Theology of the Church, Mentor's Guide, MG03

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T H E O L O G Y O F T H E C H U R C H

heaven and earth. It is this risen and conquering Lord who commands his Church to make disciples among all nations (Matt. 28.18-19). In a real sense, making disciples in obedience to the Great Commission is merely following through on the work that Christ himself began through his proclamation of the Kingdom on earth. It is the testimony of the apostles that Jesus went about overcoming the devil’s work and doing good (Acts 10.38), proclaiming the inauguration of the Kingdom of God (Mark 1.14-15), and coming to seek and save those who were lost, those who needed to experience the saving grace of God available only in him (Luke 19.10). The nature of the commission will be important for you to emphasize, that is, the different elements of the Commission and how they relate to our obedience to it. The Good News of Christ is to be linked to making disciples of Jesus among all the nations. We are to seek to make followers of Christ among all peoples, beginning in Jerusalem and Judea, proceeding to nearby Samaria, and finally going to the very ends of the earth (Luke 24.47-48; Acts 1.8). All classes and ethnicities of people are to be targeted in our efforts, including both Jews (Acts 2.5-11) and Gentiles (Acts 13.46; Rom. 1.16). The Holy Spirit of God will provide us with the power to attain this work: he is the one who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16.8-11), illumines the mind of those who hear the truth of Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 2.9-15), and regenerates the soul with Christ’s own life (Titus 3.5). We are to engage in this effort until all have heard, until the very coming of Christ (Matt. 24.14). In reviewing the concepts of this lesson, it is important that your review the lesson aims. In some way, the breadth of subjects covered in this lesson mandate that you pay careful attention to the lesson aims so that you do not become overly distracted on tangential issues. While you should not hesitate to discuss thoroughly the kinds questions your students may have on difficult-to-understand concepts, you want to make sure they have a general comprehension of the concepts below. Especially take note of the relationship between the doctrine of election and its correlation with our responsibility to make disciples worldwide by obeying the Great

12 Page 105 Summary of Key Concepts