Topic: SERVE: Announcing the Kingdom

Three Portraits. One Mission. Missions Sunday.

When faced with the options of welcoming the siren song, withdrawing from the fight by stuffing up his ears, or conquering through violent power and might, he chose to offer up a more beautiful song. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

Sometimes we sing “this world is not my home.” Other times we sing “This is my Father’s world.” Which is it? The answer, of course, is “yes.” This is an important truth when discussing how to engage culture. And it helps us adopt the role of “witness.”

The kingdom of God grow in the midst of the kingdoms of the world. The kingdom of God can be found in every country, consisting of those of every tribe, tongue, and nation. Think about the implications of this. Let’s learn the politics of Jesus.

In AD 150, a letter to Diognetus claims that Christians deny the Greek gods, eschew greed, remain faithful in marriage, and welcome persecution. They respond to abuse with love. This is the church before the watching world. Or is it?

Freed Hardeman University Bible Lectureship 2023. Niebuhr’s attempt to trace 5 avenues for Christian engagement with culture remain helpful at the descriptive level. But knowledge is only half the battle. Wisdom is the other. Descriptive work becomes problematic when it assumes prescriptive work. In this speech, I suggest the time is always right for Christian engagement, but the various tactics ought to play a secondary role to the larger vision. Each avenue offers merits and perils. Regardless of the avenue to which one is inclined, I call for humility that leads to deeper wisdom, theological awareness that leads to a broader perspective, and courageous action that leads to a faithful story.

Corinth was an ideal place for a speaker with a message. There was one catch. People came to hear a speak, not to received a message. Paul, called by a crucified and resurrected Lord, embracing the counter-cultural message of the cross, defied all expectation. He determined to be a “know nothing” preacher. To know nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified. This is Paul’s mission statement in Corinth (1 Cor 2:2), and my mission at West Side.