University of Perpetual Help System Jonelta GMA, Campus

San Gabriel, GMA, Cavite

College of Nursing

STEPHANIE P. LIBO-ON
BSN-N4A

1. Many Catholics still believe that the term “Mission” and Missionary” refer
to only priests, sisters and religious. What new understanding have you
developed about these concepts – Mission and Missionaries?
Christian missions is an intentional effort to lead others to a saving faith in Jesus
Christ. It is the primary task given to believers by Jesus, and all believers are
charged to participate.

The word "mission" comes from the word "to send," and most Christians who are
involved in full-time missions are sent to another location. All missions include the
idea of leaving the comfort of the fellowship of other believers to engage with those
who do not know Christ. This may be across town or on the other side of the globe.

Christian missions began with Jesus' Great Commission, wherein He told the
disciples to "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" ( Matthew 28:19-20). Based
on this, missions has two main goals. The first is to "make disciples." A disciple is
a person who learns from and strives to emulate another. Christian missions entails
teaching others the truth about Jesus, showing them their need for Jesus, and, once
the Holy Spirit has drawn them, encouraging them to live according to Jesus'
teachings. The second goal is baptism. Baptism does not save, but it is a public
demonstration that a new believer has left the old life and joined the church. We
must not only follow Jesus, we must be identified culturally as one who follows
Him.

Missions was always to be a part of the Christian life. The first Christian missionary
may be said to be John the Baptist, who proclaimed to people their need of Jesus
(John 1:26-31). Shortly after Jesus ascended to heaven, the disciples helped lead
3000 Jews to a saving faith in Him ( Acts 2). Christianity then spread to Ethiopia,
Egypt, Turkey, Greece, India, Italy, Tunisia, and France. By 197 AD, North Africa
was covered, and a year later, the first missionaries arrived in Japan. Christian
missions continues today; GotQuestions.org, the parent organization of Compelling
Truth, has gospel presentations in 146 languages with plans to add more.
 University of Perpetual Help System Jonelta GMA, Campus
San Gabriel, GMA, Cavite
College of Nursing

The way in which Christian missions spreads the gospel is different for every
culture, even though the message is the same. To some degree, the method must be
specific to the hearers. Different degrees of education, sophistication, and
familiarity with Christian concepts will influence how the gospel can be shared.

But the core message is the same. God is perfect and holy. We cannot please Him
because of our sin. We deserve death and eternal separation from God. We need
someone who can earn forgiveness for us. That person is Jesus—God and sinless
man—who died for our sins and rose again. If we entrust ourselves to Jesus, He will
speak for us to God, and we will spend eternity in paradise ( John 3:16).

Every Christian is called to missions in their own lives. Jesus charges all of us to
reach others with His message. It is not easy, but as we learn to love people like
God does, we find sharing the truth about God essential to the Christian life.

2. Describe the poor in your community. How can you explain that God loves
them in spite of their situations?

Deuteronomy 26:6-9 (NIV)

“But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, subjecting us to harsh labor. Then we cried
out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil
and oppression. So the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched
arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. He brought us to this place and gave us this
land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Job 5:15-16 (NIV)

“He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the
powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth.”
 University of Perpetual Help System Jonelta GMA, Campus
San Gabriel, GMA, Cavite
College of Nursing

Job 34:17-19 (NIV)

“Can he who hates justice govern? Will you condemn the just and mighty One? Is he not the one
who says to kings, ‘You are worthless,’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ who shows no partiality
to princes and does not favor the rich over the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?”

Luke 4:17-19 (NIV)

“[Jesus] stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he
found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and
recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s
favor.’”

Luke 6:20-21 (NIV)

“Looking at his disciples, he said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of
God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.’?”

James 2:5 (NIV)

“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the
world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”

3. How could someone practice the detachment from material things?

My best advice would be to seek to detach yourself from material goods and instead seek to
involve yourself in social interaction with others and put your efforts toward higher goods such
as intrinsic goods such as knowledge, faith, and developing yourself and your relationships with
others.

It is actually a very good thing you are asking this question. It is a difficult task to do but the fact
that you are interested might mean you’re already getting there. Too much emphasis on material
things will always leave you empty, whereas if you place them on intrinsic goods it will make
you happier.

I think in our common society it is even more so difficult to detach ourselves from material
goods because we, as human beings, yearn to have what others have, be it possessions or love.
We become obsessed to have the “new thing” that comes out because everyone else has it or just
because it’s cool or because one possesses an urge to have everything practically under the sun
because others have it. I’ve suffered this fault as well and it leads to dangerous accumulation of
 University of Perpetual Help System Jonelta GMA, Campus
San Gabriel, GMA, Cavite
College of Nursing

goods that ultimately serve no purpose and bring no true joy. It’s the "keeping up with the
Joneses" curse, ya know?

I would therefore recommend looking toward higher goods as mentioned before. Take care of
your health, invest more time in your relationships, and foster your inner well-being.

4. How can you be a part in the mission of the poor?

My community includes people who are both materially poor and “poor in spirit.” However,
what exactly does it mean to say that people are “poor in spirit”? To be “poor in spirit” is not the
same as being economically poor, yet both kinds of poverty matter, and the church must address
both. In his commentary on Matthew, John Nolland interpreted the phrase like this: “The poor in
spirit would be those who sense the burden of their present (impoverished) state and see it in
terms of the absence of God; who patiently bear that state, but long for God to act on their behalf
and decisively claim them as his people.”

Nolland understands the poor to be the impoverished who are looking for God to rescue them
from their poverty. This means the church, as God’s representative here on earth, has the
responsibility to do the same. Therefore, one of the first ways we can serve the poor is by
genuinely loving them. I know this sounds like an overly simplistic cliché, but we need to love
the poor as much for them as for ourselves (Leviticus 19:34, Deuteronomy 10:19). Pastor Jim
Cymbala, in his book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, shares the story of a homeless man who came to
his church on Easter. The day had been long, and, after the final service, the man, bearing the
proof of his homeless condition, approached Pastor Cymbala, who responded to his presence as
many of us probably would have. He reached into his pocket to give the man a few dollars to
which the man replied – “I don’t want your money preacher, tell me about this Jesus you
preach.” At that moment, Jim Cymbala said, “The smell of the street became the aroma of a
garden.”

How we love the poor is a clear indicator of how we understand God’s love for us. Too often, in
misunderstanding God’s love we make the poor the object of our charity, the front cover of our
programs, the focus of our grant requests, or the target audience to fill our seats. We make them
listen to sermons before we feed them, ask them to join the church before we clothe them. We
use them as objects instead of people loved through us. God is love, and by being endowed in his
image, as they are, we ought to love them for who they are in God’s kingdom here on earth. It is
important to do this because Jesus loved them enough to die on the cross for them.

Through what sort of actions does this love express itself? After all, don’t believe for a moment
that anyone poor wants to be poor.
 University of Perpetual Help System Jonelta GMA, Campus
San Gabriel, GMA, Cavite
College of Nursing

First, we need to educate the poor about the Bible’s storyline, and I don’t mean through the
sound bites and video clips that all too often characterize Sunday morning. We must help them
understand the metanarrative of scripture, what Vaughan Roberts calls “God’s Big Picture.” This
sense of the Bible’s storyline informs the poor that when everything is said and done, they win
because Christ won the victory over sin, death, and the grave. The “not yet” of the kingdom in
the Bible’s story speaks about foundations made of precious stones, gates of pearls, and streets of
gold as the new Jerusalem comes from heaven to earth. The poor need to know that poverty is
not forever when you’re in Christ.

Second, we need to educate the poor and our youth in preparation for the current and future job
market. We need to advocate for better education, including vocational skills training in step
with the market. This means we need vocational high schools that link students to sponsors who
will provide on-the-job training so students can graduate from high schools with life skills,
trades, and, hopefully, jobs. Not everyone is going to college, and this means an increase in
education funding. The church should be working in the public square to make this happen.

Third, we the church can also serve the poor by making our facilities accessible to them. In most
cases, the biggest asset a church has is its facilities, and often they are underutilized. Therefore, it
is important to consider using our buildings to meet the needs of the communities we serve.
Often, the people we don’t reach on Sunday mornings have needs starting on Monday. They may
need computer lab access to develop resumes and apply for jobs. Students may need a place to
complete homework assignments or just to play computer games. Local community development
organizations that link with a church’s vision may need a space to host meetings or deliver their
services.

Fourth, the church needs to serve the poor by offering educational opportunities that enable
them to secure a GED and receive personal finance training. Our church provided such training
through partnerships with other organizations. It was amazing to see the many community
residents who came looking for instruction. This training is critical, as nobody needs personal
financal education more than someone whose resources are limited, stretched to the breaking
point each month. I’ve even seen Muslims from the community, who normally won’t enter a
church, attend the program. We held twelve-week training sessions and 150 community
members participated. Citizen’s Bank did the training using the Money Smart curriculum offered
by the FDIC. Fidelity did our retirement and investment training, while our legal clinic partners
provided instruction on wills and taxes. Meeting the needs of the community is a wonderful way
to bear witness to the kingdom of God.
 University of Perpetual Help System Jonelta GMA, Campus
San Gabriel, GMA, Cavite
College of Nursing

Fifth, the church must serve the poor by availing financial resources to them in times of crisis.
Our church doesn’t focus on relief efforts, but life happens, and, occasionally, people need
financial assistance. Rent money is short, babies need coats, utilities get shutoff, and food is in
short supply. This can easily happen when take-home pay barely meets expenses or survival
depends on a welfare or Social Security supplement check. The Bible is replete with passages on
this topic regarding the poor (Deuteronomy 15:7-11, 26:12; Isaiah 58:7, 10; Matthew 5:42,
19:21; Luke 3:11). This doesn’t mean we just hand out benevolence, though in some
circumstances that’s okay. Instead, the church can serve the poor in times of financial crisis by
becoming their temporary employer. We can provide opportunities for them to earn what they
need by working around the church. The worker is worthy of his wages and, in many cases, the
work provides them with a sense of dignity because an economic exchange is taking place as two
people meet each other’s needs. In my book, that’s not charity. Overall, the work of our church is
about providing development opportunities as opposed to relief and rehabilitation. Relief and
rehabilitation efforts are important in a crisis, they’re just not what we do given the prevailing
conditions among the poor in my community.