1. Living Under the Reign of God: Gospel, Church & Culture in a Postmodern Context Baptist Bible College Session III

3. Pastor James M. Grier, Sr. Served South Baptist Church Richmond County, NYC From 1932-1979

4. Missio Dei 1.Theology Proper a. Based in the character of God… b. Based in the action of God… 1.) Father sends the Son… 2.) Father and Son send the Spirit… 3.) Father, Son and Spirit send the church… 2.Implications for Ecclesiology… 3.Implication for Soteriology…

5. The Redemptive Mandate Matthew 28:18-20 “ALL authority is given unto me … Move out and disciple ALL the nations, Baptizing them into ALL of the name of God, Teaching them to keep ALL I commanded you; I myself am with you ALL the days even …”

6. The Church Between Gospel & Culture Gospel

7. Relationship of the Redemptive and Cultural Mandates Redemptive Cultural

8. Missional Church Structures 1.The gospel must define every aspect of the church’s life… 2.Gospel must define the institutional structures (governance)… 3.Gospel reduction by the church has led to cultural structures… 4.Gospel has been tamed by cultural reductionism…

9. Dichotomy: Benefits & Mission 1.Emphasis on the benefits of the call a. these personal benefits constitute the essence of salvation… b. emphasis thus rests on a form of pious egocentricity, a kind of cozy happiness… 2.Emphasis on the mission of the call a. God’s call assumes these benefits but does not make them constitutive of the essence… b. God’s call has two foci: (1) to form a people and (2) have them execute the task of mission... 3.Benefits are preparation for the work…a kind of secondary surprise in that it was not the goal nor was it the expectation…

10. Hearing, Responding to and Obeying the Gospel 1.Evangelization – the heart of ministry... 2.Encountering Christ as the purpose and witness of public worship… 3.Community commissioned to be, to do and to say His witness… 4.Holy Spirit shapes community for mission by continuous encounter with Scripture… 5.Ministry of Word equips community through the biblical witness… 6.Gospel fullness recovered…

11. Living Under the Reign of God: Gospel, Church & Culture in a Postmodern Context The End