Foundations for Christian Mission, Mentor's Guide, MG04

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F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

Fall, and the curse change fundamentally God’s relationship with his creation, especially with humankind?

4. How was God’s conflict with evil symbolized in the OT? How did God’s conflict with Pharaoh and the nations of Canaan help us understand God as divine warrior? Why did God also take up the position of warrior against his own people? 5. How did the prophets of Israel picture the coming of Messiah as an extension of God as a divine warrior, and how would this Messiah finally destroy all evil once and for all time? 6. Briefly lay out the ways in which the promise of the Messiah has been inaugurated in the person of Jesus, the heir from the Davidic line who is restoring God’s reign. How do the various aspects of his birth, teaching, miracles, exorcisms, deeds, death, and resurrection show that the promised Kingdom of God is now here, already present in the life of the Church? 7. Explain the way in which the Kingdom of God can be said to be “already present” but “not yet consummated.” Why is this distinction important to keep in mind when discussing the work of Jesus Christ in this present age? 8. In what sense can we say that the Church of Jesus Christ today in this age is both the sign and foretaste of the Kingdom present? In what sense is the Holy Spirit, who indwells the Church, providing evidence that the Kingdom of God has in fact arrived in Jesus? What is the Church now authorized to do on behalf of Christ for the sake of the Kingdom? 9. What are the main implications of the Mission as the War of the Spheres motif for mission? In light of God reasserting his rule today over his universe in Jesus Christ, what ought missionaries do and how ought they to represent their work and ministries among the lost? 10. Read the Ryken quote on the next page. Why is it important to see these various motifs of God as interrelated and connected, rather than isolated and separate? How does Ryken help us to connect these images as we use them to understand who God is and his actions in the world (which, in fact are the foundations for doing mission today)?

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