Doing Justice and Loving Mercy: Compassion Ministries, Mentor's Guide, MG16

1 0 /

D O I N G J U S T I C E A N D L O V I N G M E R C Y : C O M P A S S I O N M I N I S T R I E S

Exegetical Project

As a part of your participation in the Capstone Doing Justice and Loving Mercy module of study, you will be required to do an exegesis (inductive study) on one of the following passages on the definition and practice of compassion ministries in and through the Church and urban community:

Purpose

Isaiah 1.11-17

Isaiah 58.1-10

Matthew 25.31-46

James 2.14-17

1 John 3.15-18

The purpose of this exegetical project is to give you an opportunity to do a detailed study of a major passage on doing justice and loving mercy, and your application of it as it applies to the urban community and the practice of Christian leadership. Using one of the passages above as your foundational text, you must think critically about the ways in which this text makes plain your duty, privilege, and responsibility to show compassion, both to members of the household of faith, as well as those who are on the outside of the Church. As you study one of the above texts (or a text which you and your Mentor agree upon which may not be on the list), our hope is that your analysis of your selected text will make more clear to you the shape and texture of compassion ministries in the Church. We also desire that the Spirit will give you insight as to how you can relate its meaning directly to your own personal walk with God, as well as to the leadership role God has given to you currently in your local assembly, and its ministries to those who are broken and in need of Christian care. This is a Bible study project, and, in order to do exegesis , you must be committed to understand the meaning of the passage in its own setting. Once you know what it meant, you can then draw out principles that apply to all of us, and then relate those principles to life. A simple three step process can guide you in your personal study of the Bible passage: 2. What principle(s) does the text teach that is true for all people everywhere , including today? 3. What is the Holy Spirit asking me to do with this principle here, today , in my life and ministry? Once you have answered these questions in your personal study, you are then ready to write out your insights for your paper assignment . 1. What was God saying to the people in the text’s original situation ?

Outline and Composition