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

What Jonathan Edwards refers to as a “eternal wedding feast”, and what Ortlund refers to as a “eternal spiritual union” is the referent behind the marriage metaphor. However we are to understand this striking metaphor, we know that the people of God will in fact enjoy intimacy forever with the Lord, and that this relationship is typified in the romance and marriage of earthly wedlock. We get at the depth of the relationship through the symbol, not in spite of it. God invites us to ponder the meaning of the relationship in the light of the symbol, and, by doing so, we will come to appreciate at new levels the significance of our union with Christ as a member of his body, the Church. Again, the questions below are designed to help you review the key ideas in the first video segment. It is important not to get too far afield in your discussions with the students: concentrate on ensuring that the students understand the answers in light of the lesson aims of the first segment. Refer to Scripture for the theme of divine marriage (cf. Matt. 9.15; John 3.29; Eph. 5.23, 27, 29; Rev. 19.7–9; 21.2, 9; 22.17 with Ps. 45; Isa. 54.4–6; 62.4, 5; Jer. 2.2; 3.1, 20; Ezek. 16; Hos. 2.16, 19, 20) to help the students get a better grasp of the richness and broadness of this theme to understand the relationship between God and his people, and therefore, as a lens to comprehend what mission might be in light of it. As usual, you will need to make sure that you are mindful of any time constraints you may have, portioning out time to answer the questions selectively, along with any new questions your students might pose. Also, watch for any tangents which may lead you from rehearsing the critical facts and main points. These case studies (as all of them in this module reflect) are designed to help the students grapple with issues that either came from real situations, or are fictions based upon situations that informed them. In one sense, the case studies offer the students an opportunity to apply directly and powerfully their insights on the material, and to experiment in the kind of thinking necessary to take truth from a theoretical environment to a practical one. Spend good time with the students

3 Page 86 Student Questions and Response

4 Page 111 Case Studies