One Kingdom (Summer 2020)
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In today's hyper-connected, post-truth, fake-news, politically-divided world, we can't be wise unless we know how to discern our sources. There are so many voices vying for influence. Who do we trust? From James 3, Dave asks us to consider both the quantity and quality of voices in our days and weeks.
It's the apocalypse. Not really, but it definitely feels like it. What does the word apocalypse actually mean? And for what purpose did John write the book of Revelation? In Sunday’s sermon, C.J. reminds us that Jesus' political strategy involves winning by losing. The question is, will we join the slain Lamb in His campaign?
As the church, we are living in a dual reality of the already, but not yet experience of Christ's Kingdom. This week, we continue our series "One Kingdom", reflecting how we as Christians are called to faithfully engage the political landscape of our culture. Dave invites us to wrestle with either an over-realized or an under-realized eschatalogy and what that means for how we engage in our culture.
Navigating politics and power with love and faith is like walking a tightrope. It feels impossible to do it well. But then, in the gospels, Jesus speaks and acts flawlessly. If we want to learn how to love God and others in our politics, Jesus is our premier example, but how do we begin? In Sunday’s sermon, Dave identifies the necessary first step on the tightrope.
The New Testament teaches that the church has much in common with Israel in exile. God sent the people of Zion into exile in Babylon so that they might be voices of wisdom in the midst of confusion and chaos. Israel had a choice: become like Babylon, or make Babylon more like Zion.
In the book of Exodus, God takes possession of His people and establishes them as a nation called to devotion, mediation, and servanthood. It is through them that the politics of His kingdom are to spread to the whole world. The narrative of the exodus has been commandeered by many political agendas, including in America. What are we to make of that? How does God's calling on Israel apply to us today?
How does humanity's fall into sin affect politics? We could go on and on about how every government is deeply broken. No one needs help being disappointed in politics. So instead, Dave asks if there's any room for legitimate authority in a fallen world? Teaching from Genesis 9, he explains what we can expect from the world's rulers and, more importantly, what God expects.
Christians are story-formed people who find their identity and purpose in the narrative of Scripture. This is not just true about our private devotion, but our public life. To that end, we are beginning a new series on politics and faith. Starting off with creation, CJ shows that politics is not a result of the Fall but was built into the world from the start.