CHURCH AND COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION. (Bible Study outline)

CHURCH AND COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION (Bible Study outline)

CHURCH AND COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION (Bible Study outline) CHAPEL OF GOODNEWS 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. January, 2014 1

1. INTRODUCTION Bible Study 1A: GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MANKIND I 1B: GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MANKIND II 2: GOD'S VISION FOR HIS PEOPLE 3:PICTURE OF THE CHURCH 4:THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST Table of Content 5:THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH AS SALT' AND LIGHT 6: RESOURCE MOBILIZATION I ( THE RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM DEAD) 7: RESOURCE MOBILIZATION II (JESUS FEEDS 5000 PEOPLE) 8: RESOURCE MOBILIZATION III (ELISHA, THE WIDOW AND HER OIL) 9A: RELATIONSHIP BUILDING I (ESTABLISHING CONTACTS WITH OUR COMMUNITY) 9B: RELATIONSHIP BUILDING II (COMMUNICATING GOD'S PURPOSE TO OUR COMMUNITY) Page - 3-5 - 6-7 - 8-9 - 10-12 - 14-16 - 18-19 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT - 2O 2 Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.

INTRODUCTION od so loved the world and He demonstrated this by giving His only Begotten Son who in turn came to seek and to Gsave the lost, went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed by the Devil (Acts10:38). This explains the mandate to His disciples to reach out to a sinful and suffering world. The command has been over 2,000 years, yet about 70% of the world s population are not followers of Jesus. Of this percentage, 40% could be said to have heard, but said No to Jesus, while the remaining 30% have not even had the opportunity to hear the gospel in a way that would compel a decision for our Lord. This desperate situation calls for appraisal of our approach and presentation of the gospel. The Church and Community Mobilization is a Bible based developmental approach with a wake-up call for the Church to engage in holistic ministry in our effort to impact and win the world unto Jesus Christ. There could be no better way of carrying out this heavenly assignment than that which we saw in His example as He sought to save the total man. The concept of holistic development emphasizes real and positive change to the plight of mankind - a complete physical, social and Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. 3

spiritual change. This spells out the desire of God for man in salvation (John 10:10b). The gospel must therefore be presented in its completeness, emphasizing the Proclamation (i.e. declaring the message of salvation through Evangelism, Follow-up, Discipleship) and the Demonstration (practically showing the love of God) as exemplified by our Master (Matt. 28:18-20; John 13:34). Thus the objective of this Bible Study is to sensitize and ignite the Church for holistic ministry within herself, in her immediate community and the nations of the world at large. In this way she becomes salt and light. Bible Studies 1-5 present the biblical basis for holistic ministry while 6, 7, & 8 focus on resources required with emphasis on their mobilization. The two in one studies (9A & 9B) concludes the entire study with a focus on Relationship Building, which is critical for the ultimate goal of God in seeking and saving the lost. Finally, with the Lord's promise to be with us, the end result of these exercises will be rapid church growth, with whole nations/community Development fulfilling Gods purpose for Human Kind. 4 Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.

BIBLE STUDY 1A: GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MANKIND I Read Gen. 1:25-31, 2:8-25, and answer the questions below Memory Verse: Then God Said, let Us make man in our image, according to ourlikeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. {Gen. 1:26} 1. What did God declare that people would BE and DO? 2. What were the characteristics of life of Adam and Eve before the fall? 3. What provisions did God make for the survival of man before the fall? Conclusion God created man in His image and related with him in a holistic manner. Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. 5

BIBLE STUDY 1B: GOD'S PURPOSE FOR MANKIND II Read Gen. 3:1-24 and answer the questions below Memory Verse: therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.{gen. 3:23} 1. Identify the steps that led to the fall? 2. What characterised life after the fall? 3. In what ways do these characteristics present themselves in the world and the church today? 4. What was God's reaction after the fall?. Conclusion The fall affected every aspect of man's life. Therefore man is in need of holistic remedy. 6 Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.

BIBLE STUDY 2: GOD'S VISION FOR HIS PEOPLE Read Isa. 65:17-25, and answer the questions below Memory Verse: For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.{isa. 65:17} 1. According to this passage, what did the Lord say He will do? 2. List the characteristics of the new future described in this portion of the scriptures. 3. Compare these characteristic with the current situation in the world and in the church. 4. In the light of Isa. 65:17-25, what then should be the vision of the church towards its immediate community? Conclusion Although God's purpose was interrupted through the fall, His vision for His people still remains the same, and He plans to carry it out. Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. 7

BIBLE STUDY 3:PICTURE OF THE CHURCH 8 Read 1Peter 2:4-12, and answer the questions below Memory Verse: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. {1Pet. 2:9} 1. (a). What is the importance of a cornerstone in a house? (b). What do you understand by the words -Living stones, Royal Priesthood and Holy Nation? 2. From these words, what is the work of the church? 3. What characteristics should the true church spoken by Peter in the New Testament show? 4. Is any of these characteristics missing in our church assembly? Identify them. 5. How could our church assembly become that true church (OR how could we reach to the level of that expected church)? Conclusion Only as the church aligns herself to her LORD Jesus Christ, her perfect example of sacrificial living, that she is able to fulfil her role as Royal Priesthood and as a Holy nation. Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.

BIBLE STUDY 4:THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST Read Matt. 3:1-2; 4:12-17; 4:23-25; 9:35-38; Acts 10:38-39, and answer the questions below Memory Verse: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. {Acts 10:38} 1. What characterise the ministries of both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ from the above scriptural references? 2. What does the ministry of healing that Jesus Christ did tell us about the kingdom of heaven? 3. What motivated Jesus to do what He did? 4. As a Church, how can we show by actions the work of healing as Jesus did? 5. What steps do we usually take when we are confronted with the needy? And how are we as Christians expected to respond to the needs of those around us? 6. What practical steps should the church take in order to be effective in its healing ministry? Conclusion The ministry of Jesus Christ was characterised by repentance, healing and compassion. This is the kind of ministry that God has called the church to. Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. 9

BIBLE STUDY 5:THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH AS 'SALT' AND LIGHT' Read Matt. 5:13-16, and answer the questions below Memory Verse: You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.{matt. 5:14} 1. (A) According to Matthew 5:13-15, what do you think Jesus meant by the word WORLD? (B) What are the behaviours of the world? (C) What are the consequences of being in the world? (D) What should the church do to the world? 2. (A) What is salt? And what is it used for? (B) Jesus said, you are the salt of the earth? What did he mean? (C) In which way is the our church assembly showing its saltiness? (D) What does salt losing its taste mean? 3. (A) What is light? What are its uses? (B) When Jesus said you are the light of the world, what did he mean? (C) In what way is our church assembly showing the 10 Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.

light to the earth (d)in what way is our church assembly failing to show its light? Conclusion The Church is the salt and the light of this world. The world will be hopeless and in total darkness if the church fails in her responsibility. Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. 11

BIBLE STUDY 6: RESOURCE MOBILIZATION I (THE RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM DEAD) Read John 11:1-44, and answer the questions below Memory Verse: Jesus said to her, Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God? {Jhn. 11:40} 1. a) What is the story all about? b) Who are the characters in this story? c) What is the specific reaction of each of the characters? 2. a) How did the raising of Lazarus take place? List the steps that Jesus took to raise Lazarus. b) How does what Jesus did compare with what the other actors did in raising Lazarus? 3. a) In this story, what was the need? b) What were the resources? C) How were the resources used to meet the need? 12 Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.

4. a) Why did Jesus take the steps He took in raising Lazarus? b) Would He have performed this miracle differently? 5. a) What does the process that Jesus followed tell us about the way He worked with people? b) What does this passage tell us about the way that we should facilitate people to meet their needs? Conclusion Human needs may seem great to man. However, as people learn to depend on God, He reveals to them the means (resources) to meeting these needs. Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. 13

BIBLE STUDY 7: RESOURCE MOBILIZATION II (JESUS FEEDS 5000 PEOPLE) Read Mark 6:30-44, and answer the questions below Memory Verse: But He said to them, How many loaves do you have? Go and see. And when they found out they said, Five, and two fish. {Mk. 6:38} 1. (a) What is the story all about? (b) Who are the characters in this story? (c) What is the specific reaction of each of the characters? (d) What was the need? What were the resources? 2. (a) List the steps that Jesus took to perform the miracle. (b) In this story, what did the disciples focus on? What did Jesus focus on? (c) How were the resources used to meet the needs identified? 3. (a) Why do you think Jesus took those steps? (b) Would He have performed this miracle differently? 14 Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.

4. What does this passage tell us about the way we should facilitate the church and the community to meet needs? Conclusion It is the responsibility of the church to help identify community needs. The resources to meet these needs are locally available and should be harnessed. Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. 15

BIBLE STUDY 8: RESOURCE MOBILIZATION III (ELISHA, THE WIDOW AND HER OIL) Read 2 Kings 4:1-7, and answer the questions below Memory Verse: Then he said, Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbours- empty vessels; do not gather just a few. {2Kings 4:3} 1. What is the story all about? Who are the key characters in the story? What is the specific reaction of each of the characters? 2. What is the need? What are the resources? How are the resources used to meet the need? 3. What does this story tell us about (a) the way people perceive their problems and resources? (b) how to mobilize resources to meet the need? 4. What should we in this local church assembly therefore do to meet our needs and the needs of our community? 16 Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.

Conclusion We are not to be overwhelmed by the needs in our community; but we are to pray, think, and look around to see what we can do to satisfy such needs. The church is a community of proactive persons. Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. 17

BIBLE STUDY 9A: RELATIONSHIP BUILDING I (ESTABLISHING CONTACTS WITH OUR COMMUNITY) Read LUKE 10:25-37, and answer the questions below Memory Verse: And he said, He who showed mercy on him. Then Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise. {LK. 10:37} 1. What is the story all about? 2. Who are the characters in this story? 3. What behaviour does each person display? What do you think motivates each one of them to behave the way they do? 4. Who do you think each of these persons represents in our situation today? 5. From this story what then does Jesus require the church to do? Conclusion The church is in the world and must relate with her immediate community. The church, like the Good Samaritan, must GO' to her needy community, take action for now and plan to confront even future challenges in her community. Until Jesus returns to take her, He expects her to occupy till He comes. 18 Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.

BIBLE STUDY 9B: RELATIONSHIP BUILDING II (COMMUNICATING GOD'S PURPOSE TO OUR COMMUNITY) Read LUKE 19:1-10 & Jhn 4:1-42, and answer the questions below Memory Verses: For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost {LK. 19:10}; Jesus said to them My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. {Jhn. 4:34} 1. What do you consider as characteristics common to Zacchaeus and the Samaritan woman? Do we have people with such characteristics in our communities today? Identify them. 2. What is the expected end of our relationship with the world? 3. Identify the steps Jesus took in order to attain this goal. 4. Identify and discuss the role of divine intervention in bringing about God's expected goal. Conclusion In relating with her community, the church must not lose sight of God's ultimate goal in this relationship-i.e. to seek and to save that which was lost. As a Church, we MUST seek divine help to bring this to past. Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna. 19

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Bible Studies were adapted from Igniting the Church for Integral Missions, Church and Community Mobilization Process- An initiative of TEARFUND (A UK Christian Development Organization). 20 Chapel of Goodnews, 28/30 Tafawa Balewa Way, Kaduna.