | FOUNDATIONS FOR CHRISTIAN MISSION: VISION AND BIBLICAL FOUNDATION / 393

Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about these important motifs of mission in Scripture. The following questions are designed to help you grapple with the personal implications of this material, so strive to be as transparent as possible as you explore these and other questions related to the material. • Have you ever studied thoroughly and clearly the motif of the war of spheres in Scripture, and if so, what were you major conclusions about them? Do either of these provide you with a clear grasp of “what the Bible is getting at,” especially in terms of the unity between the Old and New Testaments? • How important do you think this motif is for the urban experience ? Why would a breakdown of the family and fidelity in man/woman relationships actually impact whether or not people would find the divine romance motif more or less compelling? • Ought we concentrate only on motifs that people resonate with or like, or should we teach all the major motifs of the Bible, no matter what? Explain thoroughly your answer. • How does the relationship of Israel with the Lord parallel your own relationship with the Lord? Are you more like the Israelites than unlike them? Explain how so. • In what way are we to teach the history of Israel as our history for the sake of instruction, learning, and edification? (Cf. 1 Cor. 10.6-11: “Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. [7] Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” [8] We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. [9] We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, [10] nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. [11] Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”) • Does the language of the Bible about warfare, conflict, and struggle line up with your own experience as a believer? How ought we to apply this language and symbolism to our own life as disciples of Jesus?

Student Application and Implications

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U rban M i s s i on