Friday, February 27, 2009
Perspectives, 10 Assignment
Please read and respond to the article, "Israel's Missionary Call," by Walt Kaiser. You can find the article online at http://mmcdaniel.jimdo.com/arlington-baptist-college/cross-cultural-ministry/perspectives-articles/ You will be required to respond to at least one other student's comments to successfully complete this assignment. Please ensure that you put your name in parenthesis if you post anonymously. Please complete the response to this by March 5 at noon.
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7 comments:
(Logan)I thought that the author had amazing support for his purpose. While all his texts had valuable information, one spoke more to me than the others. The first in Genesis 12 he made a statement saying i bless you so that you can bless others. This has always been the case from beginning of time til now. The only thing that has changed is the way in which we can bless others. God has blessed us with intelligence, opportunity, money, and many many other things. Why can we not turn around and use those things to bless other people? All in all i thought that there was a profound amount of support from the Old Testament to show forth missions.
(Elliot)
I especially liked the part from the Exodus 19:4-6 segment that talked about being a "royal priest". for some reason that word, 'priest', holds such a heavy meaning to me. The priest was a visible representation of the god they served. So we're called to be living representations of Jesus, we are called to act in His Name (or in His reputation, as He would act). And i thought that it was interesting that it was reverberated throughout the Bible. That just sticks with me...
and Logan, i like that we're also called to bless others. it baffles me that so many of us don't. but i guess that ties into our priestly duty (haha, i just said duty). I guesss this concept ties into the whole 'priest' thing, huh?
I think the author made a great arguement, and some great points. the one thing that i thought was intresting wes when he was talking about Fear. Exodus 20:20 "Fear not,but rather fear the Lord." then the author said..." Dont be scared, but rather trust and put your whole souls commitment on him." Fear is one big reason why there are such few missionaries, but if we put all trust in God, then we should not be afraid. i just thought that was really intresting. but again, he does prove his point.
-Jarred
I really liked what you said elliot, about being called to be living representations of Jesus. Its so true, but how often are we the exact opposite of that? (lol, i love that word..... duty....hahaha)
Israel's Missionary Call
So many people believe rumors instead of searching for the truth. Most people live the way they do and never truly repent from sin because they cannot comprehend that God forgives and truly fogets the past. The author discusses that there are three basic texts that we need to live by. The Old Testament tells us "to proclaim His plan to Bless the nations" which is found in the text of Gen 12:3. This text is about God telling the nation of Israel to be fruitful and multiply. God commanded the children of Israel to become a great nation and that He (God) would bless them so that they might become a great nation. God then tells them that if and when they become a great nation that He (God) would bless them. God wanted to bless them so that the nation of Israel would be a blessing. Not only would God bless them but He would also make their name great. Israel was going to be the greatest nation because they were the chosen people of God. God also promised that them that He would make them fruitful, that He would bless them and that He would make their name great. These are great promises but God also was a protecter. He promises that the people that bless the nation of Isreal will also be blessed but those who curse them will be cursed that God brings. The author writes, "This man and his descendants were to be missionaries and channels of the truth from the very beginning." I totally agree that the author of Genesis was a missionary because look at who He was reaching and why he was reaching these people. The author was witnessing to the choosen people of God and not only that the author was turning them into the people that God commanded him to do. The nation of Israel was to participate in priesthood and raise up some people to become the preist of the nation of Israel and make/help them to become a holy people. Lastly, the people of Israel was to prove through all the blessings and protection that God had bestowed upon His people that He is God. The more that the nation of Israel lived by the rules of God, the more that He would bless them. The people of Israel needed to stay in the path of God which is why He sent a missionary to them to save them and to make them a holy people. This article is so informative on the way that God built the nation of Israel and the way that He took care of His people. The only thing is that if God had not sent a missionary that was obedient then the nation of Israel would have never gotten out of bondage.
-Calandra Pratt
Logan brings up a point that we often forget about we are not here to be blessed but to bless others. We have get back to that mentality.
The part of this chapter that really stood out the most is how that Abraham was called to be a blessing to others and not for the purpose of benifiting himself but for the purpose of being a blessing to others. The author did a really good job showing how Israel was to be God's missionary to the world.
I really love Elliots comment about "royal priest" and how he tied it in with the fact how were suppost to be a visible reminder of the HOLY.
(JJ)
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