Elephants – Week 1 (7-28-24)

Elephants
Politics
July 28, 2024

The elephant in the room.

The goal of this series is to equip us with tools to enter into these conversations & not lose our witness for Christ.

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Politics:

1. Daily confess Christ is LORD

Confession occurs 26 times in NT.
Confessing Sin 4x’s; Confessing allegiance 22x’s
Cultural engagement is an expectation. It is not “if we engage” but “ as we engage.”

Ephesus

• 250,000 residents
• Over two dozen pagan temples, temple prostitution
• Gratification & Pleasure; Magic & witchcraft

Ephesians 6:10-17
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Confessing Jesus

Romans 10:9
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Hebrews 4:14
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

2. You are called to be a peacemaker

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God.
eirenopoioi (active verb) – endeavor to reconcile people who have  disagreements

Disagree politically, love unconditionally

3. Practice Spiritual Disciplines

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

How do you seek after the Kingdom?
The purpose of prayer is to be properly formed.

Filtering Questions:

• Does my fear flow out of my love for this Kingdom or  the Kingdom of God?
• Do the things that make me angry the things that make God angry?

Spiritual Practices:

Prayer – Liturgy