WK 6 | October 6, 2024 | Politics & Engagement.
Visit the Politics Resource Page
Matthew 20:25-28 (NLT) -
25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Philippians 3:17-21 (NLT) -
17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. 21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.
BIG IDEA: We are citizens of heaven.
How Do We Live As Citizens of Heaven…
THOUGHT 01 | We are
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NLT) -
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
THOUGHT 02 | We are
“Civility shows itself when we acknowledge the best in our political opponents’ line of thinking and the best in our political opponents themselves. Civility is mercy and forgiveness. It is a form of public grace.” —Justin Giboney in Compassion & Conviction
Acts 17:17 (NIV) -
So he reasoned in the synagogue with both Jews and God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.
THOUGHT 03 | We are a
“Our vote should be directed toward the greatest flourishing of our community. Our vote should be inclined toward the good of our neighbors, as best as we can see it, in consultation with Scripture, Christian tradition, fellow Christians, and our neighbors themselves. We take our vote seriously, but we also recognize we are part of a body politic and we see voting for what it is. And we understand that in all but the rarest of circumstances — and we should be hesitant to suggest in an unequivocal manner what the exceptions are — there is no single Christian way to vote. My principal concern is that Christians vote with faithfulness in mind, with prayer that intends to expose their heart to God and themselves rather than cover it up, and with a moral burden that is rightly sized and rightly situated.” —Michael Wear in The Spirit of Our Politics
Matthew 5:13-16 (NLT) -
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
THOUGHT 04 | We spread
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (NLT) -
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
ACTION POINT: Live as a citizen of heaven.