Iowa City Church Podcast

The story is told of a man who was on a business trip and stayed in a hotel that had a bug problem. There were bugs all over his room. He complained about this to the management and later wrote a letter of complaint to the main office of the hotel chain. 

Sometime later he received a letter signed by the President of the company. It said:
 

“We are humiliated that a man of your integrity, a man of your reputation, a man of your importance in the community should have had this experience in one of our hotels. We are deeply sorry.” 

This made the man feel somewhat better about the situation until, as he was folding the letter to put it away, he noticed a little piece of paper at the bottom of the envelope, obviously not supposed to have been included. It was in the President’s handwriting and it read: “Send this guy the ‘bug letter.’”

Unfortunately, this is the way we sometimes treat other people.  We send them the ”bug letter,” the form letter. We give them the tired, old cliches: We ask them:
“How are you?” when we don’t really care.
We say “have a nice day," or "I'm so sorry,” when really we couldn’t care less.

When Jesus was asked which of the commandments was the most important he replied with two.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." ~ Mark 12:30-31
 
According to Jesus the only way to truly love God requires us to love people as we love ourselves. Now, there is a lot going on in this text but the bottom line is simple: a disciple of Jesus loves God by loving people.

That's easy enough to remember and say, yet actually loving someone is much harder to do. True love requires something of us...it requires us to truly care about others, even if they are our enemy.

Each day we come into contact with people who will have one thing in common: they're struggling with something. They will tell us about loved ones who are sick, loved ones who have died, loved ones who have problems. They will share with us their sufferings, their heartaches, their fears. 

Perhaps Mark Twain was right when he said, “You should never tell people your problems because 80 percent of them won’t care, and the other 20 percent will think you deserve them!” 

Let us not send them the “bug letter.”  Let us listen carefully and mean it when we say we care. Jesus never sent anyone a “bug letter.”  We shouldn’t either. To better understand what this would look like in your life, check out part nine of our sermon series through the Gospel of Mark.

I'm not very familiar with figs or fig trees. My only connection might be that I enjoy a Fig Newton every once in a while, that's about it. However, a fig tree becomes a central point of emphasis for what Jesus teaches in chapter 11 of Mark's gospel.

Jesus and his disciples are heading into Jerusalem, and Jesus is hungry. Up ahead he sees a fig tree, mature and full of leaves. Even though it's a little early for the fig harvest he's hoping to score some figs. However, when he gets to the tree he discovers there is no sign of fruit, not even a little bud. Here is what he says:

"May no one ever eat fruit from you again." ~ Mark 11:14

Jesus then proceeds with his disciples up into the grand and majestic Temple, the place which represented the presence of God amongst his people, and what does Jesus find? He finds corruption, injustice, and in his own words "a den of robbers". He then cleans house and leaves the Temple.

The next morning as Jesus and his disciples make their way back into the city here is what they saw:

"they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, "Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!" ~ Mark 11:20-21

What's the point Jesus is trying to make? Don't just appear to be faithful to God (the leaves of the fig tree/the beautiful Temple). True faithfulness to God produces fruit not corruption. As Jesus says: "Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." ~ Matthew 7:20

What does this teaching mean for those who are disciples of Jesus? You can look the part of a disciple with your "leaves": going to church, giving money, reading the Bible, having theological knowledge, and being a morally good person. However, if there is no "fruit" what good are you to the Kingdom of God?

These are strong words by Jesus and ones we must wrestle with on our journey of following him. To learn more about what the "fruit" of a disciple is and how to develop it, check out episode eight of Come, Follow, Me.

"Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao—a village on the island of Molokai, in Hawaii, that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For 16 years, he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise have been left alone. He organized schools, bands, and choirs. He built homes so that the lepers could have shelter. He built 2,000 coffins by hand so that, when they died, they could be buried with dignity. Slowly, it was said, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope.

Father Damien was not careful about keeping his distance. He did nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the poi bowl along with the patients. He shared his pipe. He did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores. He got close. For this, the people loved him.

Then one day he stood up and began his sermon with two words: "We lepers…."

Now he wasn't just helping them. Now he was one of them. From this day forward, he wasn't just on their island; he was in their skin. First he had chosen to live as they lived; now he would die as they died. Now they were in it together.

One day God came to Earth and began his message: "We lepers…." Now he wasn't just helping us. Now he was one of us. Now he was in our skin. Now we were in it together." ~ John Ortberg, God Is Closer Than You Think

Why did Father Damian give his life in service to the people on the island of Kalawao? He did so because that was the example set for him...and all Christians by Jesus himself.
 

More then any word Jesus spoke, it was his actions of serving that have most impacted each of us. It was Francis of Assisi who said, "Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." When each of us begins to model the actions of King Jesus in our neighborhoods, our lives and our neighborhoods, literally begin to change. 
‌
Also, there is one more biblical truth you need to be reminded of: Jesus lives in your neighborhood; he lives in the form of that person who needs to be helped by you, who needs to be served by you. Jesus is the lonely kid who just needs somebody to play catch with him. Jesus is the elderly widow who is dying of loneliness. Jesus is that young couple who would give anything for a person with a healthy marriage to come over and encourage them and say, "You know what? You can make it through this. It's okay. We'll help you."
‌
Jesus said:

Jesus Christ is in your neighborhood, and he's waiting for you to reach out and serve him. He's waiting for you to choose to be a servant, not to serve just when it's convenient, but to serve because you are his disciple. To learn more about what this looks like in your life, give a listen to part seven of Come, Follow, Me.

In August of 2003, the Church of the Holy Cross in New York City was broken into twice. In the first break-in, thieves made away with a metal moneybox that had been resting next to a votive candle rack. Three weeks later, vandals escaped with something much more valuable: they unbolted a 4-foot long, 200-pound plaster Jesus from a meditation area, taking the statue of Christ, but leaving behind his wooden cross on the wall. The church caretaker, David St. James, confessed his bewilderment at this: "They just decided, 'We're going to leave the cross and take Jesus.' We don't know why they took just him. We figure if you want the crucifix, you take the whole crucifix." In other words, David St. James was saying, "If you want Jesus, you take his cross, too."

It only makes sense if you want Jesus, the cross is a part of the deal; that's one of the many reasons why Jesus is so amazing! For the Christian, the cross of Christ represents love, grace and forgiveness. You take Jesus and his cross.

But what about your cross? If you follow Jesus, you have a cross as well...at least that's what Jesus says.

"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." ~ Mark 8:34

There are a lot of people who are fans of Jesus; they agree with some of the things he says, they appreciate the love and forgiveness...they even wear a "Jesus Is My Homeboy" t-shirt! However being a disciple of Jesus isn't about agreement or fandom...it's about self denial, allegiance and loyalty. Here's why this matters according to Jesus:

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it." ~ Mark 8:35

Intuitively we think that by preserving our lives we save them, yet according to Jesus by surrendering our lives, our passions and even our desires over to the cross (our own cross) we will find life. So the question we all have to wrestle with is this: Will I take Jesus, his cross and my cross too?

To better understand what this looks like in your life, make sure and listen to part six of Come, Follow, Me.

In part five of Come, Follow, Me we discover how Jesus intentionally coaches his disciples so that they can be prepared to carry on the Kingdom Mission.

In a few months we will see tractors working the soil in the fields surrounding Iowa City. We will also observe countless people tilling the soil in their backyards, prepping the ground for the huge gardens they are about to plant. Here is what the farmer and the gardener both know well: the dirt matters.

One doesn't just throw some seeds onto any type of soil. The ground needs to be a rich, dark, black...well aerated with enough moisture. Using rocky or weedy soil is not going to produce the crop anyone wants and if the ground is like concrete--well you can forget about it!

Here's the thing, we all intuitively know this to be true however, we don't often realize that it applies to our lives as well. Our ability to follow and grow in Jesus is directly related to the kind of "soil" we are. This basic truth is the basis of Jesus' parable of the soils found in Mark 4:1-12.

How does one prepare their "soil" to best grow the instructions Jesus wants to implant into our lives? Jesus actually gives us the key. It's found at the beginning of his parable of the soils.

"He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen!" ~ Mark 4:2-3

Our ability to grow as disciples of Jesus lies in our ability to listen to Jesus. A lot of people heard the words of Jesus, but very few people actually listened to Jesus. Here's the question, do you hear Jesus or do you listen to him?

Why does any of this even matter? It matters because what you become in the Kingdom of God is directly related to your ability to listen to Jesus. Simply put, your life could potentially take a completely different trajectory if you learn how to listen to Jesus!

To learn more, give a listen to part four of Come, Follow, Me.

Imagine the mystery and delight of not just hearing, but seeing the story of Jesus for the first time, almost as an eyewitness.

That's what happened to a tribe in the jungles of East Asia when missionaries showed them the Jesus film. Not only had these people never heard of Jesus, they had never seen a motion picture. Then, on one unforgettable evening, they saw it all—the gospel in their own language, visible and real.

Imagine again how it felt to see this good man, Jesus, who healed the sick and was adored by children, held without trial and beaten by jeering soldiers. As they watched this, the people came unglued. They stood up and began to shout at the cruel men on the screen, demanding that this outrage stop.

When nothing happened, they attacked the missionary running the projector. Perhaps he was responsible for this injustice! He was forced to stop the film and explain that the story wasn't over yet; there was more. So they settled back onto the ground, holding their emotions in tenuous check.

Then came the crucifixion. Again, the people could not hold back. They began to weep and wail with such loud grief that, once again, the film had to be stopped. The missionary again tried to calm them, explaining that the story still wasn't over; there was more. So they composed themselves and sat down to see what happened next.

Then came the resurrection. Pandemonium broke out this time, but for a different reason. The gathering had spontaneously erupted into a party. The noise now was of jubilation, and it was deafening. The people were dancing and slapping each other on the back. Christ is risen, indeed!

Again the missionary had to shut off the projector; this time he didn't tell them to calm down and wait for what was next. All that was supposed to happen—in the story and in their lives—was happening. (Source: Ben Patterson, "Resurrection and Pandemonium," Leadership Journal)

Can you imagine experiencing Jesus for the very first time in such a unique and powerful way? This is Mark's goal as he writes his account of Jesus of Nazareth; he wants his readers to be introduced to Jesus in such a way that their lives are changed forever.

This is one of the reasons Mark's Gospel is short, action-packed and focused on answering this one question: Who is Jesus? Mark knows that if his readers learn that Jesus is King, it will provide them with someone to lead them through life. Mark also know that if his readers understand that Jesus is God's Son, they will be able to find forgiveness and relationship with God. These are just two examples of how Mark strives to answer the question: Who is Jesus?

Do you know Jesus? To see Jesus with fresh eyes, give a listen to part three of Come, Follow, Me.

In the late 1600s and early 1700s a half-literate Italian craftsman named Antonio Stradivari designed and made a series of beautiful musical instruments. Today, those violins, named after the Latinized form of his name, Stradivarius, are considered priceless. In 2010, a Stradivarius was purchased for $3.6 million. It is believed there are only around five hundred of them still in existence, some of which have been submitted to the most intense scientific examination in an attempt to reproduce their extraordinary sound quality. But no one has been able to replicate Stradivari's craftsmanship.

Today we do know that Stradivari used spruce for the top, willow for the internal blocks and linings, and maple for the back, ribs, and neck. He also treated the wood with several types of minerals, including potassium borate, sodium and potassium silicate, as well as a handmade varnish that appears to have been composed of gum arabic, honey, and egg white.

But the genius craftsman never once recorded his technique for posterity. Instead, he passed on his knowledge to a number of his apprentices through what one scholar called "elbow learning." The apprentices of the great Stradivari didn't learn their craft from books or manuals but by sitting at his elbow and feeling the wood as he felt it to assess its length, its balance, and its timbre right there in their fingertips. All the learning happened at his elbow, and all the knowledge was contained in his fingers.

As Jesus begins his ministry of announcing the good news about the Kingdom of God, the very first thing that he does is find some apprentices, you would know them as disciples. Here is how he invites one third of his disciples into their apprenticeship.

We learn a lot from Jesus' strategy for growing the Kingdom; it's more then just announcing good news. The Kingdom strategy for expansion is about finding apprentices/disciples and inviting them to engage in some "elbow learning".

Who showed you how to be a Christian? Was it a parent or family member? A friend? Or was it a book you read, a class you took or a video you watched?

What is clearly missing when it comes to living as a follower of Jesus is good, old fashioned, Stradivarian, "elbow learning". To discover more about Jesus' strategy for making "elbow learning" disciples, check out the lastest sermon from, Come, Follow, Me.

On June 23, 2018, 12 members of the Wild Boars youth soccer team and their coach entered caves in Northern Thailand. Things drastically changed when torrential rains caused flooding that trapped them all in the Than Luang Nang Non cave system.

Hundreds of rescuers from around the world teamed up to save the boys and their coach. It took nine days for the divers to find the team and it took another eight days to rescue them all. In total, the boys and their coach were trapped for 17 days in a flooded cave with little food and water. There are a number of books, movies and television series depicting the dramatic events of the Tham Luang Cave Rescue. 

Now imagine you are one of those boys, trapped with your teammates for nine days, in a flooded dark cave, not sure anyone even knows where you are...not sure if you will ever be found! When suddenly a diver bursts through the water with a flash light to let you know that they are going to rescue you. Good news? Absolutely!

However, it's only good news if you need to be rescued. If you were to say those same words to the person pumping gas across from you and the gas station, they would think you were weird! Sometimes good news may not appear to be good news, especially if we don't think it's relevant to our circumstances. 

In this sermon we begin a twelve week journey through the Gospel of Mark. Here's the opening line from Mark's book:

Good news? Well, I guess it depends. Do you need to be rescued? Do you need a King? Do you want God to personally intervene in your life through the person of Jesus? If the answer is "Yes" well, according to Mark you've come to the right place!

However, if the answer is "No" you've still come to the right place. Mark is going to make a powerful case as to why Jesus is the King you have been looking for and the Savior your soul desperately needs. Maybe by taking an open minded look at who Jesus is, you will discover that he is the good news you have been looking for. To be a part of this journey, take a few minutes and listen to this sermon. Enjoy!

Kintsukuroi (golden repair) is the Japanese art of repairing damaged pottery with gold or silver lacquer. If you take a few minutes and search the internet you will find countless examples of kintsukuroi. In fact, if you want to give it a try, simply drop your favorite coffee cup and then order a kintsukuroi kit. In no time your coffee stained mug will be turned into a piece of coffee drinking art!

However, kintsukuroi is more then just an art form, it's also a way of thinking about life. As a philosophy, kintsukuroi celebrates imperfection as an integral part of our story. The artists believe that when something has suffered damage and has a history, it becomes more beautiful.

As we enter into a New Year, how are you feeling about a new you? We all have these broken pieces in our lives and every New Year just reminds us that nothing is really going to change. Others of you may currently be feeling like a shattered plate spread all across the dining room floor. The last thing on your mind is being made new, especially when you can't even pull yourself together? Does kintsukuroi even happen for people with broken lives?

The apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth, a collection of Christians feeling this sense of brokenness, and he states this fact:
 

Allegiance to Jesus puts us back together...makes us new! It's not our strength, discipline or hard work which puts us together, it's the power of God working in our lives. A few verses earlier the apostle writes:
 

It appears God has his own form of kintsukuroi, where He takes the broken pieces of our lives and uses the power of Jesus to make us new again. If you would like to learn more about how this can happen in your life, give a listen to New Year. New You?

Give a listen to one of our elders, Jerry Anthony bring a close to 2023 and challenges us for how we can follow Jesus' instruction about bearing fruit in 2024. 

We all want to forget the year 2020, especially those spring months when the COVID virus and the fear of the unknown began to move around the globe. However, in the midst of that pandemic we learned where people go to find peace. The Bible.

During the hardest moments of 2020, Bible searches soared online and a record number of people turned to Scripture for passages addressing fear, healing, and justice. The YouVersion Bible app saw searches increase by 80%, totaling nearly 600 million worldwide. YouVersion found Bobby Gruenewald said,
"Through every hardship, people continue to seek God and turn to the Bible for strength, peace, and hope. While 2020 is a year so many say they'd like to forget, we see it as a year to remember how God used the Bible app to help so many people who were searching for answers."

Overall, the app tracked 43.6 billion chapters of the Bible read in 2020, with half a billion verses shared, its highest on record. So for many people, reading Scripture is a way that they find peace in their moments of stress and anxiety. What do you do to find peace?

Finding peace is something that a lot of people, maybe even you, are trying to find. The unfortunate reality is we end up pursuing a lot of unhealthy comforts which in the end don't bring peace, and instead hook us into habits that hurt. This is one of the reason why Scripture admonishes us to practice discipline, and self control in our pursuit of finding the peace that only Jesus can give. This is why this Christmas season we are practicing some of the disciplines of advent.

Advent challenges us to make space for Jesus in our lives by preparing for his coming through worship, prayer, fasting, Scripture reading and acts of generosity. On Sunday we will continue with part two of our advent sermon series by discovering how we can find true peace in our lives when we make room for Jesus in our chaotic lives. To join us on the journey give a listen to part two of Make Room.

During the month of December we all make room for Christmas. We make room for a tree and decorations. We make room in our schedules for buying and wrapping presents. We make room for parties and family get togethers. We make room for Christmas cards and delicious treats. However, this question does need to be asked: Is anyone, making room for Jesus?

As much as we should enjoy all the extra events of Christmas, the truth is none of what we invest all of our time on ultimately gives us the hope our souls desperately crave. The Christmas trees die and shed their needles, food is eaten, gifts are broken or forgotten, decorations come down and the bills begin to arrive only to bring on the "blues" of January. That is unless you have made room for Jesus. 

With this sermon we are going to embark on an Advent Christmas series designed specifically to help you make room for Jesus. If we aren't intentional with how we use our time and resources, it doesn't take long for the important things in life to be quickly forgotten. So what's the plan? Advent. 

If you aren't familiar with the concept of Advent, the term comes from the Latin word, adventus---which means coming. It's been used by the church over the centuries as a discipline to prepare for the coming of King Jesus; both his first coming and his second coming (click here if you want to learn more)

For the month of December we are going to practice some of the disciplines of Advent by worshiping together, working through a Bible reading plan together, practicing prayer and fasting...all with the expressed goal of making room for more of Jesus in our lives. To be a part of the journey, get started by listening to part one of Make Room. 

In doing research for this sermon series I came across a fascinating article studying the connection between gratitude and altruism. It appears God actually wired people with a neural connection between being thankfulness and generosity.

In Mind & Body magazine, Christina Karns writes in detail about the research being done in tracing the mental link between gratitude and altruism (Why a Grateful Brain Is a Giving One) Here's a summary of the article:

"In a sense, gratitude seems to prepare the brain for generosity. Counting blessings is quite different than counting your cash, because gratitude, just as philosophers and psychologists predict, points us toward moral behaviors, reciprocity, and pay-it-forward motivations. Apparently, our brain literally makes us feel richer when others do well. Perhaps this is why researchers have observed that grateful people give more.

Gratitude might be good for us—but it is good for others as well."

As we stop and consider the implications of this research it doesn't take long to see this connection between gratitude and generosity popping up all over the Bible.  Probably the one that immediately stood out to me was Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, giving thanks to his Father in Heaven and then proceeding to give himself generously as a sacrifice on the cross.

Why should any of this matter to us? It matters because Black Friday and Cyber Monday are often more important to us then being generous. Our culture focuses more on getting and hoarding then generosity. To break this cycle and become generous, all we have to do is look to God and science to see that it starts with developing a grateful heart.

On Sunday we will wrap up this series by looking at a specific incident in the book of Exodus where Israel demonstrates this connection between gratitude and generosity. To be a part of the conversation give a listen to part three of Thanks & Giving.

I recently came across an article about Richard Stearns, the president of World Vision, as he reflected on his visit to a church in Port-au-Prince, Haiti a year after the devastating earthquake. The church's building consisted of a tent made from white tarps and duct tape, pitched in the midst of a sprawling camp for thousands of people still homeless from the earthquake. This is how he described the church and the lesson he learned in Haiti:

In the front row sat six amputees ranging in age from 6 to 60. They were clapping and smiling as they sang song after song and lifted their prayers to God. The worship was full of hope … [and] with thanksgiving to the Lord.
No one was singing louder or praying more fervently than Demosi Louphine, a 32-year-old unemployed single mother of two. During the earthquake, a collapsed building crushed her right arm and left leg. After four days both limbs had to be amputated.
She was leading the choir, leading prayers, standing on her prosthesis and lifting her one hand high in praise to God .… Following the service, I met Demosi's two daughters, ages eight and ten. The three of them now live in a tent five feet tall and perhaps eight feet wide. Despite losing her job, her home, and two limbs, she is deeply grateful because God spared her life on January 12th last year … "He brought me back like Lazarus, giving me the gift of life," says Demosi … [who] believes she survived the devastating quake for two reasons: to raise her girls and to serve her Lord for a few more years.

I find Demosi's response of gratitude to God remarkable! How can a woman who lives in those conditions not to mention the loss of her limbs find a reason to thank God? In my context, I find myself lacking gratitude because my WiFi isn't working and the coffee ran out. How pathetic in comparison!

The truth is while most of us would think that we are in a better position then Demosi, it's actually Demosi who has something to teach all of us: How to be thankful no matter what the circumstances.

In this episode, we will study a section of the apostle Paul's Thessalonian letter (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24), which teaches us how to develop a discipline of giving thanks in all circumstances.

I recently learned of a study about gratitude called the "Count Your Blessings" study conducted by the psychologist Bob Emmons. Some of you will remember, like me, the old gospel hymn "Count Your Blessings''. The main theme of the song was very simplistic, yet memorable:

When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God has done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

Turns out those lyrics are cutting-edge science. In his "Count Your Blessings" study Emmons had participants do the simplest thing: At the end of each day take a moment to count your blessings by writing them down in a journal. And you know what happened? At the end of the study the participants who engaged in this simple practice of thanksgiving where healthier—emotionally and physically—than the control group. Simply counting your blessings made people healthier and happier. That's the cheapest therapy you're ever going to find.

Not only does a routine of gratitude improve our health and make us happier, according to Jesus it helps grow our faith (Luke 17:11-19). So the benefits of giving thanks are clear, yet for many, it's the discipline of gratitude that is lacking.

For example prayer, as a practice, is a constant posture of thankfulness. Prayer is the mindful discipline to act out of an experience of blessing rather than scarcity. So count your blessings. Name them, one by one. Give a listen to part one of Thanks & Giving and learn how to develop a basic routine of giving thanks that we can utilize everyday and in so doing improve our mental health and more importantly, deepen our relationship with Jesus! 

On the morning of October 2, 2006, a troubled milkman named Charles Carl Roberts barricaded himself inside the West Nickel Mine Amish School, ultimately murdering five young girls and wounding six others. Roberts committed suicide when police arrived on the scene. It was a dark day for the Amish community of West Nickel Mines, but it was also a dark day for Marie Roberts—the wife of the gunman—and her two young children.

But on the following Saturday, Marie experienced something truly countercultural while attending her husband's funeral. That day, she and her children watched as Amish families—about half of the 75 mourners present—came and stood alongside them in the midst of their own blinding grief. Despite the crime the man had perpetrated, the Amish came to mourn Charles Carl Roberts—a husband and daddy.

Bruce Porter, a fire department chaplain who attended the service, described what moved him most about the gesture: "It's the love, the forgiveness, the heartfelt forgiveness they have toward the family. I broke down and cried seeing it displayed." He added that Marie Roberts was also touched. "She was absolutely, deeply moved by the love shown."

What causes the Amish to live such radically countercultural lives? It's their deep conviction about who God is and how he wants them to live their lives. Now, while I am not suggesting we turn in our cars for horses and buggy's, I am suggesting that we need to allow our convictions about God to direct how we live our lives...even if it means we are different.

In this sermon we are going to wrap up this series by examining the events of Daniel chapter six. In it we will discover how we should live when we find ourselves living in a culture that looks a lot like Babylon.

To be devoted to King Jesus means that his Kingdom and it's ethics, values and mission are likewise, our ethics, values and mission. That's all fine and good until those Kingdom ethics, values and mission come in conflict with those of the culture or more specifically, those of the crowd. It's in that tension where we are torn between allegiance to the King or conformity to the crowd...and more often then not we have found ourselves "saluting".

None of us what to just go along with the crowd, but it's hard! On Sunday we are going to study Daniel chapter three and learn some really important lessons about how we can stand firm in our convictions, even if it means standing alone. To learn how to stand alone with boldness, give a listen to part three of Life In Babylon.

As Jesus opens The Sermon on the Mount, his first metaphor to describe what it means to be a citizen of the Kingdom of God is that of salt. A Kingdom Citizen is to be like salt?

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." ~ Matthew 5:13

In Jesus' day salt had two main purposes:
1. Preservative. In a world with no refrigeration, salt was a valuable commodity in preserving food. Much the same way, Kingdom Citizens are preserving influencers of culture by pointing people to God and modeling for their neighbors in word and deed the Gospel.  
2. Flavor Enhancer. Salt has always been used to improve the flavor of food. In a similar way, Christians influence culture by enhancing it with Kingdom values and ethics, such as demonstrating how to love neighbors, forgive enemies, serve the marginalized and work for justice. By living in such a way, a culture can literally be changed...enhanced.

Here is why being "salt" matters. According to Jesus, these roles are not optional. If you are devoted to the Kingdom of God, you ARE salt and influencing culture is what you do. 

Being "salt" in our culture is incredibly difficult. Often, we find ourselves living in this tension of alignment: Am I going to be devoted to the culture of Babylon or am I going to be a representative of Kingdom Culture? Daniel chapter two provides a very helpful example of how we can leverage our influence and boldly represent God and His Kingdom. Simply put, how we can be "salt" while living in Babylon.

To learn more about how this can work for you, make sure and listen to part two of Life in Babylon.

The Old Testament book of Daniel opens with Jerusalem falling at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar's army and Daniel and his friends taken off to Babylon to live in exile. Much of the book then describes what it looks like to live as exiles in a foreign land; how they remain true to their convictions about God in a culture that doesn't do the same.

So what is the application for you and me as we follow Jesus? The apostle Peter suggests that as Christians we aren't that much different then Daniel and his friends:
 "Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul." ~ 1 Peter 2:11

Do you feel like a foreigner in the current culture? Have you ever felt like an exile in your neighborhood? These are important questions to wrestle with. If your allegiance is to King Jesus, then we will undoubtedly feel a tension at times with how the culture operates and how those around us live. Maybe the most important question is this: Do I live more like Jesus or more like the culture?

I found this observation made by John Stott regarding how Christians are to be different:

"I recently returned from India where I heard of a little Hindu girl brought up in a strict Hindu family, who had come across Christians. Somebody asked her one day what she thought a Christian was. She thought for a few moments and replied, "Well as far as I can see, a Christian is somebody who is different from everybody else." Would that it was true."

To be a Christian means you are okay with being different. Unfortunately that is not always the case. There is this strong pull within all of us to "fit in" to be like everyone else. Yet, we all agree, there are times when to be like everyone else is simply wrong and calls us to live in direct opposition to how Jesus wants us to live our lives. The truth is, it's hard to live in Babylon...and that is what this new series is going to explore.

The good news is that the book of Daniel reveals to us how God provides the resources and direction we need to live counter cultural lives. One of those resources is the community of Christians who are on the same journey; there other people living in Babylon who are trying to pursue the same Kingdom culture as you.

To begin this journey of living in Babylon, we have to make a determination right away. We have to hold true to our convictions about how God wants us to live our lives and then determine to be different. Here is why that matters: People who hold to their convictions and determine to be different change culture. Consider these words from Thomas J. Watson Jr. 

"Strangely, the expounders of many of the great new ideas of history were frequently considered on the lunatic fringe for some or all of their lives. If one stands up and is counted, from time to time one may get knocked down. But remember this: a man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good."

To learn more about how to live in Babylon, make sure and check out episode one of Life in Babylon.