Dr. Mark Batterson
Sunday, September 22, 2024
I SEARCHED for SOMEONE among them who would BUILD UP THE WALL and STAND IN THE GAP so I would not have to destroy them, but I found none. —Ezekial 22:30
POLITICS MATTER because
Instead of WASHING OUR HANDS of responsibility like Pilate, we
“The church has its greatest RELEVANCE to the world when it is LEAST LIKE the world in its CORRUPTED FORM.” —Timothy Gombis
“We must live in the KINGDOM OF GOD in such a way that it PROVOKES QUESTIONS for which the GOSPEL is the answer.” —Leslie Newbiggin
“The world needs the church, not to help the world run more smoothy or make the world a better and safer place for Christians to live. Rather, the world needs the church because, without the church, the world does not know who it is. The way for the world to know that it needs redeeming, that is broken and fallen, is for the church to enable the world to STRIKE HARD against something which is an ALTERNATIVE to what the world offers.” —Stanley Hauerwas & Will Willimon
Take your own notes here…
Four Principles of Peacemaking:
As a PRISONER FOR THE LORD, I urge you to LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF THE CALLING you have received, with all HUMILITY and GENTLENESS, with PATIENCE and showing TOLERANCE for one another in love. —Ephesians 4:1-2
If you want to understand, you need to stand
Intellectual humility =
Emotional humility = EMPATHY.
Grace & Truth Equations:
GRACE – Truth = WEAK sauce
TRUTH – Grace = HOT sauce
GRACE + TRUTH = SECRET sauce
Take your own notes here…
SEEK the PEACE and PROSPERITY of the city to which I have sent you as EXILES. PRAY to the Lord on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper —Jeremiah 29:7
Newness is no virtue and oldness is no vice. Truth and beauty and goodness are not determined by when they exist. Nothing is inferior for being old, and nothing is valuable for being modern. This has freed me from the tyranny of novelty and opened for me the wisdom of the ages.
Some older authors to consider reading:
C.S. Lewis
A.W. Tozer
Oswald Chambers
Leonard Ravenhill
Don’t you see how wonderfully KIND, TOLERANT, and PATIENT God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? It’s God’s KINDNESS leads us to REPENTANCE —Romans 2:4
“In the ESSENTIALS, UNITY; in the NON-ESSENTIALS, LIBERTY; in ALL THINGS, CHARITY.” —Rupertus Meldenius
Ten Tenets of Tolerance
1. I reserve the right to get smarter, later.
2. A person convinced against their will is of the same opinion still.
3. Let God be as original with others as He was with you.
4. No one wins the blame game.
5. There are problems to solve and tensions to manage.
6. True wisdom has two sides
7. Clarity is kindness.
8. Love people when they least expect it and least deserve it.
9. You cannot please all the people all the time.
10. Live for the applause of nail-scared hands
Take your own notes here…