Foundations for Christian Mission, Student Workbook, SW04

/ 2 1 3

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

The following questions were designed to help you review the material in the second video segment. In this last section we discovered how Jesus without qualification connected his own life and ministry intimately with the poor. As Messiah and Head of the Church, he demonstrated in all his ministry and teaching his commitment to the broken, the lost, and the vulnerable of his day. This orientation is also likely connected to his role as the Suffering Servant who fulfilled the Messianic prophecy, the one commissioned to rescue the captive and poor, to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, to establish his own Messianic community which would demonstrate the life of that Kingdom to its members and its neighbors. As you review the various main points of the lesson through the questions below, consider the ways in which God may be calling us to display in our lives and ministries the same kingdom shalom that was so clearly evident in the life and teaching of Jesus. As usual, always be clear and concise in your answers, and where possible, support with Scripture! 1. What is Jesus’ connection to the Church as God’s new kingdom community? 2. Explain how Jesus’ role of Messiah was inaugurated, authenticated, confirmed, and identified in every way by the poor and their treatment. What does this suggest to us about the priority the poor must always have in the work of the Church? 3. What does it mean to say that the Church is “God’s kingdom community?” In its role as the body of Christ, how is the Church called to imitate and fulfill the ministry of Christ in the world today? How does the Church in its works, words, and witness give evidence of the life of the Age to Come in the world today? 4. In what sense can we say that through the life and mission of the Church, as it is empowered by the Holy Spirit, that the very shalom of God is both enjoyed and displayed right here and right now? 5. Why are generosity and hospitality to the needy (especially to widows, the fatherless, and the poor) so important in the witness of the Church to Kingdom? 6. In what way are the people of God to be an advocate for the poor and those without a voice in society and in life? What are the characteristics of such an advocacy, and why can we say that “standing in the gap” for the poor is a hallmark of authentic Christian mission?

Segue 2

Student Questions and Response

4