The Great Commission Final Exam
What do we see at the cross?
-The Blessed Exchange -Jesus takes our sin and gives us His righteousness. -Jesus as Substitute
What is the incarnation?
-The Son of God, who is entirely God, also becomes entirely human in Jesus Christ, while remaining entirely God. -Thus, through Christ becoming human, we could know God, relate to God, better understand God. -Immanuel=God with us
What are two cautions which confessional christians might offer when adopting such a small group ministry model?
-There may be a lack in doctrinal organization or comprehension. -The members of the groups may prioritize their small groups over their large group worship.
The Spirit's Role in the Mission
1)2 Peter 1:21- The Inspiration of Scripture 2)Acts 2 Pentecost- The Spirit organizes the Church toward joining God's mission. 3)1 Thes. 1:5- The Spirit's power accompanies our witness. 4)Luke 12:11-12- The Spirit helps us as we witness 5)John 3:5-6- Baptism 6)1 Cor. 12:3, Rom.10:14-17- Conversion through Teaching 7)1 Cor. 6:11, Gal.5:22-23- Sanctification
How would the weekly or monthly evangelism meeting go?
1)Prayer (see last Monday's notes) For the lost, for receptive hearts, for opportunities, for boldness, for faithful witness, follow-up prayers. 2)A Scriptural study (would "evangelism" have to be the subject of the Scriptural study?) But no matter what was studied, the group would relate it to Evang 3)Relating of witnessing experiences that week (month) with peer and leader feedback. 4)Snacks.
The content of prayer in evangelism:
1)Prayer for the lost in general 2)Prayer for receptive hearts 3)Prayer for opportunities 4)Prayer for boldness 5)Prayer for faithful witness 6)Continual follow-up prayer for those we have encountered.
kerygma means:
1)The proclamation 2)What is proclaimed (the essential message)
List the 5 points of the method Peter uses in Acts 5.
1. Divert attention from self 2) Establish familiarity 3) Law 4) Gospel 5) Personal Connection
My kerygma:
1. God created us and all things, he watches over us and protects us 2. Ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus 3. Jesus loves us and is the only way to salvation 4. Holy Spirit works in/through us 5. We are sinful and therefore should repent, evangelize, and live a godly life so we may receive forgiveness
What do we see at the Resurrection?
1. Jesus demonstrates who He is, truly God 2.It is the necessary culmination of God's work of Salvation. Without the resurrection, the work is incomplete since Christ would not have achieved complete victory over sin. 3.We will rise too!
How do each of the following aspects of the Incarnation inform or relate to our approach of witnessing?
1.Christ comes to establish a relationship with people. As we witness, so often it is important that we have or establish a relationship, a circumstance of trust. We wish to know those to whom we are witnessing. 2.Christ becomes a human...one of us. As we witness, we meet people where they are, taking them for who they are, becoming one of them. 3.Christ came to change the existing, adversarial relationship between people and God. All have a natural adversarial relationship with God. We will encounter this. 4.When Christ was in this world, things often got ugly. We'll encounter this as well.
Three promises God makes to Abraham and how they connect to God's mission:
1.God will make Abraham into a great nation: All nations would see the love and blessing of God upon the nation of Israel. 2.God will bless Abraham personally: Abraham Himself would become a model of faith and justification by faith, which is a central theme or message in Evangelism 3.God will bless all people through Abraham: Out of this nation will come the One who will save all, Jesus.
Why do Christians or Christian churches engage in Evangelism?
1.Survival 2.Love for the lost 3.To be like Christ (Coleman) 4.To fulfill a command. (Make disciples!) 5.They like it or are good at it.
Confessional principles to be kept in mind when considering evangelism and church growth.
1.The Motivation 2.The Tools of Evangelism: Word and Sacrament 3.How does someone become a disciple? Holy Spirit converts them. 4. The Power of God through Baptism: 5.Who is responsible for the work of Evangelism (Humanly speaking)? Pastors and lay people alike. 6.How to measure success: God grants growth and that numbers don't always tell the story. 7.What field is ripe for outreach? Spirit through the Gospel can cross any line. 8.What to do if your church is not growing: Don't be comfortable with it. Determine if you really are making use of modern resources. Determine whether your church is faithfully proclaiming the Gospel.
For what purpose is Jesus sent as seen in John 1?
1.To be a light for the world (people don't have to live in sin's darkness) 2.Those who would receive Him would become children of God.(Sending Jesus would be the connection between God and humans) 3.Jesus would reveal the glory (loving presence) of the Father.(Through Christ, people could know God) Extreme Evangelism!
How long after Jesus's resurrection did He give the great commission?
40 days
How many days after Jesus's crucifixion did Pentecost occur?
50
What were the most important gifts given to the Apostles on Pentecost?
An understanding of the work of Christ and the boldness to proclaim it
What was the ultimate reason Jesus expressed obedience to God?
Because his obedience was for us, in our place, leading to our forgiveness
What did Jesus mean when he said he come not to bring peace but a sword?
Because the message of christ is divisive.
Describe the 12
Common, 'unlearned' but 'teachable'
My definition of evangelism:
Evangelism is the act of communicating to others the Word of God and the way to Salvation through direct words or actions. This work is a divine project of the Holy Spirit carried out by Christians but the amount of people who accept it is ultimately up to God.
What does efficacious mean?
God's Word works in bringing life and faith
A prominent reason for recognizing the key role of the Holy Spirit in the work of evangelism is so that we understand that evangelism is:
God's mission first
What does evangelism literally mean?
Good News
Why did Peter begin his Pentecost sermon with reference to the Old Testament?
He knew the audience would be familiar with the Old Testament, thus establishing common ground with them.
How would you describe Jesus's employment of supervision with the disciples?
He sent them out, listened to their reports at their return, and offered instruction.
Why did Jesus tell the disciples to "shake the dust off your feet" if they don't welcome you?
He wanted them to be in places where they were well-received to build confidence
What promise does Jesus give the disciples as he sends them out at the Great Commission?
I will be with you
How is the book of Acts tied to the Great Commission?
It is about what the disciples did now that they had been trained and given the Great Commission
Why has the church favored "mass recruitment"?
It is easier
Coleman suggests this is one of the greatest obstacles to employing a strategy of Association in the church:
It is hard for leaders to find the time to spend so much time with their followers
Why would Jesus spend more and more time with the disciples toward the end?
It was right at the end of Jesus' ministry that the most significant events were taking place. Holy Week.
Why did Jesus tell his disciples not to go to the samaritans and gentiles?
Jesus wanted them to get good at evangelizing their own culture first.
Who wrote Acts?
Luke
Which of the four major words in the Great Commission is the command?
Make disciples
What is the definition of a disciple?
One who follows
3 Parts of Jesus' Role in God's Mission
Part 1: The Incarnation: Being God with us Part 2: Jesus' Ministry: Proclaiming God to us Part 3: Jesus' Death and Resurrection: Demonstrating God for us
What do we learn from the fact that the crowd assumed the Apostles were drunk?
Peter was able to turn a bad or insulting situation into an opportunity to witness
Why would Jesus warn the disciples that they should expect hardship and opposition?
So that the disciples would never underestimate the strength of the enemy.
What is the significance of the apostles speaking in tongues?
So that the divers audience could understand the witnessing of the Apostles
Why did Jesus send them to the Jews instead of different cultures first?
So the disciples could get good at their own culture first
The Office of Keys
Special authority that God gave the church to forgive those who repent and to withhold forgiveness from those who do not repent
Coleman and Billy Graham suggest doing this when selecting the right leaders for ministry in the church
Start with a few, 8-12, or even only 1-2 if necessary
Typical contents of the didache:
The Six Chief Parts: 1. 10 Commandments 2. Apostles' Creed 3. The Lord's Prayer 4. Baptism 5. Confession/Absolution 6. Sacrament of the Altar
What best describes Jesus's strategy of Association?
The disciples at first just spent time with Jesus, following and watching Him.
Why do we say that the Great Commission was given to the church?
The disciples, who received the commission represent the entire church
What is another reason why those kinds of miracles no longer accompany our witnessing?
The possibility that the performance of miracles would place too much attention on the miracle performer than the Word of God.
Problem with Jesus's concern for the masses
They wanted stuff and when that ran out, they had no use for Him.
What was Matthias job description?
To be a witness to Jesus's resurrection
What was the ultimate reason for Jesus's miracle of feeding the 5000?
To show that Jesus is the Bread of Life.
T/F: Jesus's strategy of reproduction is basically that once the disciples learned from Jesus they would in turn teach others who would then teach others to lead and evangelize.
True
What was the main reason people perceived authority when they heard Jesus and the Apostles?
While religious leaders commonly spoke the words of men, Jesus and the Apostles spoke the Word of God
Reproduction:
allowing the followers to lead followers of their own
The word 'commission' indicates that Jesus was giving the disciples:
authority
Selection:
choosing a small number of people to train and lead
Consecration:
encouraging faithfulness to Christ and His word
Supervision:
engaging in post-experience discussions and debriefing
In class, we chose this word to better describe the key to being a disciple and follower (over obedience):
faithfulness
T/F: from our theological perspective, it is possible for a person to have saving faith without knowing Christ
false
T/F: from our theological perspective, we believe in "Decision Theology"
false
T/F: from our theological perspective, it is primarily God the Son who gives saving faith
false, the holy spirit does
Delegation:
involving the followers in minor leadership roles
Demonstration:
living a model life of prayer and Scripture
What is the definition of an Apostle?
one who is sent
Impartation:
recognizing and emphasizing the involvement of the Holy Spirit
Characterize the content of "the Kingdom of Heaven is near"
similar to the message of John the Baptist that God is at work in the world now through Jesus of Nazareth
Association:
simply spending time with the future leaders
The first tasks for selectees should be:
small tasks like mailing letters or setting up for events
mystagogy means:
the deeper mysteries of the faith
didache means:
the teaching (Usually refers to more advanced)
The goal of assembling future leaders into small mentoring groups is:
they will eventually start their own group and mentor new disciples.
What is the chief work of the Holy Spirit?
to point people to Christ
T/F: from our theological perspective, baptism can be a way for a person to receive faith
true
T/F: from our theological perspective, there is only one way to eternal life, which is through faith in Christ
true
How to use scripture wisely
•DON'T cram it down people's throats •DON'T use it to show off how smart you are •DO remember that people today are Biblically illiterate •DO Paraphrase Bible stories •DO Know the Bible yourself •DO Know where to look
