Thriving in Babylon is looking at this story and gleaning from them in a culture that doesn’t know, worship, or believe in God.

How can we elevate and gain influence in our culture without compromising our faith, character, or identity?

Week 1 Captivity in Babylon

Wants to STRIP your IDENTITY & COMPROMISE your CHARACTER.

Week 2 Fiery Furnace

Worship is our response to what we value most.

3 false gods…

POSSESSIONS
POWER
PLEASURE

Week 3 Daniel & Lions’ Den

Your Faith Will Be Tested
Your Faith Will Be Agitated

Daniel and his 3 friends…

Were taken from their homes and families.
Most of their friends and family were killed.
Learned the language.
Learned their magic.
Lost their manhood.

AND YET…

Stayed true to God.
Did not bow to the cultural idols.
Were spared from Fiery Furnaces and Lions.
AND were elevated (promoted) to a place of influence.
AND because of their faith, saw a nation turn and worship their God - the One True God… under 2 different Kings (regimes).

In both instances with the fire and the lions they were neither elevated, nor did anyone turn to God until AFTER they had stood up for God- until AFTER their faith was tested.

How did they know what to do?
What if I told you they had specific instructions from God Himself?
He laid out the Blueprint of how to Thrive in Babylon.
And it is our Blueprint as well…

There & Then

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14
A Letter to the Exiles

1This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

4This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.

10This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.

I want to highlight 1 verse…

Jeremiah 29:7
7Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Peace = “Welfare”

Welfare: the state of doing well especially in respect to good fortune, happiness, well-being, or prosperity.

Seek the welfare… Of this secular, pagan, God-less city.

If it is blessed you too are blessed.

Doing God’s work in the city:

Don’t reject the city.
Don’t write off the city.
Seek God’s best in the city.

“Shalom”
Not just the absence of conflict, but a comprehensive sense of well being.

Shalom = Completeness

Complete Peace
Complete Contentment

“A rising tide will lift all boats”

If you were a Jew in Babylon, you were brought up to sing and pray about peace for Jerusalem.

Psalm 122:6-9
6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
7May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”
8For the sake of my family and friends,
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your prosperity.

Now Jeremiah is telling you to pray for the peace of Babylon.
Even for your captors.

They had Joseph as an example.

Here & Now
How can we Seek the Peace?

Pray for it.

Jeremiah 29:7
Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

Jeremiah 29:7
Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.

Pray for the peace of Cape Coral and Fort Myers.

Pray for…

Blessing
Repentance
Health
Safety
Security
Justice
Favor
Salvation
Hearts to turn toward God
Leaders
Families
Those in Need
Those you disagree with
Those different from you

Will you spend 5 minutes every day this week praying for the welfare of our city?

Work for it.

Jeremiah 29:7
And WORK FOR the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile.

I am responsible for me.
Greatness comes through serving.

BE INTENTIONAL

If you are NOT INTENTIONAL about what you are doing, you either REJECT the place God has you and you have NO IMPACT or you CONFORM to the place God has you and you have NO IMPACT.

You are not called to REMOVE yourself from the place God has you.
You are not called to RESEMBLE the place God has you.
You are called to SERVE and LOVE in the place God has you…with INTENT!

Thermostats vs Thermometer

People are either thermostats or thermometers. They will merely reflect the climate around them or they will set it.

Pharisees & Babylonians

Add Value

We Add Value Everywhere.

We believe that every interaction matters and we leave things better than we found them.

Do we then RUN from the CITY as the Pharisees wanted the Israelites to do in the Babylon days when the letter from Jeremiah was written?
Do we just CONFORM to the ways of the CITY as the BABYLONIANS wanted the ISRAELITES to do?

No. Neither!
As Jeremiah says to “SEEK the PEACE of the CITY” we live in.

Social Media Call to Action

Work for it…

Pay it forward.
Speak Life.
Go out of your way to speak life to someone.
Random act of kindness.
Make something better.
Shopping carts!!!