Reawakening the Cultural Mandate in the Great Commission

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Reawakening the Cultural Mandate in the Great
Commission
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Part 4 The Primary Mandate Disciple Nations

• Session 4.17 The GREAT CO-Mission - Overview
• Session 4.18 Christ Announces His Reign
• Session 4.19 Reawakening the Cultural Mandate in
  the Great Commission
• Session 4.20 The Task Is for All Christians
  Where They Are Deployed
• Session 4.21 The Primary Task Make Disciples of
  All Nations!

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The Biblical Narrative

• Begins
• In Genesis
• In a garden
• With a wedding
• With royal vice regents with a mandate to create
  culture

• Ends
• In Revelation
• In a city
• With a wedding
• With royal vice regents of the earth bringing the
  fruit of the mandate to Christ on his wedding day

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Flow of HIStoryThe Redemption Narrative
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Narrative About HumankindsPurpose on Earth

• The Creation The First Mandate The Cultural
  Commission
• The Fall and the Distortion of Culture
• The Consummation The End to which all History
  Moves
• Redemption The Second Mandate The Great
  Commission

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CREATION

• The First Mandate
• The Cultural Commission

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Outline

• Creation Is Good
• Man the imago Dei Royal Vice Regents
• Man the Culture Maker
• The First Mandate
• The Nature of Culture

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Creation Is Good!
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The Beginning of Creation

• In the beginning God created the heavens and
  the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty,
  darkness was over the surface of the deep, and
  the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
• Genesis 1 1-2

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Shaping the Raw Materials

• Inanimate objects Genesis 13-10, 14-19
• Animate objects
• Plants Genesis 1 12-13
• Animals Genesis 1 20-25
• Imago Dei Genesis 1 26-27

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The Artists Critique

• It is good- goodness, precious, beautiful
• Genesis 1 4,10,12,18, 21, 25
• It is so well, right, correct
• Genesis 1 7,9,11,15, 24, 30
• It was very good exceedingly good
• Genesis 1 31

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Oikos Gods House

• God had finished his work of creation
• It was perfect and filled with potential
• But it was not complete!
• It was waiting for the Vice-Regents to
• Steward the house oikonomia
• Discover its potential
• Create music, art, poetry, dance, etc.

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Imago Dei

• The Image of God

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The Trinitarian Model

• Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in
  our likeness, and let them rule.
• Genesis 1 26

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Imago Dei Three Facets

• Has describes the structural view that man has
  an image that is like God.
• Is describes the relational view that man is
  community.
• Does describes the functional view of what man
  does - stewards creation.

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Adam is like God

• Being human is to be God-like and different from
  the rest of creation.
• Communicable (shared) attributes of God
• Mind Attributes of Intellect
• Heart Moral Attributes
• Will Attributes of Purpose

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The Relational View Community

• The Social View
• The Divine Community created the human community
• Required for the Societal Mandate (Genesis 1 28)

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The Family

• The Trinitarian family Father, Son and Holy
  Spirit
• The human family Father, Mother, Child(ren)

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The Functional View

• Adam female and male are stewards of creation
• The developmental view
• Related to the second part of the Creation
  Mandate to fill the earth and subdue it. Rule
  over . (Genesis 1 28)
• Humankind was made for a function or purpose.

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A Shared Purpose

• The Imago Dei male and female have the
  co-responsibility for stewarding creation
• They have a common origin and a common destiny
• Co-create Pro-create
• Co-rule Vice-Regents
• Co-steward Developmental Mandate

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Mankinds Purpose

• For the earth will be filled with the knowledge
  of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the
  sea.
• Habakkuk 2 14

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Royal Vice-Regents

• Men and women are to function as the kings and
  queens of creation.
• They are Gods vice-regents, created to rule in
  his stead.

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Imago DeiA Summary

• We have been made like God (Structural View)
  to fulfill the Creation Mandate by filling the
  earth with Community (Relational View) in order
  to fulfill Gods purpose to develop the
  earth/create culture (Functional View).

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Man

• The Culture Maker

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Gods Purpose for ManPsalm 8 3-8

• 3 When I consider your heavens,
• The work of your fingers,
• The moon and the stars,
• Which you have set in place,
• 4 What is man that you are mindful of him,
• The son of man that you care for him?
• 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly
  beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

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Gods Purpose for ManPsalm 8 3-8

• 6 You made him ruler over the works of your
  hands you put everything under his feet
• 7 All flocks and herds,
• and the beasts of the field,
• 8 the birds of the air,
• and the fish of the sea,
• all that swim the paths of the seas.

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The Cultural Mandate
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The Cultural Mandate

• God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful
  and increase in number fill the earth and subdue
  it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds
  of the air and over every living creature that
  moves on the ground.
• Genesis 1 28

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Two Subordinating Principles

• Societal Mandate
• Genesis 1 28 be fruitful, multiply, fill the
  earth
• Developmental Mandate
• Genesis 1 26, 28 and let them rule subdue it.
  Rule over the fish of the sea

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Two Ways of Stewardship - 1Genesis 2 15

• The LORD God took the man and put him in the
  Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
• With his physical nature he is to tend and work
  the soil.

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Two Ways of Stewardship - 2Genesis 2 19-20

• 19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground
  all the beasts of the field and all the birds of
  the air. He brought them to the man to see what
  he would name them and whatever the man called
  each living creature, that was its name.
• 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock,
  the birds of the air and all the beasts of the
  field. But for Adam no suitable helper was
  found.
• With his mind and reason he is to name the
  animals.

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God Blessed Them

• Bless To endue with power for success,
  prosperity, or fruitfulness.
• God has equipped us for the task (with)
• Internal Capital
• External Capital

Question What are examples of Internal and
External Capital?
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Special Notes

• The Cultural Mandate
• requires both kings and queens
• balances between
• working progressing and
• tending conserving the garden

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The Imbalance

• Materialists Tendency to the rape of nature
  works without tending - no conserving
• Animists Tendency to the underdevelopment of
  nature tends without working - no progressing

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The Purpose of the Royal Vice-Regents

• Steward Gods house
• To create culture cultivate the soil and soul
• Fill the earth with the knowledge of God
• Create bounty and godly culture
• Prepare unique cultural gifts for Christ at the
  end of history

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The Nature of Culture
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The Nature of CultureA Family of Words

• Culture the act of tilling and preparing the
  earth for crops the means to improve good
  qualities or growth the culture of the mind the
  culture of virtue.
• Cultivate to till or to dwell (the root of the
  word culture).
• Cult the worship, adoration or veneration of a
  god.
• The principle
• Culture is the manifestation of worship!

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PART 2
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FALL

• The Distortion of Culture

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Outline

• The New Reality
• A Family of Words
• Three Elements of Culture
• Two Prayers of a Fallen and Deformed World

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The New Reality

• Read
• Set 1 Genesis 6 5-6 Romans 3 23
• Set 2 Genesis 3 16-18 Romans 8 19-22
• Set 3 Prov. 16 11 Is 58 6 Ez 22 29 Micah
  2 2
• Question What form of evil is described?

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Form Family of Words

• Genesis 1 2 - World is unformed
• Genesis 1 3- 31 - Spirit of God forming
  creation
• Romans 1 18-31 - Mans rebellion leads to
  deforming
• Romans 12 1-2 - Transformation of mind and life
• Philippians 2 1-8 - Conformation to Christ

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The Elements of Culture
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Two Prayers for a Fallen and Deformed World

• Read
• 2 Chronicles 7 14
• Matthew 6 5-14
• Question What is the focus of these two prayers?

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Consummation

• The End to Which All History Moves

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Outline

• Telos The End of the Story
• The Ingathering of the Nations
• The Revealing of the Glory of the Nations
• Our Strategy Is with the End in Mind!

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Telos the End of the Story

• Group 1
• Read Genesis 12 1-4
• Questions What is the nature of Abrahams call?
  What did this call cost him?
• Group 2
• Read Hebrews 11 8-10, 13-16
• Questions What was Abraham looking for? What is
  the backdrop of our lives?

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Telos A Family of Words
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Telo The Root

• Meaning to set out for a definite point or
  goal.
• From the beginning Royal Vice Regents to create
  culture Genesis 1 26-27
• In the end the fullness of the kingdom and the
  Royal Vice Regents bringing the godly fruit of
  their nations culture into the kingdom
  Revelation 21 23-26

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Telos - Eschatological End

• The End of the story, the consummation of
  history and culture
• Read Genesis 12 3-4 Habakkuk 2 14 Rev. 19
  6-9 21 1-4 Is. 60 1-3 Rev. 21 21-2
• Describe in your own words the images of the end
  of history!
• Question Is the end marked only by a spiritual
  state?

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Telios Anthropological End

• Read Lev. 19 2 Ephesians 4 11-13 Col. 1 28
  James 1 2-4
• Questions
• What is the end of our sanctification?
• In your own words, how else would you describe
  what your life would look like in its fullness?

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The Ingathering of the Nations

• Read
• 1 Chronicles 16 24-28
• Palm 67 1-4
• Psalm 99 1-4
• Revelation 15 3-4
• Describe in your own words the ingathering of the
  nations!

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The Revealing of the Glory of the Nations
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Similarities of VisionIsaiah 60 and Revelation 21

• Isaiah 60 10 Revelation 21 25
• Isaiah 60 19-20 Revelation 21 23
• Isaiah 60 18 Revelation 21 4
• Isaiah 60 1-3 Revelation 21 24
• Is. 60 6-7,9,13,17 Revelation 21 24, 26

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The Consummation of History and
CultureSimilarities of Vision

• Isaiah 60 10 Revelation 21 25
• The gates are never shut.
• Isaiah 60 19-20 Revelation 21 23
• God is the source of light.
• Isaiah 60 18 Revelation 21 4
• No more suffering.
• Isaiah 60 1-3 Revelation 21 24
• Ingathering of the nations for worship.
• Is. 60 6-7,9,13,17 Revelation 21 24, 26
• The gifts of the nations are given.

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The Queens Tribute

• 1 Kings 10 1-13
• The great Queen of Sheba (todays Yemen)
  recognized in Solomon a human king above all
  kings (10 7).
• She brought gifts representing the glory of her
  nation (10 10)
• Gold
• Spices
• Precious Stones

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The Magi from the East

• Matthew 2 1-2, 9-11
• Ambassadors from gentiles to the king of the Jews
  (2 2)
• Precursor of the coming of the kings of the earth
  bringing the glory of their nations to the King
  of Kings
• They brought gifts of tribute from their nations
  to the new born king (2 11)
• Gold
• Incense
• Myrrh

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The Glory of the Nations!

• From Isaiah 60 and Revelation 21, what things
  represent the glory of the nations?
• What is the glory of your nation?

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The End of Culture
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Our Strategy Is with the End in Mind!

• Gods Glorious Purpose -
• The Glory of the Nations will be Revealed!

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Redemption

• The Second Mandate
• The Great Co-mission

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Christ Died

• To Redeem Culture

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Outline

• Review Reduction of the Great Co-Mission
• Gods Big Agenda
• The Culture of the Kingdom of God
• Reawakening of the Cultural Mandate in the Great
  Commission

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Two Worldviews
Evangelical Gnosticism
Biblical Theism
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The Two Minds of Missions
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The Two Minds of Missions
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The Two Minds of Missions
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The Two Minds of Missions
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The Two Minds of Missions
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The Two Minds of Missions
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The Two Minds of Missions
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The Two Minds of Missions
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Gods Big Agenda

• Read
• Colossians 1 20
• Romans 8 18-23
• John 3 16
• Question Why did Jesus die on the cross?

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The Culture of the Kingdom
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The Three Faces of Kingdom Culture

• TruthReflects Gods physical and metaphysical
  laws
• JusticeReflects Gods moral laws
• BeautyReflects Gods aesthetic laws
• Douglas Jones and Douglas Wilson,
• Angels in the Architecture, p. 18

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Kingdom Culture
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Three Dimensions of the Great Commission

• Read the following passages
• Acts 1 8
• Matthew 28 18-20
• Mark 16 15
• What does each reveal about the nature of the
  Great Commission?

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Three Dimensions of the Great Commission
GEOGRAPHIC

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
KTIZOGRAPHIC
DEMOGRAPHIC

• on earth as it is in heaven!

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Reawakening the Cultural Mandate in the Great
Commission
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Christ Is King of All

• Read Colossians 1 15-20
• Questions
• How many times do you find the word all or
  everything?
• What do these indicate?

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Kingdom Culture and the Great Commission
BEAUTY
BEAUTY
JUSTICE
JUSTICE
Kingdom Culture
TRUTH
TRUTH
Infusion
Infusion
Progress (Isaiah 97) of the increase of his
government there will be no end
Time (Matt. 2820b) until the end of the age
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The GREAT CO-Mission

• Then Jesus came to them and said, All
  authority in heaven and on earth has been given
  to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all
  nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
  and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and
  teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
  you. And surely I am with you always, to the very
  end of the age.