CFED
Citique too much stress on
WEEK 1
Mission as mother of Theology 
Theology started as an accompanying
manifestation of the Christian mission and not as a
luxury of the world dominating church. That the
history and the theology of the early church are first
of all mission history and mission theology. Thus,
the beginnings of a missionary theology are
therefore the beginnings of Christian theology as
such.
Missiology in general is born from the experience
of people who reflect on their missionary
experience and involvement. If mission is essential
to the church or if church is mission, then
Missiology is in the same way essential to theology.
Without a sound Missiology, there can be no good
theology.
Missiology - systematic study of mission,
evangelization, and missionary activity of church.
- is not systematic or dogmatic theology. It
does not study the content of the message.
It is rather practical theology.
- Mission + logy = the study of mission
- Derived from verb mittere which is Latin
translation of the Greek verb apostellein
- Focus is on the missionary action of God
and the men and women he mandates
- In ecumenism, this term is accepted by
most denominations
Other suggested names of this discipline
1. Gustav Warneck (1834-1910), a pioneer in the
science of missions, suggested the term THEORY
OF MISSIONS [Missionslehre].
2. PROSTHETICS: this term is borrowed from Ac
2:31. Peter has addressed the people on
Pentecost, and as a result: They accepted what he
said and were baptised. That very  day about three
thousand were added to their number.
 Note:The term is derived from the Greek verb
prostithestai meaning “to add to.” Prosthetics is
then the study of the process of adding members to
the community.
numbers and visible growth. 
3. AUXANICS: this term is derived from a Greek
verb meaning ‘to augment, to multiply’. Auxanics is
then the study of the process of augmenting the
community. Same critique as under [2].
4. HALIEUTICS: this term is derived from the
Greek verb halieuein meaning ‘to fish, to be
fisherman’. This is a reference to Mk 1:17, And
Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me and I will make
you into fishers of people.’ And in Mt 4:19 we read,
And he said to them, ‘Come after me and I will
make you fishers of people.’
 Note: Halieutics is then the study of the process of
fishing for people. Same critique as under [2].  
Others suggested the name THEOLOGY OF THE
APOSTOLATE. This term emphasizes the content
of the apostolic witnessing, teaching and
proclamation. However it does not emphasize the
specific activity of the sending of God.
Mission is a “central” activity of the church. It is
proclaiming the good news, it is witnessing. This
has been done in the past. This is being done now.
This will be done in the future. As said before the
church is mission and therefore missionary
activities belong to the nature of the church and are
object of theological reflection.
The place of Missiology in the framework of
theological disciplines
1. It creates criteria to evaluate and to plan
mission more effective, and it proposes
priorities
2. It studies the past and present missionary
activities of the church; it has a descriptive
function
3. It wants to encourage and to stimulate
missionary activity of the church; it has an
animating function
Hence… missiology belongs to practical theology.
It is not just one discipline I.e. history. It is a
descriptive, critical, normative and animating
science.

WEEK 2
The Catholic Mission and Its very Ground/Source
God Created all things, (world and the human
persons). They were in “paradise” which means, there
was harmony, justice, peace, and joy. Despite the
very good conditions of life that they were in, the first
human beings (“Adam” and “Eve”) still committed sin.
The definition of the word CHURCH
Qahal (Hebrew - one of the ancient languages of the
Israelites) – Ekklesia (Greek) – Ecclesia (Latin) –
Church (English)
“Qahal” means Calling together or in the context of
the Israelites, it means an assembly called by God for
a religious purpose that is to worship. So, this is also
the meaning of the words “Ekklesia”, “Ecclesia” and
the word “Church”.
From the very root word which is Qahal, Church is
simply defined as an assembly called by God to
worship. Since the Church originated from the
Father’s plan of salvation which started from the
Israelites until its very foundation by no other than
Jesus who also gave the Holy Spirit to guide
her(Church), we will now have its complete definition
(below).
Church: Community (of men and women) centered in
Christ, guided by the Holy Spirit, moving Towards the
Kingdom of the Father, and the bearers of the
Message of Salvation for all men. (G.S.# I)
The official or complete definition of the word
“Church” is very much implied in the illustration
above. So, the very cause of the emergence of the
Church is no other than to continue carrying out the
Mission of Jesus to spread salvation/Kingdom of God
which ultimately originated from the Father’s plan
since people are deviating from His Love.
From the definition, there are five important
elements of the Church. Community, Christ’s-
centered, guided by the Holy Spirit, and carrying out
the mission of spreading the Kingdom of
God/salvation to all.
Just to avoid confusion, some authors made a
distinction between the Church as referring to people
or to buildings (worshipping place like chapels) by
using the small c church as referring to people and
the capital C – Church as referring to the
people/community.
This is also good, but primarily the meaning of the
word “Church” is really the community or people. How
do we know then if it is referring to people or building?
Well, the best way is on how the word “Church” is
used in a sentence. Example: The Church in Piat,
Cagayan is very beautiful. This sentence obviously
refers to the building. The Church of Piat, Cagayan is
very participative. This one obviously refers to the
community.
Brief Historical Background of the Church
The translation of the word Hebrew word “Qahal” to
Greek word “Ekklesia” to Latin word “Ecclesia” and to
the English term “Church” literally tells the movement
of the Church from the Israelites/Hebrew Community
to the Greek invasion of the Israelites who were later
defeated by the Roman Empire which was centered in
Rome which used Latin as their language until its
spread to the whole world.
The Two Founding Events of the Church: The Public
Ministry of Jesus and the Pentecost event
1. Public Ministry of Jesus (working for the
Kingdom: preaching, healing, etc.)
Jesus of Nazareth founded a Renewal Movement
within the Old Testament (Israelites)
Founder of the Church: Jesu
How? – by gathering his disciples (the apostles)
- The disciples experienced Jesus intimately /
personally. Later they shared in his ministry
- Jesus assured them of his presence (forever)
Two things which inspired the apostles to come
together and reflect on what was their mission:
1. The Resurrection Experience -- which is the “
Ground or Foundation” of Christian Faith.
2. The Pentecost Experience
2. Pentecost: the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the
Apostles and their followers
- By receiving the Holy Spirit, He (H.S.) empowered
them to preach the Kingdom, to act as Community
who will continue the Mission of Jesus C.
Sacrament: means channel, representative, visible
sign of an invisible reality
God ---- Jesus ---- Church
The Sacrament of God is Jesus and the Sacrament of
Jesus is the Church (John 20:21, Acts 1:8)
The Church started as a religious renewal
“movement”/group in Jerusalem, Israel by no other
than Jesus Christ. Jesus grounded the Church on the
foundation of the Apostles and it spread from
Jerusalem to the Roman Empire world until
throughout all the earth.
The first “name” of the Church was The Way (Acts
9:2), The members of the Church were called
Christians in Antioch (Acts 11: 26). The Church was
persecuted by the Roman Empire (which was still
pagan) until the Conversion of the Emperor
Constantine in 313 AD which paved the way for
Christians to infiltrate Rome until Christianity was
declared as the official religion of the Roman Empire
in 380 AD by Emperor Theodosius.
Way back in 45 AD, the first apostle who went
to Rome and started the Church there was no other
than Peter. Later, reflecting on the mission of Jesus
which He passed on to the Church, the Church’s
official “name” or title evolved into: One (John 17:21),
Holy (Ephesians 1:4, 5:27, I Peter 2:9), Catholic
(Matthew 28: 18-20, Acts 1:8, Gen 12: 3, John 3: 16-
17) and Apostolic (Ephesians 2:20 )
From the Church developed the Hierarchy (Bishops,
priests, and deacons – with the Pope as the overall
head for the sake of division of work and maintaining
the unity of the Church while it spreads the Kingdom
of God on earth.
From the Church comes the different “kinds”
of priests according to spirituality or mission area.
Diocesan is a term use for priests serving their local
places;
Monks: started in the 3rd century AD in Egypt and in
Syria with a life of simplicity or asceticism.
- Monks who are composed of sisters (not priests)
only came out later. Example of few monks in
Cagayan who are sisters are those at the St. Claire
monastery in Iguig.
Missionaries are group/community of priests who
really want to go to serve remote places not yet
evangelize .
Examples of missionaries are the following:
c.1. The Dominicans who was founded by St. Dominic
in Prouille, France in 1216. (Dominic was a Spanish
priest).
c.2. The Augustinians which started in 1244 in Italy
(group or no specific founder).
c.3. The Jesuits or called Society of Jesus who was
founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola, formerly a
Spanish soldier who became priest.
c.4. The CICM and other missionary groups only
came out later.
The CICM was founded by a diocesan priest
Theophile Verbist in 1862 in Scheut, Anderlecht,
Brussels, Belgium.
So what is a CICM? It is just one of the missionary
groups which is an arm of the Church for
evangelization.
Regardless of who or what missionary group started
the Church in our places, we are all members of the
whole Church established by Jesus whose mission is
to spread the Kingdom/salvation to all.
WEEK 3 & 4
LEARNING CONTENT

INTRODUCTION
To do mission is an integral part of Christianity’s self-understanding. Christianity cannot be
understood apart from its activity of doing mission. Hence, from the very beginning, Christians have been
engaged in witnessing for the faith and communicating the message of the faith to many nations and cultures.
As there was growth in the understanding of the faith, so there were changes in how the Church
conceived and did mission.
Furthermore, there were developments in the understanding of mission necessitated by changing times
and situations.
One important change is the shift from Ecclesio-centric to Theo-centric view of mission.

LESSON PROPER
CHRISTIAN MISSION:
The Gospels recorded the command of Jesus Christ that his disciples go forth and teach all nations
(Matt. 28:19); Christian mission is the response to this command. The history of mission is, to a large extent,
the history of Christianity, because missionary efforts are recorded in the Acts of the Apostles and have
continued to the present.
Saint Paul was the first great missionary to the
Gentiles, and as a result of his efforts the church spread until, by
the end of the 1st century, it had reached most of the great
Mediterranean cities.
By the beginning of the 4th century, Christianity had
become a dominant force in Greek culture and in 313 it became an
official religion of the Roman Empire. By the end of the 4th century
it had extended as far as India in the east and Ireland in the west.
The following centuries saw the expansion of the Church into
northern Europe, and the evangelization of Germany and
Scandinavia continued through the early medieval period.
Saint Boniface, the apostle of Germany, Saint Patrick,
Ireland's apostle, and Saint Augustine of Canterbury were notable missionaries of that era.

Now, fellow louisian missionaries, let’s deepen our understanding of mission as we ponder more on
the two views on mission. Are you ready? First, let’s take a look on this!

A shift in understanding mission from:

ECCLESIO-CENTRIC VIEW OF MISSION

Mission primarily belonging to the Church.

Even if there is the acknowledgement that God is the origin and source of mission, this idea is not
emphasized.

Excludes others outside the church in the doing of mission. Since mission is primarily the work of the
Church, doing mission is also the work of Church leaders and members only.

Mission therefore is equivalent to converting others to become members of the Church. Sometimes
evangelization is the same as proselytizing.

The number of converts indicated by baptismal records, is an important gauge for a successful missionary
activity.
Such an understanding resulted in insensitive attitude towards indigenous views and practices in
mission territories.

Such a narrow view of mission has been criticized in modern missiology as very limited and
unfaithful to the inclusive and tolerant spirit of the vision and practice of Jesus.
To an understanding of mission as one that affirms the following:

THEO-CENTRIC VIEW ON MISSION

God’s redemptive mission: the source- The source of the Church’s mission is the work of God in
redeeming creation. God always takes the initiative to reach out to human beings in their varied
cultural traditions.
Jesus: the embodiment of God’s mission- God’s mission of redemption is concretized in the
person and ministry of Jesus. The Church’s mission has to pattern itself to the Jesus event as
testified by the New Testament writings, especially the Gospels.

Holy Spirit: the power for the mission- In the Gospels and in the Acts, Jesus and the disciples’
mission is always inspired and directed by God’s Spirit, so the Church must be open to this
inspiration and guidance in her mission.

Church: An instrument for the mission- The Church participates in God’s mission of
redemption. The church does not own the mission and so it has always to discern
God’s will in the very concrete situations where she finds herself in.

Cultures: the context of the mission- understanding and dialoguing with cultures is a necessary
prerequisite to doing effective missionary activities.

By shifting to a theo-centric understanding of mission, we are called to:

“
Be active participants in God’s redemptive action in the world and the whole creation: as priests and
ministers, as religious/consecrated life, layperson- doctor, teacher, workers, parent, student, etc.
The question is, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO INCORPORATE THIS UNDERSTANDING OF MISSION
TO YOU AS A STUDENT AND A FUTURE PROFESSIONAL OF YOUR CHOSEN CAREER?
Write your answer/s on the Participation Part.
Chapter 1: Mission and the Jesus-Event
As followers of Jesus, we see in Him and in His life the model for participating in God’s redemptive acts. He is
the content and process of doing mission.
The Incarnation as God’s Contextualization of Himself

The Prologue to John’s Gospel

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. 2 This one was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into
being through him, and apart from him not one thing came into being that
has come into being. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of humanity.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome
it.
6 A man came, sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This one came for
a witness, in order that he could testify about the light, so that all would
believe through him. 8 That one was not the light, but came in order that he
could testify about the light. 9 The true light, who gives light to every person,
was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into
being through him, and the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to his
own things, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But as many as
received him—to those who believe in his name—he gave to them authority
to become children of God, 13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of a husband, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we
saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and
truth. 15 John testified about him and cried out, saying, “This one was he
about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me is ahead of me, because
he existed before me.’” 16 For from his fullness we have all received, and
grace after grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth
came about through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the
one and only, God, the one who is in the bosom of the Father—that one has
made him known.

The Prologue (Chapter One, verses one to eighteen) to the Gospel of St. John is a mystical reflection
on the Divinity and Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Word made Flesh.
The Prologue of John is one of the most significant theological passages in the New Testament of the
Bible. This beautiful passage is often found in anthologies of world literature, for it is truly poetic and profound
in nature. The Prologue begins and ends in eternity, which effectively emphasizes the Word entering time and
history through the Incarnation in verse fourteen.
In the Prologue, John identifies Jesus as the logos, the Word or reason, the philosophical concept of
God's unifying principle for all of creation.
The opening line parallels the opening line of Genesis 1:1, "in the beginning;" the Word was with God
from the beginning. The Prologue clearly asserts the Divinity of Jesus Christ. Themes introduced in the
Prologue such as light, life, darkness, witness, faith, glory, and truth are more fully developed throughout
the Gospel of John.
The Mystery of the Incarnation (God becoming a human being in Jesus; Emmanuel), is God
 Reaching out to the whole of creation
 Immersing Himself in the very concrete situation of His people. In the Old Testament, He “pitched his
tent among His people.”

God’s Vision/Dream for Creation

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep (Jn 10:10 Fullness of Life)
10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the
sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a
robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his
voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he
has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep
follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a
stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not
recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but
the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the
sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the
sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters
through me will be saved. [a] They will come in and go out and find
pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have
come that they may have life and have it to the full.

Many preachers quote John 10:10 as support for the idea that
Christianity leads to physical prosperity and “every good thing.” The
verse has been used as a description of the Christian life, the
normative pattern of life that Christians can expect because of God’s blessings.
And in order to understand what John 10:10 means, we need to look at its context:
Chapter 10 of John’s Gospel develops the biblical theme of sheep and the shepherd.
The shepherd is accessible to the sheep. Strangers do not have a personal relationship with the
flock, but the good shepherd does. Verse 10 draws the contrast between Jesus and false
shepherds, the thieves who come to kill, steal and destroy.
Jesus said in John 10:10. “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.” To “have life and
have it more abundantly.” That is what salvation is. Life in all its fulness. “A rich and satisfying life” (New Living
Translation) “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
(The Message) And this life in all its fulness brings many blessings.

Love
– knowing that God loves us, and His love will never let us go.
Joy
– not the passing happiness which so many people find in the false gods like money and entertainment
but true joy which no-one and nothing can take away.

Peace
– the calm of knowing that everything is safe in the hands of Almighty God.

Eternal life
– which not even death can take away.
Victory over the devil and all the powers of evil
– a life which isn’t lived under the circumstances but which triumphs OVER the circumstances.
Freedom
– the glorious liberty of the children of God – if the son shall set you free you will be free indeed.
WEEK 5
The great truth revealed in the New Testament is that
the eternal God became one of us; He became a
human being.
This week will focus on Jesus’ Relationship with God,
strongly shown in the Inclusivity in the Ministry of
Jesus.
➢ Jesus’ relationship with God is important in
understanding how Jesus saw his mission.
There are two scriptural accounts in the bible that
records a clear depiction of Jesus’ relationship with God
as Father and Son.
a. Jesus used the term “Abba” when he prayed in
the garden of Gethsemane shortly before his death.
b. When Feast of Dedication took place at
Jerusalem, Jesus explained to the Jews, He and the
Father are one.
A. “Abba”
Abba: An Aramaic word for “father.” It represents an
intimate form of speaking and corresponds to the
English “Daddy” or the Filipino term “Tatay” or Itay.”
Garden of Gethsemane
The Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus prayed on
the night of His betrayal and arrest (Mark 14:32-50).
According to the record in Luke, Jesus’ despair in
Gethsemane was so deep that He sweat drops of
blood (Luke 44-22:43)
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42)
Jesus was God in the flesh, letting the Father
speaking through Him as He went about His
ministry of spreading the Word of God to all who
would hear and obey. Because of His intimate
connection with God in heaven, before He was placed
on earth, shows why Jesus would refer to God as Abba
Father. He was tethered to God in a way that no one
ever could or ever would be able to undo.
When He calls God “Abba Father” in the garden of
Gethsemane in Mark 14:36, He says it as a way of
acknowledging the power of God and the greatness
that will come for Him through Jesus’ sacrifice on the
cross. It’s an expression of humble admiration for
His Father, as well as an intimate request asked
of God, for God’s will to be shown in this “cup” of
sacrifice, that Jesus wouldn’t ask of anyone but
God.
B. “I and My Father are one” I and the Father Are
One (Mark 10:22-42)
This is a mystery that human wisdom cannot fully and
solely grasp, but with the help and guidance of the
Holy Spirit – the power of mission, it leads us to
the revelation for the work of salvation. Spirit in
heaven called Jesus His beloved Son, God witnessed
His incarnated flesh from the perspective of the Spirit.
That was God bearing witness to Himself.
However, when the Lord Jesus called God in heaven
by the name of Father, He called the Spirit of God
from the perspective of the flesh. But it couldn’t prove
that the Lord Jesus was the Son of God’s Spirit in
heaven. In the time of the New Testament, God
incarnate came to do the work of crucifixion and
redemption. He took on the sins of mankind as the sin
offering.
As God’s Spirit is not suited to be crucified directly,
but only God’s Spirit assuming the flesh and
coming to the earth is most suited to finishing the
work.
As the embodiment of the Spirit of God, the Lord Jesus
did the work of God Himself. What the Lord Jesus
expressed was the will of the Spirit. God’s flesh and
Spirit are one and they have the same essence,
disposition, wisdom and almightiness.
➢ Jesus’ relationship with God is characterized
by intimacy in his:
A. PRAYER LIFE
THE LORD’S PRAYER
I know that the prayer above is not new to you;
however, after reading the prayer, ask yourself, What
does each phrase really imply in this prayer ? Just keep
to yourself the answer to that question and let’s try to
deepen your understanding as we delve deeper!
The content of the Prayer [taken from Matthew 6:9-13
ESV]
“Pray then like this…” (9a)
Jesus had railed against the false religiosity of the
Pharisees and Sadducees. He had pointed out that
they do their religious duties for selfish reasons, to
steal the glory that rightfully belongs to God for
themselves, not out of love and service to Him.
How often do we do the same thing today? How
many times do we do something good for someone
simply to make ourselves look good? Rather, we
should be doing everything for Jesus’ sake; out of love
for Him and for His glory and honor.
“Our Father in heaven…” (9c)
This phrase recognizes our allegiance to God. He is
our Father; He created us, He sustains us, He gives us
spiritual life. Everything we have and everything we
are or ever hope to be, we owe to Him. The
allpowerful Creator, Who lives outside of time and
space, in the realm we call ‘Heaven’, is our Father, our
God, our life, and our Savior.
When we pray, we must be aware of exactly Who it is
to Whom we are praying.
“Those who pray like this are members of a family,
and they look to God as the Head of the family, one
who is bound to them by ties of love” (Baker, vol. II, p.
1350).
“…hallowed be your name” (9c)
In Jesus’ day, a person’s name was indicative of his
character. This phrase [“hallowed be your name”]
means that we realize, and acknowledge, that God is
holy, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole
earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3 ESV).
There are too many people these days who think too
little on God’s holiness. We do not realize that God is
perfect, He is our Creator, He sustains us, and He
deserves our worship and love. Too often, we do not
approach Him with the reverential awe, or fear, that
the Bible commands, “The fear of the LORD leads to
life, and whoever has it rests satisfied; he will not be
visited by harm” (Proverbs 19:23 ESV).
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on
earth as it is in heaven” (10)
This phrase means that we should want God’s plan to
be carried out by humans on earth the same way it is
carried out by the angels in Heaven. As believers, our
hearts should be set on furthering His Kingdom any
way that He asks of us.
We should be agents of change, whose mission is to
share the good news of God’s love for humanity with
all those we can, so that this world would be more like
His Kingdom. “The servant of God looks for the rule of
God to become actual in more and more lives” (Baker,
vol. II, p. 1350).
“Give us this day our daily bread…” (11)
The believer should be living in a daily dependence on
God’s provision. After Jesus had told His followers
that they need not worry about having the necessities
of life, He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all these things will be added to
you” (Matthew 6:33 ESV). “…the prayer is for the
simple and present necessities of life.
Jesus is counseling his followers to pray for
necessities, not luxuries, and for what is needed now,
not a great store for many days to come. By confining
the petition to present needs Jesus teaches a day-
byday dependence on God” (Baker, vol. II, p. 1351).
“…and forgive us our debts [Luke: our sins], as
we also have forgiven our debtors” (12)
Because we are believers in Jesus Christ, our sins are
forgiven. Therefore, this is not saying that our sins are
forgiven because we forgive others. Rather, we
forgive others because we have been forgiven. It is
easy to forgive others when we truly understand how
much God has forgiven us. If we claim to have had
our sins forgiven by God, yet we refuse to forgive
others, there is a problem with our relationship with
God, and that problem needs to be dealt with.
“And lead us not into temptation…” (13a)
We know that God does not tempt anyone with evil
(James 1:13). Therefore, this phrase must be a
request for God to guide our paths away from
temptation and testing. It is a request for protection
against that which might cause us to fall into sin.
The Bible tells us that everything that happens is
either caused by God, or God allows it. As such, we
believers realize that God is in control of every second
of our lives, so we pray for God to guide our steps
away from temptation and towards holiness.
“…but deliver us from evil” (13b)
God is the only one Who can protect us from evil
 [alternate translation: evil one]. It is by His strength
that we are enabled to stand against the world, the
flesh, and the devil. “Submit yourselves therefore to
God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7
ESV).
The Bible also tells us that God will not let us be
tempted or tested more than He will also supply the
ability for us to endure, “No temptation has overtaken
you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he
will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but
with the temptation he will also provide the way of
escape, that you may be able to endure it” (I
Corinthians 10:13 ESV).
Important Principles from the Lord’s Prayer
When we pray to God, we must understand that He is
the Holy Creator, and Sustainer, of the universe. Our
basic motivation in prayer must be for His glory and
the furtherance of His Kingdom.
We can surely ask Him to supply our needs and
comfort our afflictions, but we must always recognize
that His will trumps ours. We should desire that His
will be done here on earth, and we should be willing
to submit to His plan, rather than expect Him to
submit to ours.
We must always remember that every good thing
comes from God (James 1:17); He lovingly supplies our
needs. We must forgive others as we have been
forgiven. We must trust God to deliver us from any
temptation or testing that we should encounter,
knowing that we are unable to resist temptation on
our own.
When we pray with this attitude, we can say with the
apostle John, “And this is the confidence that we have
toward him, that if we ask anything according to his
will he hears us” (I John 5:14 ESV).\
Realizations on the Lord’s Prayer
• God wants us to call him Father.
• God’s name is deserving of the highest honor.
• God wants to reign in our hearts and lives.
• God wants us to depend on him for everything.
• God alone can forgive sin and remove guilt.
B. ATTITUDE
(Philippians 2:7) ESV
“…but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,
being born in the likeness of men.”
God is Spirit
The Bible says that God is spirit (John 4:24). Therefore
getting to know God is more difficult than getting to
know a fellow human being. God realized that, and
had a radical solution: He became man. In Jesus Christ
“the whole fullness of God dwells bodily” (Colossians
2:9). So if we are still in doubt about the character of
God, we may look at the life of Jesus. When we know
how Jesus is, we know how God is.
God is trustworthy
First, God is trustworthy. If we get to know who God
is, we do not need to be afraid that He will be
different tomorrow. “Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
God always keeps His promises. Always.
God is loving and compassionate
Second, God is love (1 John 4:8). Jesus made that very
clear. He loved the people that society spit out. He
embraced children. He invited despised tax collectors
to follow Him. Sharing God’s love with prostitutes was
more important to Him than His reputation. And in
this, Jesus is the perfect embodiment of His Father’s
love. For it was God who gave His only Son, so that
whoever believes in Him will not perish but have
eternal life (John 3:16).
God is righteous
Third, God is righteous. “A God of faithfulness and
without iniquity, just and upright is he” (Deuteronomy
32:4). He loves truth and justice, and He hates lies and
injustice. This perfect righteousness we also see in
Jesus, who said “which one of you convicts me of sin?”
(John 8:46).
God is holy
Fourth, God is holy. Isaiah 6:3 says “Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!“.
God is glorious, and His glory sets him apart from sin;
that is, God is holy. Sin and God cannot go together.
God is everything that is beautiful, sin is everything
 that is ugly. Because this same holiness is in Jesus, He
is called “the Holy One of God” (John 6:69).
God is merciful
Fifth, God is merciful. There is one very striking
passage in which the Lord declares His own character.
The Lord appears to Moses on the mountain, and the
next thing we read in Exodus 34:6-7 is: “The LORD
passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the
LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping
steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear
the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the
children and the children’s children, to the third and
the fourth generation.” Here we see all the aspects of
God character that were mentioned above. But what
is most stressed is God’s mercy in forgiving sinners.
That is fulfilled in Jesus. In His mercy, God sent Jesus
to die for our sins. If we believe in Jesus, God adopts
us as His children.
When we have become children of God, we have a
lifetime of discovering more and more of God’s
character. But trustworthiness, love, righteousness,
holiness, and mercy certainly are at the heart of who
God is.
C. PREACHING AND DEALING WITH PEOPLE
Mark 1:14-15.
When glancing at those sections of the Gospels
which deal with the teaching ministry of Jesus, you
will notice how often the word kingdom occurs. This
amounts to far more than a number of casual
references, for again and again the word is given
special emphasis. Jesus began His Galilean ministry
by proclaiming, "The kingdom of God is at hand"
(Mark 1:15). The Sermon on the Mount begins,
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:3). Jesus taught us to
pray, "Thy kingdom come" (Matt. 6:10). Many of the
parables of Jesus begin, "The kingdom of
heaven is likened unto ..." (Matt. 13:24).
From the above it will be seen that, while during His
ministry Jesus spoke of many things, His main
emphasis was upon "the kingdom." Indeed, it can be
said that the message of Jesus was, in reality, the
message of the kingdom.
But at this point we may find ourself inquiring: "How
are we to understand Jesus' kingdom
message? What is the nature of this kingdom?
Where is this kingdom located? How do we
attain entrance into this kingdom?"
Such questions as these cannot be dealt with in any
easy, offhand manner. We are not dealing here with a
material kingdom, having geographical location and
governed by earthly laws. Our concern is with a
spiritual kingdom. Jesus recognized all these, and
He did not attempt to describe the kingdom in
physical terms. Instead, He said, "The kingdom of
heaven is like unto ..." (Matt. 13:31), and similar
statements. We can assume that He hoped through
these suggestions to create in His hearers a
spiritual quickening, with the accompanying
spiritual perception of the kingdom.
However, Jesus did make several important
statements regarding the kingdom, and these should
be given careful consideration. Note the following:
(1) Jesus assured us that the kingdom is "at hand."
(2) Jesus taught that the coming of the kingdom meant
the attainment of our highest good.
SERMON ON THE MOUNT
Jesus gives lectures, or sermons, on a variety of
subjects. His most famous is the Sermon on the Mount
(so named because, in Matthew, Jesus stands on a
mountain when delivering this message).
The Sermon on the Mount is a body of moral teaching
characterized by an emphasis on sincere devotion to
God, and a corresponding heartfelt benevolence
toward others. This well-known Bible story is recorded
in the Bible book of Matthew 5-7. The Sermon on the
Mount comes from when Jesus was just beginning his
early ministry after being baptized by John and was
traveling through Galilee. On a mountainside, not far
from Capernaum, Jesus stopped to give his longest
and most popular sermon, giving this event the name
"Sermon on the Mount." Jesus' teachings in this
message include what's known as the Lord's Prayer
as well as the Beatitudes. The focus of the Sermon
on the Mount was how to live a life pleasing to God
and the characteristics of Christian discipleship.
This sermon was a revelation through Jesus to His
people. It served as a radical wake-up call for
Christians to live wholeheartedly for God through Many times in the Gospels, the gospel writer
faith, not simply through external actions of keeping introduces the healing act of Jesus by the phrase
the law. Our Savior used this passage to teach us how “and Jesus took pity…” and similar other expressions
to live with the Kingdom of God in mind. The Sermon suggesting that here, Jesus healed because of
on the Mount is not simply a list of rules to follow, it compassion. Those who experienced Jesus’
is an invitation to live under grace and healing invariably saw Jesus as somebody sent by
experience blessings and rewards from a God and was doing the work of God. We note that in
living Christ-like. the Old Testament, one of the common descriptions
JESUS' PARABLES (Mark 4:34) ESV about
God is that He is Israel’s healer. In Jesus the healer,
He did not speak to them without a parable, Jesus’ contemporaries saw God continuing
but privately to his own disciples he to heal His people.
explained everything.
For Schillebeeckx, Jesus personifies the saving acts of
Jesus told countless parables. He pulled spiritual God. For the Jews, healing is a very important part of
truth from everyday life. Not only did these their understanding of what salvation is. And
stories make Jesus’ preaching more memorable, healing is not just physical healing but the
they also connected in much more profound wellbeing of the totality of the person and the
way. community. Therefore the Bible can speak about
restoration of relationships as healing of
The parables of Jesus are stories about the Kingdom
relationships. When Jesus healed, he did not just
of God – the kingdom of God is also described as an
remove the physical aspect of illness but he
experience of salvation both in the here and now.
restored the person to a state of wholeness.
The parables told by Jesus were not meant to
For instance, we are familiar with the story of Jesus
entertain. They were meant to jolt adults to see
healing a woman who has been bleeding for many
things differently, and act accordingly. A parable is a
years (Lk. 8:40-50). Because she was always
short imaginative story designed to communicate
bleeding, the woman was considered by others as
one central idea that reverses a prevailing
notion which is usually oppressive. They perpetually unclean and therefore she was being
invite us to have a transformed perception of avoided. In a sense, she was an outcast in the
society. Jesus used these to call people to a new community. When Jesus healed her, her physical
way of relating to God and to one another. health was not the only one restored. She was also
restored as a member of the community. This means
The parables of Jesus also challenged the prevailing a lot in the Jewish society where being accepted in
oppressive situation of his time and invited people one’s group was so important. She was no longer an
to an alternative lifestyle that can result in a outcast because her community accepted her back.
more humane society. In other words, the Or we can say, the community was also healed
parables were used by Jesus as tools for because Jesus’ action made them realize that the
transformation. HEALING MINISTRY (Matthew
suffering woman was a member of their community
11:5) ESV
who really needed help. There was a restoration of
5 the blind receive their sight and the lame relationship. In this story, Jesus embodied God as the
walk, lepers 1 are cleansed and the deaf hear, healer of His people. Through Jesus, God
and the dead are raised up, and the poor worked to restore well-being to his people.
have good news preached to them.
TABLE FELLOWSHIP (Luke 7:36-50) ESV
Healing forms a significant part of Jesus’ ministry. A
For the Jews during Jesus’ time, eating was not just a
little less than one-third of the Gospel narratives
biological or social activity. It was a religious reality as
concern Jesus’ healing. That is why we cannot
well which means the Jews have religious rules
understand Jesus properly if we forget that he was a
regarding what not to eat, how to eat, and with whom
healer. Jesus healed not because he wanted to prove
one should eat. For example, a respectable person
something.
should not eat with sinners, or pagans, or prostitutes
he might become unclean. You should wash your
hands properly before eating because he might
become unclean. If eating was practiced this way, it
divided rather than united the community. But we
read in the Gospels that Jesus had been eating with all
types of people including tax collectors and the
outcasts of the society, and his disciples were
criticized without washing their hands. Jesus’ table
fellowship symbolized and made present
God’s inclusiveness and concern for the lost
and the last. In the Gospel stories, the people with
whom Jesus ate were those excluded by many in the
Jewish society. Jesus’ table fellowship, therefore,
made present and palpable the God of compassion.