Perspectives on the World Christian Movement Midterm
Explain the strategic value of suffering and martyrdom in terms of the triumph of truth, the defeat of evil, and the glory of God. (5)
"When an ambassador for Christ speaks truth in love and meets death with joy, eyes are opened to the gospel. Christ's own death had this effect on one of His executioners" (study guide, p. 56). Defeat of Satan is shown when martyrs face death without fear. "They demonstrate that Satan's ability to control us by fear is broken" (p. 56). Lastly the glory of God is shown in the shame of death. Suffering allows Christians to be empowered even more so demonstrating God's glory, His defeat over Satan, and the proclamation and triumph of truth.
Recognize God's mission purpose found in the "Lord's Prayer"
"your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven" When we pray this we ask God to spread more missionaries fulfilling the Great Commission making more disciples (an earth full of peoples praising God).
Explain how Matthew 24:14 gives hope and focus for completing world evangelization. (3)
It's clear that our prayer when we pray the Lord's Prayer will come true! AMEN! Matthew 24:14 states "And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; AND THEN THE END WILL COME." The moment we wait, we long for as Christians-the day the Lord comes back!
Describe the progress of the gospel to different geographic areas and cultural basins in each of the five 400-year epochs since Christ
1. Romans (0-400) "Perhaps the most spectacular triumph of Christianity in history was its conversion (or "conquest") of the Roman Empire beginning largely with a jew named Paul who realized "an inner circumcision of the heart could be clothed in Greek language and customs as well as Semitic!" (Textbook, p. 214). 2. Barbarians (400-800) 3. Vikings oof (800-1200) 4. Muslims? (1200-1600) 5. Ends of the Earth (1600-2000)
Explain how the Moravian community is exemplary to the Church today in areas of motivation and persistence. (8)
The Moravians sustained a 24-hour-a-day prayer meeting for over 100 years, seeking God's intervention for spiritual awakening and world evangelization!
Describe both the apostolic and congregational structures of the Church using the terms modality and sodality.
modality refers to nurture-oriented congregational church structures and sodality refers to task-oriented mission structures
Explain what "blessing" meant in Abraham's day and what this means for understanding the mission mandate of Genesis 12.
"Blessing refers to God's characteristically generous and abundant giving of all good to his creatures and his continual renewal of the abundance of created life" (p. 38).
Define "people blindness" (7)
"People blindness refers to a limited outlook that fails to notice the sub-groups within a country" (p. 79).
Explain some of the biblical grounds for seeing worship that expresses specific cultures of diverse peoples as being valuable to God. (2)
He has made all cultures and languages. In each you can find beautiful aspects of God's being. Jesus' words in John 17:26 will be fulfilled: "I have made Your name known to them, and I will make it known; that the love wherewith You loved Me may be in them"
Explain God's concern for all He has created and how that concern relates to Christian mission. (1)
He loved His creation. He said it was good, but it fell into temptation and sin. But God is still good when nothing else is and he was preparing a way for His people to come back to him since the OT. This relates to missions today seeing that God has always had a heart for all people, He used one certain people to demonstrate to all peoples who would eventually encompass His chosen people (anyone who believes in Jesus).
Describe the crucial importance of the Acts 15 council for understanding how to present the gospel to the nations without presenting cultural obstacles to following Christ.(5)
If they followed the cultural rules, they would not have gathered as many new believers to Christ. They obeyed God and trusted His Word that peoples of all nations will come to Him meaning that despite cultural differences (i.e., Jew and Greek) they can both be God's children saved by the blood of Jesus! They presented several ways to practically share within a different cultural context. They were (we must be) willing to set aside our cultural preferences and what our society defines as correct if it means expanding the Kingdom. We just may find flaws within many aspects in our human defined law.
Explain why Paul's two cross-cultural principles of "become like" and "remain like" are crucial to seeing breakthroughs of the gospel
If we don't cross these barriers first, they will feel like they have to adapt to our American culture, not just the relationship with Christ. The important thing is for them to realize that they are accepting a new life in Christ "remaining like" they are. Since we have Christ we can see the importance though of loving them enough to put our fashion, food, cultural preferences aside if it means being better able to connect with unreached peoples by "becoming like" them, giving them an example that Christians can look like them. Not all Christians look or worship the same.
Describe some key mission leaders and movements in history and their strategic approaches.
Robert de Nobili-Brahmin Matteo Ricci- China, Christianity using Confucian concepts
Describe the ways that women have been an important part of mission efforts throughout history
They are more resilient than men. They bring a different element-nurturing. They can witness to mothers and children well with their own position and commonalities. When the mothers are taught they then will teach their children (killing two birds with one stone.)
