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

Christian Mission and the Poor

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Welcome in the strong name of Jesus Christ! After your reading, study, discussion, and application of the materials in this lesson, you will be able to: • Define the concept of the poor in light of the biblical vision of shalom , or wholeness: shalom is the Hebrew term for “fullness of human community in fellowship with God and with one another.” • Outline the elements of shalom including its experience of health and wellness, safety and protection, harmony between neighbors, prosperity and material sufficiency, and the absence of malice and conflict–genuine peace. This also includes the idea of shalom as God’s gracious provision, as connected with the coming of the Messiah who is the Prince of shalom , as well as shalom as the standard for the people of God. • Explain how poverty is the denial of God’s shalom , how his blessing was to prevent the occurrence of poverty, and the commands to the covenant community were designed to ensure justice and righteousness among Yahweh’s people, and that faithfulness to the covenant was designed for the continuation of shalom among the Israelites as they obeyed his voice and met its conditions. • Show how God is identified with the poor, i.e., it is his design to lift and bless them from their state, to punish those who oppress them, and to demand that his people demonstrate the same concern that he has on behalf of the broken, poor, and the oppressed. The Exodus is a key event which embodies God’s identification with the poor and the oppressed, revealing his heart of justice, the creation of his covenant community which was called to be a reflection of his holiness, a model of justice and mercy, and a beacon for the nations. • Lay out the biblical causes of poverty, including natural disaster and calamity (e.g., famine, drought, storm, etc.), personal laziness and slothfulness (e.g., bad decisions, immoral character, idleness, hard-heartedness, etc.), and oppression and injustice from the hands of the powerful (e.g., mistreatment, exploitation, defrauding wages, etc.). The

Lesson Objectives

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