Mission as Witnessing To the Three-Fold Ministry Of Christ (Prophet, Priest and King) A Scriptural Retreat for Deacons
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Date
2007
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
This essay has emerged as the fruit of a long reflection and a life experience
which has led us to the conviction that no attempt to carry out Christ's mission in today's
world can be efficient unless it takes Christ as the archetype of mission, because "Jesus is
himself mission."' That means taking into consideration the three-fold dimension of his
mission: the prophetic mission, the priestly mission and the kingly mission. This mission
of Christ is also the foundational task of the Church. That is why, in one way or another,
in carrying out our day-to-day ministries, as missionaries and Church ministers, we
participate in and exercise this mission of Christ. Hence, the choice of the topic of this
dissertation: "Mission as Witnessing to the Three-fold Ministry of Christ."
It has also been our aspiration to come up with an essay whose relevance would
not be restricted only to the time when it was conceived, when it is being written, and
after it has been produced, but to also generate a workable tool that will not be locked
away somewhere and be forgotten, but a practical means that can also be of use in future.
This has led us to the sub-topic of this essay: "A Scriptural Retreat for Deacons." Thus,
this thesis is twofold: to study exegetically the chosen biblical accounts which highlight
the three-fold ministry of Christ, and to draw applications from them so as to make them
relevant for the retreatants, the deacons, who in a short time will be exercising their
ministry as priests and missionaries. In this perspective, we have divided this work in three chapters. In the first chapter, we
will discover the "Priestly Mission of Christ." The main text will be Heb 5:5-6. This chapter
contains the first three conferences, namely, priesthood and the letter to the Hebrews;
participation in Christ's priesthood; and obedience as submission to God and sacrifice for
human salvation. In the second chapter, we will underscore the "Kingly Mission of Christ." The
focal scriptural text will be In 10:1-8. This chapter includes the fourth conference, that is,
Christian leadership. In the third chapter, finally, we will cover the "Prophetic Mission of
Christ". This chapter itself is the fifth conference and the key scriptural account will be
in 1:1-18.
Biblical passages are from the Revised Standard Version, containing the Old and New
Testaments Catholic Edition, 1966, except when they are part of a quoted clause.
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Keywords
Mission, Witnessing, Prophet, Priest, King, Christ, Deacons