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

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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

All efforts toward ministry and work is rooted in God’s character and work, in both his being a God of purpose in accomplishing his will in the world, and as a God of wisdom, who carries out that purpose with perfect understanding, timing, and approaches. Although leaders and churches may plan in such a way as to undermine the leading of the Spirit, it is also possible to plan in such a way that is open to God, flexible to circumstances, and responsive to the moving of the Spirit. PWR rightly organized can be such a disciplined, flexible approach. Preparing members of a team involves the discipline of concerted prayer for his wisdom and leading, clarifying your identity and mission, seeking God’s face about ways in which he wants you to meet these needs and challenges, and making plans and assignments to help the team accomplish their tasks. Working involves mobilizing the members of the team in such a way that they both identify and use their gifts in an organized way. Team members work the plan, which is monitored during the phase of implementation. Reviewing our work includes our task to evaluate the results of our efforts in order to determine the next steps of God’s leading. This involves a critical analysis of our effort, checking its fruits, and using the information to ask God what he might be suggesting about our current effort, ascertaining what the Lord wants us to do next. The urban scene presents leaders and churches with unique problems and challenges which make outreach in urban neighborhoods especially difficult. In order to address these challenges, we must saturate all we do with prayer, be led by the Holy Spirit during every phase of the work, expect opposition, and persevere in light of God’s call and commission. Now is the time for you to discuss with your fellow students your questions about the Church and the strategic nature of its outreach to the urban community. Because of limited resources, difficult circumstances, few laborers, and ongoing challenges we need to use the wisdom and leading of the Lord to draft strategies that are flexible and open. The Holy Spirit wants to lead us, and so we must approach our work with a sense of purpose but also with a profound sense of submission to God. This kind of approach is neither easy nor automatic, but those mature to listen to God can in fact have profound impact for Christ. Much depends on our ability to

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Student Application and Implications