VISION

 USL is a global learning community recognized for science and technology across all
disciplines, strong research, and responsive community engagement grounded on the CICM
mission and identity for a distinctive student experience.
MISSION
 USL sustains a Catholic academic community that nurtures persons for community, church and
society anchored on CICM’s Missio et Excellentia.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CORE VALUES
 The University of Saint Louis upholds the philosophy that education is for building of self and
persons for the Church and the Society. Wisdom builds. To these ends, the following are
University of Saint Louis’s core values integral in the formation of every member of the Louisian
community.

1. Christian Living.  We are witnesses to the Gospel values as taught and lived by Christ
thus making God’s love known and experienced by all.
2. Excellence.We seek and maintain uncompromising standard of quality in teaching,
learning, service, and stewardship of school resources.
3. Professional Responsibility. We are committed to efficiently and responsibly apply
the learned principles, values and skills in the chosen field of discipline, taking initiative and
command responsibility in one’s professional advancement.
4. Social Awareness and Involvement. We engage ourselves with society by listening
to the prevailing issues and concerns in the society, thereby initiating and participating in
constructive and relevant social activities for the promotion of justice, peace and integrity of
creation and for people’s wellness and development consistent with the CICM charism.
5. Innovation, Creativity and Agility.We keep ourselves relevant and responsive to
the changing needs of our stakeholders by being flexible, solution oriented, and having cutting-
edge decisions and practices.
6. Mission as mother of Theology  
7. 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.

8. MISSIOLOGY
9.          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.
10.             Missiology is the systematic study of mission, evangelization, and missionary
activity of church. Missiology is not systematic or dogmatic theology. It does not study
the content of the message. It is rather practical theology.
11.

12. Other suggested names of this discipline

13.  

14. 1. Gustav Warneck (1834-1910), a pioneer in the science of missions, suggested

the term THEORY OF MISSIONS [Missionslehre].
15. 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.
16.  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.
Critique too much stress on numbers and visible growth. 

17. 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].

18. 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.’
19.  Note: Halieutics is then the study of the process of fishing for people. Same critique as
under [2].  

20. 5. 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.
21.  
22.  
23. The place of missiology in the framework
of theological disciplines
24. 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.

25.  THE PLACE OF MISSIOLOGY IN THE FRAMEWORK OF THEOLOGICAL

PHILIPPINES
26. – it creates criteria to evaluate and to plan mission more effective, and it
proposes priorities.
- it studies the past and present missionary activities of the church; it has a
DESCRIPTIVE function.
- it wants to encourage and to stimulate the missionary activity of the church; it
has an ANIMATING FUNCTION

27. Hence… missiology belongs to practical theology. It is not just one

discipline I.e. history. It is a descriptive, critical, normative and animating science.
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 / Meaning of the word

               
CHURCH

 
                                                                      The Etymology of the word “Church”
Qahal---------------Ekklesia-----------------Ecclesia----------------Church
                
(Hebrew)             (Greek)                      (Latin)                     (English)
 
 The Word “Church”  is derived from the Latin word “Ecclesia” which was derived from
the Greek word “Ekklesia”; and this “Ekklesia” was derived from the Hebrew word
“Qahal” (Hebrew is one of the ancient languages of the Israelites)
 
       
 “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.
 
        With this, we hope that the word “Church” is now very clear to you.
        
 
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.
 

1. Diocesan is a term use for priests serving their local places;

2. 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.
 

1.
1. 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.
 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.

1. 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)
             32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here
while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly
distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.
Remain here and watch.”[d] 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it
were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are
possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 And
he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not
watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not
 know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping
and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands
of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

 
          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)
                22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and
Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around
him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us
plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in
my Father’s name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not
among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give
them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, a is greater than all, and no one is able to
snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
                31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have
shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33
The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for
blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not
written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God
came—and Scripture cannot be broken— 36 do you say of him whom the Father consecrated
and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I
am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, even
though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that
the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 Again they sought to arrest him, but he
escaped from their hands.
              40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing
at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but
everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And many believed in him there.

 
         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.
 

2. Jesus’ relationship with God is characterized by intimacy in his:

              A. PRAYER LIFE
                 

◊  Did you know that of all the prayers prayed throughout the world, few are repeated as
often as the Lord’s Prayer?

◊ When we deal with “The Lord’s Prayer”, we find it tucked within Jesus’s Sermon on the
Mount, where he taught at length about living a life that brings glory to God.

◊ The Lord’s Prayer may be the most familiar prayer that exists.  It is found in the Bible,
in Matthew and in Luke, and came from the very mouth of Jesus Christ.  This prayer                 
is actually instructional; it is a model prayer that is meant to teach us the correct focus and
emphasis of prayer.

◊ Yet despite the prayer’s popularity, the sad part is, IT IS OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD
AND UNDERVALUED!

◊ That is the rationale why this part focuses on how to address this concern. It aims to
enlighten you with regard the real meaning of THE LORD’S PRAYER.
 
 

Are you ready to be enlightened? If so,

----------LET’S GET GOING!----------
 

 
 “Pray then like this, ‘Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be your name. Your
kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as
it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also
have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil’.” 
 
 
 
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 all-powerful 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-by-day 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 faith, not simply
through external actions of keeping the law. Our Savior used this passage to teach us
how to live with the Kingdom of God in mind. The Sermon on the Mount is not simply a
list of rules to follow, it is an invitation to live under grace and experience blessings and
rewards from a living Christ-like.
 

Jesus' Parables (Mark 4:34) ESV

He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained
everything.
Jesus told countless parables. He pulled spiritual truth from everyday life. Not only did
these stories make Jesus’ preaching more memorable, they also connected in much more
profound way.
The parables of Jesus are stories about the Kingdom of God – the kingdom of God is also
described as an experience of salvation both in the here and now. The parables told by Jesus
were not meant to entertain. They were meant to jolt adults to see things differently, and act
accordingly. A parable is a short imaginative story designed to communicate one central idea
that reverses a prevailing notion which is usually oppressive. They invite us to have a
transformed perception of society. Jesus used these to call people to a new way of relating
to God and to one another.
The parables of Jesus also challenged the prevailing oppressive situation of his time
and invited people to an alternative lifestyle that can result in a more humane society. In
other words, the parables were used by Jesus as tools for transformation.

 Healing Ministry (Matthew 11:5) ESV

5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers 1 are cleansed and the
deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to
them.
Healing forms a significant part of Jesus’ ministry. A little less than one-third of the Gospel
narratives concern Jesus’ healing. That is why we cannot understand Jesus properly if we forget
that he was a healer. Jesus healed not because he wanted to prove something.
Many times in the Gospels, the gospel writer introduces the healing act of Jesus by the
phrase “and Jesus took pity…” and similar other expressions suggesting that here, Jesus
healed because of compassion. Those who experienced Jesus’ healing invariably saw Jesus
as somebody sent by God and was doing the work of God. We note that in the Old Testament,
one of the common descriptions about God is that He is Israel’s healer. In Jesus the
healer, Jesus’ contemporaries saw God continuing to heal His people.
For Schillebeeckx, Jesus personifies the saving acts of God. For the Jews, healing is a very
important part of their understanding of what salvation is. And healing is not just physical
healing but the well-being of the totality of the person and the community. Therefore the
Bible can speak about restoration of relationships as healing of relationships. When Jesus
healed, he did not just remove the physical aspect of illness but he restored the person to
a state of wholeness. For instance, we are familiar with the story of Jesus healing a woman
who has been bleeding for many years (Lk. 8:40-50). Because she was always bleeding, the
woman was considered by others as perpetually unclean and therefore she was being avoided.
In a sense, she was an outcast in the community. When Jesus healed her, her physical health
was not the only one restored. She was also restored as a member of the community. This
means a lot in the Jewish society where being accepted in one’s group was so important. She
was no longer an outcast because her community accepted her back. Or we can say, the
community was also healed because Jesus’ action made them realize that the suffering woman
was a member of their community who really needed help. There was a restoration of
relationship. In this story, Jesus embodied God as the healer of His people. Through Jesus,
God worked to restore well-being to his people.
 

Table Fellowship (Luke 7:36-50) ESV

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

               36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into
the Pharisee's house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the
city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the
Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing
behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and
wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them
with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he
said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and
what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And
Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he
answered, “Say it, Teacher.”
             41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred
denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt
of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The
one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him,
“You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to
Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water
for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her
hair. 45 
               You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not
ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has
anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are
many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves
little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were
at table with him began to say among[a] themselves, “Who is this, who even
forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in
peace.”
 
            For the Jews during Jesus’ time, eating was not just a biological or social
activity. It was a religious reality as well which means the Jews have religious rules
regarding what not to eat, how to eat, and with whom one should eat. For example, a
respectable person 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.