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

This lesson focuses upon the specific role of the local congregation in demonstrating the justice and mercy of God. In the urban community, the local church is the very outpost of the Kingdom of God, called to represent the interests and government of God in the midst of the community. The following concepts offer a full summary of the critical concepts covered in this lesson related to these important perspectives. The motivation for enduring justice and mercy is the experience of the grace of God through the Gospel of Christ. We, in fact, demonstrate to others the same grace and mercy we have received as members of the body of Christ. The effect of the grace of God on the believing community is to produce unconditional surrender to the lordship of Christ, and an aggressive commitment to show generosity and hospitality to the underserved and vulnerable among us. The Holy Spirit indwelling the Christian and the Church is the coordinator and instigator of the acts of mercy, love, and justice expressed in the good works of the Church. In the Old Testament, God’s covenant people Israel were called to live as a sign of his rulership and Kingdom. As such, God demanded that they demonstrate justice and mercy within their ranks, that they denounce the oppression of the poor, and treat the vulnerable and hurting with great grace and care. In this age, the Church of Jesus Christ is God’s kingdom community, called to reveal God’s justice and mercy through its good works and advocacy of the poor and the oppressed. The ethic of the Kingdom of God is summarized in the Great Commandment, to love God with all the heart, mind, soul, and strength, and the “second commandment,” to love one’s neighbor as oneself (cf. Deut. 6.4ff. and Lev. 19.18). Messiah Jesus has given us the “New Commandment,” an intensification of the second, which is to love one another even as he has loved us (John 13.34-35). The urban church, as a representative of God’s covenant people in the city, is called to demonstrate care to its own members, as well as generosity and hospitality to those who are outside. The local church, as an outpost of the Kingdom of God, is called to be the place where the charity of God is to begin, and from which it is to flow.

Summary of Key Concepts

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