Church and Community
Transformation(CCT)
Envisioning Training for MKC
December 4- 5 /2023
Meskan woreda- Butajira
Session Schedule
Date
Activity
As the church, we are called to be an inclusive and distinctive
community, serving those around us in love. We are also called to explain
why we live in this way. Our role is to share the good news of the gospel
with individuals and with the whole community, seeking a just society in
which all can flourish and come to know God.
I have come that they may have life, and have it
to the full.’ John 10:10
Having 'life to the full'
Jesus came to give us life to the full. This whole
life cannot happen without restoring an
individual’s relationship with God, creation,
others and themselves.
What is our part in God’s mission?
But God did not intend to restore broken relationships alone.
Instead he called and commissioned us, as his people, to be part of that mission.
The church
He did this by establishing and commissioning the church, the body of
Christ on earth, to join in fulfilling this mission.
In the Bible, Jesus described himself as having come to bring the kingdom of God
fully to earth - so people will be set free and shalom (peace) will be restored.
Jesus’ mission was to make it possible for our relationships with God, ourselves,
each other and creation to be restored and made good again.
Jesus shared this mission in Luke’s gospel, saying:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
Who are 'the church'?
After Jesus ascended to heaven and the Holy Spirit had been sent, the church was
born.
In the opening chapters of the book of Acts, Luke tells the story of the disciples after
they have received the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). At this time the group of
disciples take on a new corporate identity: ‘the fellowship of believers’ (Acts 2:42)
becomes the church:
‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders
and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had
everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who
had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They
broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising
God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number
daily those who were being saved.’
Acts 2:42–47
This gathering of believers became the church, the body of Christ on earth. It is this
same church that is commissioned to continue Jesus’ mission until he comes again.
‘Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.’ 1 Corinthians
12:27
Activity: Brain teaser
The role of the church
This is a fill in the blanks question. Once you have finished selecting options or
entering text, select the submit button below.
Select the correct answer from the dropdowns to complete the paragraph
As the church, we are called to be an exclusiveinclusive
inclusive
and distinctive community, being nice toserving
serving
those around us in love. We are also called to explain why we live in this way. Our
role is to share the good newssunshine
good news
of the gospel with individuals and with the whole community, seeking a just society
in which all can flourishstay as they are
flourish
and come to know God.
Submit
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Complete Integral Mission
Integral Mission
Integral mission means a mission or task that engages with the whole of life.
It is a mission in which we are called to show the world that we follow Jesus with our
whole lives, taking part in the restoration of the four broken relationships with God,
ourselves, others and creation.
We are all called to build the Kingdom of God, loving others as he loved us and
making it possible for them to experience God’s love.
Complete How should we love others?
How should we love others?
We should show love in all the ways that Jesus did during his time on the earth.
Click on the images below to find out more
Responding to need
This means responding to physical, spiritual, emotional, environmental and
economic needs, and seeking to reverse all the consequences of the Fall.
We should not discriminate between ‘types’ of need but instead seek to restore the
whole person and God’s creation to the fullness of life.
The church should show the world what it looks like to have a relationship with God
that transforms our whole life including the spiritual, physical, emotional and social
aspects.
So that the world can see our relationships with each other and with God’s creation.
People can see if we are following Jesus’ example.
Salt and light
Integral mission should make us distinctive in the way that we live our lives. It is a
response to Jesus’ call to be the salt and light of the earth. This should be reflected
in our lifestyles as Christians, in the daily choices that we make about how to live
our lives.
Without discriminationTake a moment to reflect on the following:
1. The church is called to be ‘salt’ and 'light’. What does that mean for you?
Salt and Light
'You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made
salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled
underfoot.'
Matthew 5:13
'You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do
people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it
gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.'
Matthew 5:14–16
Salt and Light
1. The cThe church is called to be ‘salt’ and 'light’. What does that mean for
you?hurch is called to be ‘salt’ and 'light’. What does that mean for you?
2. Write down some of the ways that you can be ‘salt’ and ‘light’ in your community
3. God tells us to love our neighbour. Who is your neighbour?
Carrying out mission
How does the Church do mission?
The way that local churches participate in this mission will look different in
different countries and contexts. This is because the ways in which we show
people the love of God will depend on the needs that they have at that time.
'There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There
are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of
working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.'
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
Conti…
The body of Christ
The Bible tells us that the body of Christ has many parts and its members are
called and gifted to participate in God’s mission in different ways:
'Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one
body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form
one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the
one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.'
1 Corinthians 12:12-14
Conti…
A fragmented mission
At times, the church has fragmented mission into sharing the gospel and social
action, and has argued about which of these is more important.
However, we believe the Bible shows us that the mission Jesus gives us cannot be
divided like this.
Mission includes bringing the gospel to others through actions and through our
character, as well as in words – following Jesus’ example.
The church today
The church is one of the largest and most influential civil society networks in
the world, and one of the few movements that is both local and global in its
reach and influence.
This offers enormous potential to shape attitudes and speak up on behalf of
the poor and the oppressed, and huge scope for successful initiatives to be
replicated across its network.
The church is God’s chosen agent for transformation in the world. Therefore,
we believe that when the church is living out its biblical mandate, it has a vital
role to play in ending poverty.
‘Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am
sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive
Discipleship
Jesus’ mission on earth was to make it possible for our relationships with God,
ourselves, each other and creation to be restored and made good again.
But before he took on this mission, he went through a time of preparation.
‘Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing
during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. The devil said to
him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus
answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” The devil led him
up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
Conti…
The fact that Jesus went away from everyone to spend time with God before
he received his mission shows the power of prayer. It also shows the
importance of being connected to God.
And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has
been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it
will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God
and serve him only.’” The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the
highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw
yourself down from here. For it is written:
Conti…
‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune
time.’
Luke 4:1–13
Discipleship
The calling of James and John
'When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his
brother John in a boat, preparing their nets.
Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat
with the hired men and followed him.'
Mark 1:19–20
The calling of Simon and Andrew
'As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother
Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen.
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At
once they left their nets and followed him.'
Mark 1:16–18
Preparation
During the three years of Jesus’ ministry, how did he prepare his disciples for
mission?
Jesus called lots of different people to be his disciples.
There was Simon Peter, James and John who were fishermen, Andrew who
was a fisherman but had spent time with John the Baptist, Simon the Zealot,
Matthew (or Levi) the tax collector, and so on.
Each of these disciples had different gifts and skills, but Jesus called them to
use their specific talents together to fulfil the Great Commission.
Our part in the mission
Jesus called lots of different people to be his disciples.
There was Simon Peter, James and John who were fishermen, Andrew who
was a fisherman but had spent time with John the Baptist, Simon the Zealot,
Matthew (or Levi) the tax collector, and so on.
Each of these disciples had different gifts and skills, but Jesus called them to
use their specific talents together to fulfil the Great Commission.
Jesus' commission
So as we have seen, Tearfund, along with other Christians, believes that Jesus
called and commissioned the church to build the Kingdom of God, redeeming
and restoring all of creation.
He asks us to join him and work to restore all four of the broken relationships
we have with God, ourselves, others and God’s creation.
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