WEBVTT 00:00:09.480 --> 00:00:14.320 Welcome to ECB's weekly sermon podcast. ECB is 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:16.600 an international church in Bangkok, Thailand, 00:00:16.760 --> 00:00:19.820 with dozens of nationalities worshiping together. 00:00:20.140 --> 00:00:23.000 We invite you to connect with us from wherever 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:27.239 you are through our website, ecb .asia, or our 00:00:27.239 --> 00:00:31.039 mobile app. And now we pray that you are blessed 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:35.380 by this week's sermon. Such a privilege and honor 00:00:35.380 --> 00:00:38.840 to be with you all. I've been following your 00:00:38.840 --> 00:00:41.420 community online for the last number of years, 00:00:41.460 --> 00:00:44.359 so it feels a bit surreal also for me to be here 00:00:44.359 --> 00:00:47.100 and to be with you. I bring you greetings from 00:00:47.100 --> 00:00:51.159 God's favorite city in Asia, of Hong Kong. It 00:00:51.159 --> 00:00:54.840 is true, the truth hurts sometimes. When Jesus 00:00:54.840 --> 00:00:57.159 returns, he will not be returning to Jerusalem. 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:00.380 He will return to Hong Kong. That is very clear. 00:01:00.380 --> 00:01:03.859 It's in Revelations. I want to start by sharing 00:01:03.859 --> 00:01:06.760 a little bit about my story and my background, 00:01:06.920 --> 00:01:10.219 like Pastor Phil said. At the age of 25, I worked 00:01:10.219 --> 00:01:12.120 for an international investment bank, an American 00:01:12.120 --> 00:01:14.579 investment bank, based in our Hong Kong office. 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:17.359 but a lot of my clients were based in Tokyo, 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:19.739 and so I would travel up to Japan quite regularly 00:01:19.739 --> 00:01:21.980 to work for a couple of weeks with my colleagues 00:01:21.980 --> 00:01:24.140 in Japan. On this one particular trip, at the 00:01:24.140 --> 00:01:26.700 age of 25, I show up on this particular day, 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:30.280 and my boss says, oh, your colleague, she's sick 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:32.500 today, so you're going to need to replace her 00:01:32.500 --> 00:01:35.579 in this meeting that she was going to take, and 00:01:35.579 --> 00:01:38.219 the meeting's in about an hour's time, and the 00:01:38.219 --> 00:01:42.420 meeting is with the top four bankers for our 00:01:42.420 --> 00:01:46.469 bank in the whole of Asia. Now, I'm 25 years 00:01:46.469 --> 00:01:48.969 old. By that point, I knew nothing really about 00:01:48.969 --> 00:01:51.790 banking and finance. And here I am going into 00:01:51.790 --> 00:01:54.670 a meeting solo representing my department in 00:01:54.670 --> 00:01:57.030 front of four of the biggest bankers in Asia. 00:01:57.170 --> 00:02:00.989 These men were feared and revered. Everybody 00:02:00.989 --> 00:02:03.590 knew them. Everybody knew the kind of lifestyle 00:02:03.590 --> 00:02:05.689 they lived, the kind of way that they worked. 00:02:06.640 --> 00:02:10.039 Pretty strong, powerful individuals. And suddenly, 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:13.099 in an hour's time, I'm thrust into a meeting 00:02:13.099 --> 00:02:16.599 with these people. I wasn't prepared. Have you 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:18.500 ever been in a meeting where you're the dumbest 00:02:18.500 --> 00:02:21.560 person in the room? Anyone? If not, you need 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:25.419 a new job. So I'm pretty worried. I'm sweaty. 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:28.259 I'm like, my heart rate is going crazy. I decide 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:30.300 to get to the meeting super early. Like that's 00:02:30.300 --> 00:02:31.939 the right thing to do in a meeting like that, 00:02:31.939 --> 00:02:33.500 right? You do not want to be late to these men. 00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:35.819 So I get there like 10 minutes early and I walk 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:38.080 into the room and it's this massive conference 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:39.599 room. There's only supposed to be five of us 00:02:39.599 --> 00:02:41.340 in this meeting. There's this massive conference 00:02:41.340 --> 00:02:44.520 room. There's a huge conference table right in 00:02:44.520 --> 00:02:47.340 front. And I'm like, where do I sit on this table, 00:02:47.439 --> 00:02:49.620 right? Like that's the first challenge. Where 00:02:49.620 --> 00:02:51.979 do I sit on this table where when they come in, 00:02:52.039 --> 00:02:53.340 everybody, It's going to meet each other. It's 00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:55.000 going to be great. So I decide I'm going to sit 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:56.620 in the middle of the table, right? That seems 00:02:56.620 --> 00:02:58.460 to be the obvious place. Sit in the middle. When 00:02:58.460 --> 00:03:00.259 they come in, we'll all gather around the middle. 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:02.780 So I'm sat there for about 10 minutes. Sure enough, 00:03:02.860 --> 00:03:04.979 right on time, the doors open and these four 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:07.840 men walk in. They're chatting to each other because 00:03:07.840 --> 00:03:10.419 they know each other super well. They're chatting 00:03:10.419 --> 00:03:13.039 in loud voices. They're chatting with the kind 00:03:13.039 --> 00:03:15.560 of bravado and confidence that really wealthy, 00:03:15.680 --> 00:03:19.139 powerful people kind of talk in. And I'm sitting 00:03:19.139 --> 00:03:20.800 there just kind of like looking at them. They 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:23.840 walk in. They totally ignore me. They go to the 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.159 farthest end of the conference table away from 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:28.580 where I am. The four of them sit there and they 00:03:28.580 --> 00:03:31.300 just keep talking to each other. And so I'm sitting 00:03:31.300 --> 00:03:34.159 there kind of feeling like super awkward, right? 00:03:34.340 --> 00:03:36.319 And they're chatting for like another couple 00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:38.539 of minutes. And then eventually one of them looks 00:03:38.539 --> 00:03:41.620 up and it's almost like he notices me for the 00:03:41.620 --> 00:03:44.500 first time. And he looks up and he goes, who 00:03:44.500 --> 00:03:47.539 are you? Not a great way to start a meeting, 00:03:47.639 --> 00:03:52.520 right? Like, who are you? I'm like, I'm Andrew. 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:58.560 I'm Miko's replacement. well today, so I'm in 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:01.879 this meeting with you today. All four of them 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:08.500 stare at me for about that long. And then they 00:04:08.500 --> 00:04:11.699 turn together and they start talking again, totally 00:04:11.699 --> 00:04:14.159 ignoring me. And I don't know what to do. Do 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:16.339 I butt into the conversation? Do I move up the 00:04:16.339 --> 00:04:18.899 seats? I'm not sure what to do. So I'm just sitting 00:04:18.899 --> 00:04:21.079 there, super awkward, listening to their conversation. 00:04:21.139 --> 00:04:23.579 Now, fascinating. Their conversation had nothing 00:04:23.579 --> 00:04:25.240 to do with the meeting at all. But they were 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:27.699 talking about the state of the world. In particular, 00:04:27.819 --> 00:04:29.339 they were talking about the state of humanity. 00:04:30.019 --> 00:04:32.339 Fascinating. And I realized as I was listening 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:34.220 in that they were debating the state of humanity. 00:04:34.399 --> 00:04:36.480 And two of them had one perspective and the other 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:38.600 two had a different perspective. Two of them 00:04:38.600 --> 00:04:41.680 were arguing basically that humanity is essentially 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:45.079 sick and in need of a doctor. And that if we 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:47.399 can work out what's wrong with the human condition, 00:04:47.660 --> 00:04:49.959 we might be able to kind of work out the ways 00:04:49.959 --> 00:04:51.819 in which humanity can get better, and then maybe 00:04:51.819 --> 00:04:55.060 the world will thrive more. The other two were 00:04:55.060 --> 00:04:58.040 arguing, no, humanity is essentially well. Like, 00:04:58.040 --> 00:05:00.379 humanity's fine. We're resourced. We're smart. 00:05:00.500 --> 00:05:03.879 We're good. What humanity needs to thrive is 00:05:03.879 --> 00:05:06.540 opportunity. So they're having this debate, the 00:05:06.540 --> 00:05:08.540 four of them back and forth. Humanity is sick. 00:05:08.699 --> 00:05:10.500 Humanity is well. Humanity is sick. Humanity 00:05:10.500 --> 00:05:12.300 is well. I'm just sitting there listening to 00:05:12.300 --> 00:05:14.680 it. After about, and I kid you not, about seven 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:17.399 minutes of this debate, one of them turns to 00:05:17.399 --> 00:05:20.860 me and he goes, Miko's replacement. Doesn't even 00:05:20.860 --> 00:05:23.800 say Andrew, right? Miko's replacement. He's like, 00:05:23.860 --> 00:05:26.899 what do you think? Do you think that humanity 00:05:26.899 --> 00:05:29.660 is essentially sick and in need of a doctor? 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:33.420 Or is humanity well and just needs opportunity? 00:05:34.560 --> 00:05:38.500 all four of them stare at me. This is about the 00:05:38.500 --> 00:05:40.500 worst situation that you could possibly be in. 00:05:40.879 --> 00:05:42.939 Because think about it for a second. Because 00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:44.980 no matter how I answer them, I'm going to upset 00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:47.279 at least two of them, right? Because if I go 00:05:47.279 --> 00:05:49.199 with one, the other two is going to go with it. 00:05:49.399 --> 00:05:52.040 And so I'm like, I'm backed into a corner here. 00:05:52.139 --> 00:05:53.660 I don't know what to do. And so I'm thinking 00:05:53.660 --> 00:05:55.680 about this. I'm kind of like catastrophizing 00:05:55.680 --> 00:05:57.920 the scenario in my head. As I'm thinking about 00:05:57.920 --> 00:06:00.800 it, the Holy Spirit speaks to me. And here's 00:06:00.800 --> 00:06:03.160 what the Holy Spirit says. The Holy Spirit says, 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:07.459 Andrew, How would the Apostle Paul answer that 00:06:07.459 --> 00:06:12.620 question? I wonder if you've ever been in a situation 00:06:12.620 --> 00:06:15.240 where you didn't want Jesus to speak to you. 00:06:15.300 --> 00:06:17.019 Anyone in that situation ever been in one of 00:06:17.019 --> 00:06:19.759 those? I'm like, I don't know if I want to wrestle 00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:21.959 with this right now. Like, Jesus, could you just 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:24.379 go away for a little bit, please? I'll go back 00:06:24.379 --> 00:06:27.720 to being a Christian after this meeting. But 00:06:27.720 --> 00:06:30.920 I thought to myself, if I tell these guys, the 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:33.439 four most powerful bankers in our company, if 00:06:33.439 --> 00:06:36.879 I tell them what Paul thinks about that question, 00:06:37.180 --> 00:06:39.699 they are definitely going to fire me. I will 00:06:39.699 --> 00:06:41.959 lose my income and my wife will probably divorce 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:45.639 me. I'm like totally spinning in the head. But 00:06:45.639 --> 00:06:47.699 the Holy Spirit doesn't give up. The Holy Spirit 00:06:47.699 --> 00:06:51.319 says, Andrew, if you really believe what Paul 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:58.709 taught, then you should say so. So I lean in 00:06:58.709 --> 00:07:00.709 on the table. All four of them are still looking 00:07:00.709 --> 00:07:06.810 at me. And I said, I think there's a third way. 00:07:07.430 --> 00:07:09.810 I actually don't believe that humanity is sick 00:07:09.810 --> 00:07:13.050 and in need of a doctor. I don't believe humanity 00:07:13.050 --> 00:07:15.829 is well and just needs opportunity. I believe 00:07:15.829 --> 00:07:19.290 that humanity is dead and in need of resurrection. 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:25.439 That was exactly their response. They all just 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:29.779 stared at me for like awkward amount of time. 00:07:30.459 --> 00:07:32.180 And then they turned back to each other and just 00:07:32.180 --> 00:07:33.720 started talking. And for the next 45 minutes, 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:36.480 totally ignored me in the room. I think they 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:38.759 must have thought I was some religious fanatic, 00:07:38.899 --> 00:07:41.620 some crazy guy. They just ignored me basically. 00:07:41.779 --> 00:07:43.879 And I'm sitting there and I realized for the 00:07:43.879 --> 00:07:45.879 first time in my life that I'm actually feeling 00:07:45.879 --> 00:07:49.540 what Paul had taught in the scriptures. I knew 00:07:49.540 --> 00:07:52.560 at that point that my career was dead and desperately 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:56.540 in need of resurrection. You may also realize 00:07:56.540 --> 00:07:59.019 that today I'm no longer a banker. I'm a pastor. 00:08:00.540 --> 00:08:08.720 Yeah. That's my story. When I said earlier that 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:10.920 it's an honor to be with you today, I wasn't 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:12.540 just meaning that it's an honor to be in this 00:08:12.540 --> 00:08:14.339 room and be a part of this community for the 00:08:14.339 --> 00:08:17.060 day. I meant actually that it's an honor to stand 00:08:17.060 --> 00:08:19.620 before you today in such a moment of history 00:08:19.620 --> 00:08:22.480 as the one that we are in. I don't know if you've 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:24.819 been feeling it lately, but the world is in a 00:08:24.819 --> 00:08:27.480 pretty desperate place. I believe that we're 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:30.779 in a time in global society where the world is 00:08:30.779 --> 00:08:34.620 more divided, more hostile, more broken, more 00:08:34.620 --> 00:08:37.720 wars, more pain, more hurt than perhaps we've 00:08:37.720 --> 00:08:41.120 seen in our own lifetimes. And it feels to me 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:44.360 that this grand story that we as Christians hold, 00:08:44.480 --> 00:08:47.899 this story of death and resurrection, a story 00:08:47.899 --> 00:08:51.259 of life breaking into the most broken of places, 00:08:51.340 --> 00:08:54.179 is a story that this world desperately needs 00:08:54.179 --> 00:08:57.899 to hear. And I sort of feel that we as the church 00:08:57.899 --> 00:09:00.919 in Asia, we're at an inflection point for the 00:09:00.919 --> 00:09:04.820 gospel. That I think that if we as the Christians 00:09:04.820 --> 00:09:08.179 here are holding this narrative that can say 00:09:08.179 --> 00:09:09.940 something to the darkness and the hurting and 00:09:09.940 --> 00:09:11.860 the brokenness and the structures of injustice 00:09:11.860 --> 00:09:15.120 in our world, then surely now more than ever 00:09:15.120 --> 00:09:18.919 is our time to rise. Now more than ever is our 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:21.379 time to shine. But here's what I've noticed as 00:09:21.379 --> 00:09:23.159 I've traveled around Asia and speaking in different 00:09:23.159 --> 00:09:25.580 contexts. I've noticed that our church in this 00:09:25.580 --> 00:09:27.220 part of the world, and I'll put my church into 00:09:27.220 --> 00:09:30.059 this category as well. I think our churches are 00:09:30.059 --> 00:09:32.960 struggling because we are, as we've emerged from 00:09:32.960 --> 00:09:35.659 COVID, I think the temptation is for us to just 00:09:35.659 --> 00:09:39.429 kind of stay insular. Just kind of like rebirth 00:09:39.429 --> 00:09:41.649 the gatherings and get everything going well 00:09:41.649 --> 00:09:43.909 again and just kind of like focus on our healing 00:09:43.909 --> 00:09:46.389 and our restoration. And I think church in general 00:09:46.389 --> 00:09:50.409 is being very inward thinking and not very external 00:09:50.409 --> 00:09:53.570 focused. And I think because of this, what I 00:09:53.570 --> 00:09:56.149 would say is that the greatest danger that I 00:09:56.149 --> 00:10:00.590 think faces the Asian church today is the privatization 00:10:00.590 --> 00:10:05.279 of faith. I think our greatest danger. Is that 00:10:05.279 --> 00:10:07.440 we would gather in moments like this and in rooms 00:10:07.440 --> 00:10:10.440 like this as wonderful as this is. And have an 00:10:10.440 --> 00:10:12.419 amazing time worshipping, an amazing time hearing 00:10:12.419 --> 00:10:14.399 the word, amazing time being ministered through 00:10:14.399 --> 00:10:18.480 prayer and not bothering to do anything. To bring 00:10:18.480 --> 00:10:20.779 anything of that into the places and the spheres 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:25.179 of influence where God has planted us. The privatization 00:10:25.179 --> 00:10:27.480 of my faith, just making it something personal 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:29.820 and private and something that's good for me. 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:31.399 It may not be good for anyone else, but it's 00:10:31.399 --> 00:10:33.899 kind of me. I'm going to do me. You do you. That 00:10:33.899 --> 00:10:40.559 kind of approach is desperately hurting a world 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:43.059 that is desperately hurting. Are you with me? 00:10:43.539 --> 00:10:45.740 And I think we're at this inflection point for 00:10:45.740 --> 00:10:48.399 the gospel in Asia. And I think the Holy Spirit 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:50.720 is asking the church in Asia some pretty strong 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:54.289 questions right now. Are we going to be the bold 00:10:54.289 --> 00:10:58.029 and central voice of faith, hope, and love to 00:10:58.029 --> 00:11:01.269 a world that desperately needs it? Or are we 00:11:01.269 --> 00:11:04.750 going to shrink back into the safety of our own 00:11:04.750 --> 00:11:08.809 self -preservation and self -concerns? Will the 00:11:08.809 --> 00:11:12.730 church stand up and stand out? Or will we shrink 00:11:12.730 --> 00:11:16.909 back and fade out? Or I think most importantly, 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:20.759 Will the church be bold to live out the gospel 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:25.620 as it was always called to be? Or will we settle 00:11:25.620 --> 00:11:28.659 for a compromised version of the gospel that 00:11:28.659 --> 00:11:31.559 might keep our lights on in our buildings, but 00:11:31.559 --> 00:11:37.100 diminishes our light in the public square? Some 00:11:37.100 --> 00:11:40.059 challenging thoughts. And it's because of this 00:11:40.059 --> 00:11:42.159 that Pastor Pablo and the team here have come 00:11:42.159 --> 00:11:43.899 up with this new sermon series for you over the 00:11:43.899 --> 00:11:47.500 next number of weeks, Jesus in all of life. Because 00:11:47.500 --> 00:11:49.879 we desperately need Jesus for Christians to be 00:11:49.879 --> 00:11:53.460 in all of life and not just for 75 minutes on 00:11:53.460 --> 00:11:55.980 a Sunday. I don't know about you, but when I 00:11:55.980 --> 00:11:58.139 wake up in the morning, man, I take a deep breath 00:11:58.139 --> 00:12:00.679 before I open up my social media or look on the 00:12:00.679 --> 00:12:03.700 news sites. That sense of, man, this world is 00:12:03.700 --> 00:12:06.379 just kind of spinning out of control right now. 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:09.460 And when we're living in a time like this, I 00:12:09.460 --> 00:12:13.419 think the Lord asks us personally. A very important 00:12:13.419 --> 00:12:16.159 question, the answer to which I think not only 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:18.159 sets the direction of the global church for the 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:20.840 future, but also sets the direction of the world. 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:26.220 Here's the question. What should we do as Christians 00:12:26.220 --> 00:12:31.700 when the world has gone crazy? I wonder if you 00:12:31.700 --> 00:12:33.940 feel like the world has kind of gone crazy lately. 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:38.080 What should we do as Christians when the world 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:42.570 seems to be spinning out of control? Now, while 00:12:42.570 --> 00:12:44.330 I think that this is the most important question 00:12:44.330 --> 00:12:47.450 that faces the global church right now, it's 00:12:47.450 --> 00:12:49.110 interesting because this is not the first time 00:12:49.110 --> 00:12:50.929 the church has had to wrestle with this question. 00:12:51.629 --> 00:12:53.409 In fact, if you look through history, you'll 00:12:53.409 --> 00:12:55.850 see that the church, through its own history 00:12:55.850 --> 00:12:58.250 for 2 ,000 years, has had to wrestle profoundly 00:12:58.250 --> 00:13:00.429 with this question. What do we do when the world 00:13:00.429 --> 00:13:02.570 seems to be spinning out of control, when the 00:13:02.570 --> 00:13:05.879 world has gone crazy? I want to suggest to you 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:07.899 this morning that through church history, we've 00:13:07.899 --> 00:13:11.360 seen largely four responses from the global church 00:13:11.360 --> 00:13:14.279 over 2 ,000 years to answer this question. The 00:13:14.279 --> 00:13:17.299 first one would be this, escape. What do we do 00:13:17.299 --> 00:13:19.399 when the world's going crazy? Let's just pray 00:13:19.399 --> 00:13:22.480 and hope that we can get out of it. The idea 00:13:22.480 --> 00:13:24.820 here is that the world represented by this box 00:13:24.820 --> 00:13:29.720 is dark and sinful and broken. And we Christians, 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:33.690 we're here. But here's our one great hope. that 00:13:33.690 --> 00:13:37.450 one day we will be out of this all. That one 00:13:37.450 --> 00:13:40.269 day we might bungee jump out of here and reconnect 00:13:40.269 --> 00:13:43.289 with God on a cloud somewhere singing Kumbaya. 00:13:43.429 --> 00:13:46.769 Like we do not want anything to do with this 00:13:46.769 --> 00:13:50.610 place. The second response that I think we've 00:13:50.610 --> 00:13:52.490 seen in church history is one that I would call 00:13:52.490 --> 00:13:56.370 insulate. This is the one where we look at Jesus' 00:13:56.549 --> 00:13:58.269 word and we take it seriously. And what did Jesus 00:13:58.269 --> 00:14:00.889 say? He says, I want you to be in the world, 00:14:00.909 --> 00:14:06.620 but... Come on ECB. Not of the world. And so 00:14:06.620 --> 00:14:09.179 here we are. We are in the world. Our great hope 00:14:09.179 --> 00:14:11.620 is not to escape this place. We've been planted 00:14:11.620 --> 00:14:13.320 in this world. But here's what we need to do. 00:14:13.379 --> 00:14:16.580 We need to insulate ourselves from the nastiness 00:14:16.580 --> 00:14:19.879 that's around us. We need to retreat from the 00:14:19.879 --> 00:14:22.539 world. We're in it. But we just need to insulate 00:14:22.539 --> 00:14:25.899 ourselves. Kind of wall ourselves away from that 00:14:25.899 --> 00:14:27.940 sin and that brokenness and the culture around 00:14:27.940 --> 00:14:30.679 us. And so this is what we do. We Christianize 00:14:30.679 --> 00:14:33.960 everything. We go to church as much as possible 00:14:33.960 --> 00:14:35.620 because church is the only place that's holy. 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:39.039 We then create Christian movies and Christian 00:14:39.039 --> 00:14:41.320 music and Christian clothes. I will only put 00:14:41.320 --> 00:14:43.120 on this piece of clothes in the morning if somebody 00:14:43.120 --> 00:14:47.519 has prayed over it. And we wall ourselves off 00:14:47.519 --> 00:14:51.559 from the nasty world around us. The third response 00:14:51.559 --> 00:14:54.600 is one that I would say is called control. In 00:14:54.600 --> 00:14:57.379 this response, the world is dark, horrible. Terrible. 00:14:57.399 --> 00:14:59.379 But here's the great Christian hope. We're going 00:14:59.379 --> 00:15:03.139 to Christianize everything in the world. Now, 00:15:03.179 --> 00:15:06.379 on the surface, that sounds like a great thing. 00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:08.340 Like, isn't that really what Jesus wants? Everybody 00:15:08.340 --> 00:15:12.620 to come to know Him. But in the control model, 00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:15.000 what happens is that the church goes about that, 00:15:15.059 --> 00:15:17.559 Christians go about that, in ways that I would 00:15:17.559 --> 00:15:20.850 argue are not gospel. Gospel being this beautiful 00:15:20.850 --> 00:15:24.570 idea of a ground up, this organic work of being 00:15:24.570 --> 00:15:27.090 yeast and dough. But the control method is how 00:15:27.090 --> 00:15:31.230 do we run this thing from the top down? So we 00:15:31.230 --> 00:15:32.669 just need to get Christian presidents, Christian 00:15:32.669 --> 00:15:35.029 prime ministers, Christian politicians. We need 00:15:35.029 --> 00:15:36.970 to have Christian government. If we can just 00:15:36.970 --> 00:15:40.210 legislate the kingdom of God, everything would 00:15:40.210 --> 00:15:43.909 be alright. And in its worst expressions, this 00:15:43.909 --> 00:15:46.929 becomes worldly power dressed in Christian clothes. 00:15:49.200 --> 00:15:53.659 The last one is this idea of conform. So the 00:15:53.659 --> 00:15:55.259 world is dark and bad and horrible. And yes, 00:15:55.299 --> 00:15:58.019 I'm a Christian and I have my views on things. 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:00.600 But ultimately, I don't want to upset people. 00:16:00.720 --> 00:16:03.980 I don't want to push my views on anyone else. 00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:07.940 I'm actually willing to try to serve everybody. 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:11.299 So I'm just going to kind of conform to the culture 00:16:11.299 --> 00:16:13.700 around me. I'm just going to try to play my part 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:16.460 and hope that everything's all right. And so 00:16:16.460 --> 00:16:21.299 we conform. The beauty of the gospel to this 00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:25.000 standard of the world. So I want you to take 00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:27.000 a look at all four of these things right here. 00:16:27.139 --> 00:16:29.820 And here's a couple of reflections for us. The 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:32.340 first one is this. I don't know about you, but 00:16:32.340 --> 00:16:35.159 I recognize myself in all four of these things. 00:16:35.559 --> 00:16:37.620 Like I know what it is to be tempted to want 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:40.629 to escape the darkness. I know what it is to 00:16:40.629 --> 00:16:43.409 want to insulate myself, to want to try to control 00:16:43.409 --> 00:16:46.649 my environment, to wanting to try to kind of 00:16:46.649 --> 00:16:49.289 conform to the things around me. I see myself 00:16:49.289 --> 00:16:51.590 in all of these. And here's the challenge I want 00:16:51.590 --> 00:16:53.809 to bring you right at the start here. I want 00:16:53.809 --> 00:16:56.750 you to think about in your context, in your part 00:16:56.750 --> 00:16:58.490 of the world right now, as you see the world 00:16:58.490 --> 00:17:00.690 spinning out of control, which of these four 00:17:00.690 --> 00:17:04.990 perhaps represents your kind of default position, 00:17:05.269 --> 00:17:07.450 the one that you might find yourself falling 00:17:07.450 --> 00:17:12.210 into? The second thing I want us to reflect on 00:17:12.210 --> 00:17:14.869 is that three quarters of these, three of the 00:17:14.869 --> 00:17:17.809 four, are actually about the privatization of 00:17:17.809 --> 00:17:21.369 faith. Escape, insulate, conform. It's about 00:17:21.369 --> 00:17:24.549 how do I get away from this horrible, nasty world 00:17:24.549 --> 00:17:27.150 and how do I begin to just kind of like, you 00:17:27.150 --> 00:17:28.990 know, insulate myself, kind of cut it all off, 00:17:29.009 --> 00:17:31.930 be private with my faith and not be the very 00:17:31.930 --> 00:17:34.930 thing that Christ has called us to be, bringing 00:17:34.930 --> 00:17:39.490 our hope and our love to the world. And when 00:17:39.490 --> 00:17:42.230 you see these four responses, I think the challenge 00:17:42.230 --> 00:17:44.650 is that through church history, this has marked 00:17:44.650 --> 00:17:49.250 us as a church in not a very nice way. Dietrich 00:17:49.250 --> 00:17:52.329 Bonhoeffer, that great Christian theologian and 00:17:52.329 --> 00:17:56.950 pastor, writing at a time of Nazi Germany, seeing 00:17:56.950 --> 00:18:02.910 the church escape, insulate, and conform, and 00:18:02.910 --> 00:18:05.789 at times even try to control. he writes these 00:18:05.789 --> 00:18:08.930 prophetic words. He says, any community of Jesus 00:18:08.930 --> 00:18:12.410 which wants to be invisible or dominant is no 00:18:12.410 --> 00:18:17.170 longer a community that follows him. And when 00:18:17.170 --> 00:18:19.470 we sit in that reality, here's what we should 00:18:19.470 --> 00:18:22.309 be asking ourselves. There has to be a better 00:18:22.309 --> 00:18:25.509 way. Like there's got to be another way that 00:18:25.509 --> 00:18:27.809 we think about this, what it means for us to 00:18:27.809 --> 00:18:29.750 live in this world. It can't be the four things 00:18:29.750 --> 00:18:33.390 that we've seen. There's got to be a better way. 00:18:35.589 --> 00:18:38.349 There is this moment in Jesus' ministry where 00:18:38.349 --> 00:18:42.369 I think he offers us one. And in this moment, 00:18:42.470 --> 00:18:45.130 he's got his disciples around him and he's teaching 00:18:45.130 --> 00:18:47.769 them. And he's teaching them about this idea 00:18:47.769 --> 00:18:51.549 of faith in all of life. And I think what Jesus 00:18:51.549 --> 00:18:53.470 says in this moment has something significant 00:18:53.470 --> 00:18:55.609 to say about all areas of our lives. But particularly 00:18:55.609 --> 00:18:58.549 about the workplace. About the very place that 00:18:58.549 --> 00:19:00.690 most of us in this room are planted in. Whether 00:19:00.690 --> 00:19:03.190 that's a school. or education institution, whether 00:19:03.190 --> 00:19:06.029 marketplace, whether business, whatever it might 00:19:06.029 --> 00:19:09.289 be. But what Jesus says in this moment shapes 00:19:09.289 --> 00:19:13.170 something about how we consider our work environments. 00:19:14.049 --> 00:19:16.170 To understand that, let me just step back a little 00:19:16.170 --> 00:19:19.930 bit. Work has always been central to God's plan 00:19:19.930 --> 00:19:24.269 for the flourishing of His creation. You go to 00:19:24.269 --> 00:19:26.829 Genesis 1 and 2 to see the way in which the Holy 00:19:26.829 --> 00:19:29.589 Spirit, the way that the Lord has created work 00:19:29.589 --> 00:19:32.299 for humanity. And in the creation narrative of 00:19:32.299 --> 00:19:34.039 Genesis 1 and 2, you see the pinnacle of that 00:19:34.039 --> 00:19:37.400 creation being the creation of us. Humanity made 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:41.059 in the image of God. And you see in Genesis 1 00:19:41.059 --> 00:19:44.000 and 2 that God creates two rhythms for human 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:47.019 flourishing. These are the rhythms of work and 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:50.940 the rhythms of rest. Interestingly, we often 00:19:50.940 --> 00:19:53.240 think about it as like we work and then we rest. 00:19:53.400 --> 00:19:55.920 But when Jesus creates, or when God creates in 00:19:55.920 --> 00:19:59.200 Genesis 1 and 2, here's what happens. Night happens 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:02.630 first. Then day, the first day. Then there was 00:20:02.630 --> 00:20:05.190 night. Then there was day, the second day. In 00:20:05.190 --> 00:20:09.569 other words, rest precedes work. Most of us work, 00:20:09.609 --> 00:20:11.910 work, work, work, and then we exhaust ourselves 00:20:11.910 --> 00:20:15.049 or fall exhausted into vacation. But the way 00:20:15.049 --> 00:20:17.470 that God has created it is that work should be 00:20:17.470 --> 00:20:19.650 the place that we launch ourselves from. Sorry, 00:20:19.710 --> 00:20:21.890 rest should be the place that we launch ourselves 00:20:21.890 --> 00:20:26.759 from. We work out of rest, not into rest. But 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:29.940 this important idea of work becomes a stable 00:20:29.940 --> 00:20:32.619 part of what it means for the human flourishing 00:20:32.619 --> 00:20:35.940 of life. Let me actually read to you how the 00:20:35.940 --> 00:20:37.859 scriptures put it, because I think this is really 00:20:37.859 --> 00:20:42.279 key for us. Notice in Genesis 1, it says this, 00:20:42.480 --> 00:20:45.720 Then the Lord God said, So God created humanity, 00:20:45.740 --> 00:20:48.859 or man, in his own image. In the image of God 00:20:48.859 --> 00:21:06.069 he created him, male and female he created. This 00:21:06.069 --> 00:21:09.450 is fascinating because right here in the moment 00:21:09.450 --> 00:21:12.630 of our creation, God immediately gives us our 00:21:12.630 --> 00:21:17.289 purpose. Our work, if you will. To go into creation. 00:21:18.480 --> 00:21:21.799 And the words here we struggle with as Christians, 00:21:21.859 --> 00:21:25.160 subdue and rule. It sounds very kind of control 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:28.359 -like from the top down. But actually, if you 00:21:28.359 --> 00:21:30.700 read this verse in the broader context of the 00:21:30.700 --> 00:21:33.099 creation narrative of Genesis 1 and 2, you can 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:35.759 see it in a slightly different light. Throughout 00:21:35.759 --> 00:21:39.220 the narrative creation story, what you see is 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:41.420 the Holy Spirit involved in creation, taking 00:21:41.420 --> 00:21:45.180 something that is formless, giving it form. And 00:21:45.180 --> 00:21:47.559 bringing it into fullness. So the Holy Spirit 00:21:47.559 --> 00:21:49.900 hovers over the formlessness and the darkness 00:21:49.900 --> 00:21:52.960 of creation. Jesus speaks the word. Let there 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:57.039 be light. And light comes. Formlessness to form 00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:00.980 to fullness. This is very much the creation narrative 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:03.880 for us as humanity. God takes the formlessness 00:22:03.880 --> 00:22:07.519 of the dirt. Creates the shape of man. The form 00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:10.480 of man. And then breathes the spirit into man. 00:22:10.660 --> 00:22:14.930 Bringing man to life. His fullness. And now, 00:22:14.930 --> 00:22:17.829 in the primary purpose of what humanity has been 00:22:17.829 --> 00:22:20.930 called to, God now takes that same process and 00:22:20.930 --> 00:22:23.910 now puts it in our hands. He says, I want you 00:22:23.910 --> 00:22:27.730 now to go into creation and create and grow and 00:22:27.730 --> 00:22:30.150 flourish that creation in the way that I have 00:22:30.150 --> 00:22:32.009 created you. I want you to take things that are 00:22:32.009 --> 00:22:34.750 formless, give them form, and bring them into 00:22:34.750 --> 00:22:36.829 fullness. I want you to take all of the creation 00:22:36.829 --> 00:22:39.170 that I've given you and enable it to be a place 00:22:39.170 --> 00:22:41.690 of wonderful flourishing. I love the video from 00:22:41.690 --> 00:22:46.460 Tool. Taking old, broken down buildings and bringing 00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:51.059 them to new life. That's Genesis 1 and 2. That's 00:22:51.059 --> 00:22:53.420 the call that is on humanity to go into this 00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:55.740 world and help it to flourish. So much so that 00:22:55.740 --> 00:22:59.119 on the seventh day, God rests and he looks over 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:01.319 creation. He says, this is the way that I've 00:23:01.319 --> 00:23:05.170 made it to be. Everything, shalom. Just the way 00:23:05.170 --> 00:23:07.990 it was intended to be. What an honor it is for 00:23:07.990 --> 00:23:12.190 humanity to work in order that creation would 00:23:12.190 --> 00:23:16.170 flourish. Are you following this? Now, then Genesis 00:23:16.170 --> 00:23:19.390 3 happens. And then sin comes into the equation. 00:23:19.609 --> 00:23:21.289 Adam and Eve choosing to take of the fruit that 00:23:21.289 --> 00:23:23.750 they should not. And what happens to work? It's 00:23:23.750 --> 00:23:26.660 immediately cursed. And actually God speaks over 00:23:26.660 --> 00:23:28.759 Adam and he says your work now is going to be 00:23:28.759 --> 00:23:31.559 toil and hardship and suffering. It's going to 00:23:31.559 --> 00:23:33.940 feel like you're sitting as a 25 year old in 00:23:33.940 --> 00:23:36.220 front of four very powerful men and you're an 00:23:36.220 --> 00:23:40.519 absolute nobody and you want to die. Or in whatever 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:44.660 context that might resonate with you. Work becomes 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:47.440 a place of toil and struggle and hardship. But 00:23:47.440 --> 00:23:50.210 we Christians have a better story. We have a 00:23:50.210 --> 00:23:52.589 story of redemption and salvation in Jesus Christ, 00:23:52.730 --> 00:23:54.910 that through his death and resurrection we enter 00:23:54.910 --> 00:23:57.650 into our own. That because of our sin we are 00:23:57.650 --> 00:24:00.410 dead, as Paul says, but now we have been made 00:24:00.410 --> 00:24:03.490 new, new creations. The old is gone, the new 00:24:03.490 --> 00:24:06.789 has come. So for Christians, our story is a story 00:24:06.789 --> 00:24:08.910 of redemption, not just about the redemption 00:24:08.910 --> 00:24:12.430 of our relationship with Jesus, but also the 00:24:12.430 --> 00:24:14.529 redemption of all of the broken narratives from 00:24:14.529 --> 00:24:17.690 Genesis 3 about Genesis 1 and 2. Think about 00:24:17.690 --> 00:24:21.000 it this way. When we're saved, we're not just 00:24:21.000 --> 00:24:23.599 saved back into right relationship with Jesus, 00:24:23.799 --> 00:24:27.400 we're saved back into right relationship with 00:24:27.400 --> 00:24:33.980 work. So, could it be that the way in which we 00:24:33.980 --> 00:24:37.740 now work as Christians might be the greatest 00:24:37.740 --> 00:24:41.339 way that we can reveal the saving gospel of Jesus 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:45.849 Christ? Isn't that a beautiful thought? All that 00:24:45.849 --> 00:24:48.890 is the background to this moment in Jesus' ministry. 00:24:49.490 --> 00:24:54.410 Where he offers us another way. A way that if 00:24:54.410 --> 00:24:57.990 we live like this, our workplaces might see the 00:24:57.990 --> 00:25:00.549 beauty and the wonder of the resurrection of 00:25:00.549 --> 00:25:03.650 Christ within it. So let me read these words 00:25:03.650 --> 00:25:06.289 to us. This is found in the Sermon of the Mount. 00:25:06.509 --> 00:25:09.890 Right towards the beginning of it. Where Jesus 00:25:09.890 --> 00:25:12.730 says a powerful thing about what it is to be 00:25:12.730 --> 00:25:15.890 followers of him in this world. Matthew 5, starting 00:25:15.890 --> 00:25:20.849 in verse 13. You are the salt of the earth. But 00:25:20.849 --> 00:25:23.150 if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be 00:25:23.150 --> 00:25:25.549 made salty again? For it is no longer good for 00:25:25.549 --> 00:25:27.910 anything except to be thrown out and trampled 00:25:27.910 --> 00:25:31.009 on by people. But you are the light of the world. 00:25:31.269 --> 00:25:34.170 A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do 00:25:34.170 --> 00:25:36.630 people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. 00:25:36.710 --> 00:25:39.410 No, instead they put it on its stand and it gives 00:25:39.410 --> 00:25:42.170 light to everyone in the house. So in the same 00:25:42.170 --> 00:25:46.109 way, let your light shine before all that they 00:25:46.109 --> 00:25:50.210 might see your good deeds and praise your Father 00:25:50.210 --> 00:25:53.289 in heaven. Jesus speaking to the crowds and the 00:25:53.289 --> 00:25:55.509 disciples around him says these beautiful metaphors, 00:25:55.529 --> 00:26:01.140 your salt, your light. Now, preachers have tried 00:26:01.140 --> 00:26:04.019 to make great, fantastic sermons out of what 00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:06.420 it means to be salt. And a lot of them pick up 00:26:06.420 --> 00:26:08.720 on more of the modern context of it than in its 00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:11.039 original context. I think when Jesus said that 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:12.940 the disciples were salt, he really only was thinking 00:26:12.940 --> 00:26:15.119 about three things. Let me share these with you 00:26:15.119 --> 00:26:17.920 because each of these are important for us. Because 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:20.859 salt in those days was really predominantly used 00:26:20.859 --> 00:26:23.640 in three ways. So when Jesus says this, this 00:26:23.640 --> 00:26:25.579 is what his context in the first century would 00:26:25.579 --> 00:26:28.720 have thought. First. Salt is incredibly valuable, 00:26:28.920 --> 00:26:31.539 inherently valuable in the first century. In 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:34.640 fact, it was so valuable that quite often Roman 00:26:34.640 --> 00:26:37.119 soldiers were not paid in money, they were paid 00:26:37.119 --> 00:26:41.140 in salt. That was known in the Greek as salarium, 00:26:41.299 --> 00:26:43.799 which is where we get the modern word salary 00:26:43.799 --> 00:26:47.539 from. And I think when Jesus says to the disciples, 00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:49.880 you are salt of the earth, the first thing he 00:26:49.880 --> 00:26:52.140 wants them to understand is that there's an inherent 00:26:52.140 --> 00:26:55.140 value within them. That there is something that 00:26:55.140 --> 00:26:57.180 has been placed within them through the gospel 00:26:57.180 --> 00:27:00.680 that is inherently valuable to the world. I don't 00:27:00.680 --> 00:27:02.119 know about you, but there have been many times 00:27:02.119 --> 00:27:04.559 in my marketplace ministry where I never felt 00:27:04.559 --> 00:27:07.440 valuable. That I sat in those conference rooms 00:27:07.440 --> 00:27:08.940 and I was like, what am I doing here? Like, am 00:27:08.940 --> 00:27:11.119 I actually helping anyone? There can be this 00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:13.059 kind of thing that I think the enemy puts over 00:27:13.059 --> 00:27:15.440 us to make us think that when we're in the workplace 00:27:15.440 --> 00:27:18.119 that we don't have much value to bring. Jesus 00:27:18.119 --> 00:27:20.720 starts by saying, no, no, you are inherently 00:27:20.720 --> 00:27:23.450 valuable. That the same, Paul would write this 00:27:23.450 --> 00:27:26.150 later, that the same spirit that raised Jesus 00:27:26.150 --> 00:27:30.049 from the dead now is in you. You have resurrection 00:27:30.049 --> 00:27:34.269 power. There is nothing more inherently valuable 00:27:34.269 --> 00:27:36.630 in the world than that, than the saving message 00:27:36.630 --> 00:27:39.650 of Jesus Christ. And it's in us. So the starting 00:27:39.650 --> 00:27:41.970 point is that value. Now, notice this though. 00:27:42.109 --> 00:27:44.849 There's also a challenge in this. Because that 00:27:44.849 --> 00:27:49.329 value is useless unless it is seen and shown. 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:55.440 salt itself, if it wasn't used, well, kind of, 00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:57.940 what is the point? And I think when Jesus was 00:27:57.940 --> 00:28:00.279 saying, you are the salt of the earth, what he's 00:28:00.279 --> 00:28:02.119 saying is, don't just understand the inherent 00:28:02.119 --> 00:28:04.680 incredible value within you, but recognize that 00:28:04.680 --> 00:28:08.759 that value is nothing unless it is seen, unless 00:28:08.759 --> 00:28:12.660 there is action, unless people know. It's almost 00:28:12.660 --> 00:28:15.960 like, imagine receiving a massive salary, putting 00:28:15.960 --> 00:28:18.960 that salary in your bank account, never drawing 00:28:18.960 --> 00:28:21.640 on it ever, and then complaining that you're 00:28:21.640 --> 00:28:29.240 poor. See, in the same way that salt that only 00:28:29.240 --> 00:28:33.799 exists in a salt shaker is useless, so is a Christian 00:28:33.799 --> 00:28:39.140 that only exists in the church. I don't know 00:28:39.140 --> 00:28:40.420 about you, but I find that deeply challenging. 00:28:41.930 --> 00:28:43.849 That actually this incredible value that has 00:28:43.849 --> 00:28:47.430 been placed within us needs to have some expression. 00:28:47.630 --> 00:28:49.549 God has planted you in a sphere of influence 00:28:49.549 --> 00:28:52.910 in your workplace where you can bring that expression 00:28:52.910 --> 00:28:56.369 of that hope to him. What an incredible privilege 00:28:56.369 --> 00:28:59.869 it is to partner with him in the flourishing 00:28:59.869 --> 00:29:03.410 of the earth. The question we should be asking 00:29:03.410 --> 00:29:05.809 ourselves is, well, what was the use of salt 00:29:05.809 --> 00:29:09.089 then? Because how can I then be used in my workplace? 00:29:09.970 --> 00:29:12.049 Well, in the first century, there were two primary 00:29:12.049 --> 00:29:14.670 uses for salt. First was that it was a flavor 00:29:14.670 --> 00:29:17.089 enhancer. Much like it is for us here today. 00:29:17.210 --> 00:29:19.309 You order some french fries, you add some extra 00:29:19.309 --> 00:29:21.450 salt on them. It was the same in those days as 00:29:21.450 --> 00:29:24.269 well. Salt brought those tasteless fishes to 00:29:24.269 --> 00:29:26.950 a bit of life. Salt brought the tasteless lamb 00:29:26.950 --> 00:29:29.910 to a bit of life for them. And it is the same 00:29:29.910 --> 00:29:33.309 in the process here as well for us. So when Jesus 00:29:33.309 --> 00:29:35.170 said to the disciples, you are the salt of the 00:29:35.170 --> 00:29:36.549 earth, what he's also saying is you've got to 00:29:36.549 --> 00:29:38.829 understand that you are those that I've called 00:29:38.829 --> 00:29:42.079 to bring flavor to the world around you. That 00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:45.319 you call to through your life and your actions 00:29:45.319 --> 00:29:47.900 and your behavior and your values and the commitment 00:29:47.900 --> 00:29:50.000 that you have to the gospel. That I've placed 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:52.980 you in something that is tasteless unless you 00:29:52.980 --> 00:29:56.720 are there. Something that doesn't have the vibrancy 00:29:56.720 --> 00:29:59.279 unless you are there. And I've placed you in 00:29:59.279 --> 00:30:02.299 your work, in your school, in your industry because 00:30:02.299 --> 00:30:04.640 there's something there that I want to bring 00:30:04.640 --> 00:30:08.960 to life. I had lunch yesterday with Vinny and 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:11.599 Emmy, as Pastor Phil spoke about them earlier. 00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:14.019 And Emmy was telling me, she's a lawyer here 00:30:14.019 --> 00:30:16.259 in Thailand, and she was telling me that two 00:30:16.259 --> 00:30:19.180 years ago she had suggested to her big boss that 00:30:19.180 --> 00:30:22.539 their law firm should do pro bono law work. Now, 00:30:22.539 --> 00:30:25.240 law firms generally do not do pro bono law work. 00:30:25.380 --> 00:30:27.480 That's almost the antithesis of what they're 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:30.700 all about. And for two years, it felt like for 00:30:30.700 --> 00:30:34.299 her that she was pushing water uphill. But slowly 00:30:34.299 --> 00:30:36.720 she began to shape and change people's hearts 00:30:36.720 --> 00:30:40.079 and people's minds. Just this week, her boss, 00:30:40.200 --> 00:30:42.279 the big boss of the company, sent out an email 00:30:42.279 --> 00:30:45.900 to all the employees and praised Emmy and said, 00:30:45.960 --> 00:30:49.400 we now are the number one law firm in the whole 00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:53.259 of Thailand that offers pro bono work for the 00:30:53.259 --> 00:30:56.339 communities that desperately need it. That, my 00:30:56.339 --> 00:30:59.680 friends, is adding flavor. That is taking the 00:30:59.680 --> 00:31:02.519 gospel. And saying I'm not just here to make 00:31:02.519 --> 00:31:05.400 profit as important as that could be. I'm here 00:31:05.400 --> 00:31:07.180 to actually bring something of the beauty and 00:31:07.180 --> 00:31:09.400 the wonder of God's kingdom. Into the people 00:31:09.400 --> 00:31:11.880 of this place. That we might see justice and 00:31:11.880 --> 00:31:14.779 hope and life and equality. And that people might 00:31:14.779 --> 00:31:19.279 be changed. We are flavor enhancers. So follow 00:31:19.279 --> 00:31:22.980 this. If it's true that salt enhances flavor. 00:31:24.029 --> 00:31:26.730 Could it be that one of the reasons why the world 00:31:26.730 --> 00:31:31.269 is so hurting right now is not because evil abounds, 00:31:31.269 --> 00:31:36.490 but because Christians don't? See, when Christians 00:31:36.490 --> 00:31:40.589 remain silent, all people are left with is the 00:31:40.589 --> 00:31:46.150 tastelessness of the world. And one of the great 00:31:46.150 --> 00:31:48.650 joys that we have as Christians in the workplace 00:31:49.630 --> 00:31:52.970 Is to say tomorrow morning. How might I add some 00:31:52.970 --> 00:31:56.509 flavor. Some beauty and wonder of the gospel. 00:31:56.970 --> 00:31:59.910 To the people that God has graciously planted 00:31:59.910 --> 00:32:03.970 me within. The third thing that salt did. The 00:32:03.970 --> 00:32:06.710 second primary use for it in those days was. 00:32:06.809 --> 00:32:09.730 It was a preservative. In an age before refrigeration 00:32:09.730 --> 00:32:13.289 and ice. Salt was taken to preserve fish. And 00:32:13.289 --> 00:32:16.529 preserve meat. To stop it from decay. So when 00:32:16.529 --> 00:32:18.769 Jesus says to the disciples, you are the soul 00:32:18.769 --> 00:32:20.490 of the earth, they would have thought that Jesus 00:32:20.490 --> 00:32:22.890 is basically saying, you are like the preservative 00:32:22.890 --> 00:32:26.430 agents of the world. Like I've given you the 00:32:26.430 --> 00:32:29.089 gospel so that you would go into this world and 00:32:29.089 --> 00:32:31.410 not hope that the world would decay, not hope 00:32:31.410 --> 00:32:33.390 that you could escape, not hope that you would 00:32:33.390 --> 00:32:35.869 insulate yourself from the badness of it. No, 00:32:35.930 --> 00:32:38.650 I've actually put you in it to preserve the wonder 00:32:38.650 --> 00:32:40.410 and the beauty of the thing that I have created. 00:32:40.970 --> 00:32:42.990 That through relationship with me and death and 00:32:42.990 --> 00:32:45.470 resurrection within people, we can come to know 00:32:45.470 --> 00:32:47.950 the beauty of Shalom that was always the purpose 00:32:47.950 --> 00:32:50.430 and the hope for which I have created this world. 00:32:50.529 --> 00:32:53.630 You are the preservative agents that I've sent 00:32:53.630 --> 00:32:56.829 into this place to see the world flourish and 00:32:56.829 --> 00:32:59.450 the world become all that I long for it to be. 00:32:59.529 --> 00:33:05.549 The story of that hope is in you. And so anytime 00:33:05.549 --> 00:33:09.059 that we step into our workplaces, And we have 00:33:09.059 --> 00:33:12.079 this heart to want to bring life away from death. 00:33:12.359 --> 00:33:15.059 To bring hope where it feels like there isn't 00:33:15.059 --> 00:33:18.099 any. To bring an idea that might raise profit 00:33:18.099 --> 00:33:22.799 rather than slump into a bad economy. We show 00:33:22.799 --> 00:33:26.779 the world a different narrative. A hope that 00:33:26.779 --> 00:33:29.359 there is found in the wonder of the gospel of 00:33:29.359 --> 00:33:33.579 Jesus Christ. When Christians decide to keep 00:33:33.579 --> 00:33:37.259 their faith private. we contribute to the decay 00:33:37.259 --> 00:33:39.740 of the world. Have you ever thought about that? 00:33:40.799 --> 00:33:43.160 When we decide to keep our faith private, just 00:33:43.160 --> 00:33:45.220 personal to me, doesn't really impact anything 00:33:45.220 --> 00:33:48.500 around me, we're contributing to the decay of 00:33:48.500 --> 00:33:53.119 the earth. Now, light, the next metaphor is very 00:33:53.119 --> 00:33:56.099 similar to this. Light is this idea that light 00:33:56.099 --> 00:33:58.519 shines into darkness and does one of two things. 00:33:58.579 --> 00:34:01.440 It illuminates the things that are dark. It shows 00:34:01.440 --> 00:34:04.359 what is there. It illuminates the bad that is 00:34:04.359 --> 00:34:07.299 there. It also illuminates the good that is there. 00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:09.480 And what might it look like for us as Christians 00:34:09.480 --> 00:34:12.880 in our workplaces to illuminate the injustices 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:16.000 that we see, to illuminate the inequality that 00:34:16.000 --> 00:34:19.000 we're aware of, to illuminate the practices that 00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:21.019 are happening within our businesses that we know 00:34:21.019 --> 00:34:22.800 are not right. And for some of us in this room, 00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:25.300 we're the bosses. We're the leaders. What does 00:34:25.300 --> 00:34:27.260 it look like for you to think, hang on a sec, 00:34:27.380 --> 00:34:30.619 I'm perpetuating some of that darkness, some 00:34:30.619 --> 00:34:33.539 of that injustice, some of that inequality. What 00:34:33.539 --> 00:34:36.519 does it mean for me to shine a different light? 00:34:37.460 --> 00:34:40.219 And light doesn't just shine and tell us what's 00:34:40.219 --> 00:34:44.719 there. It also reminds us of what isn't. It calls 00:34:44.719 --> 00:34:49.340 forth for justice. It cries out for the healing 00:34:49.340 --> 00:34:53.110 and the restoration of people. It invites us 00:34:53.110 --> 00:34:57.409 into a better story. I love how Craig Blomberg 00:34:57.409 --> 00:34:59.929 has put this and the way in which he operates. 00:35:00.070 --> 00:35:01.769 He's one of my favorite New Testament scholars. 00:35:01.929 --> 00:35:04.590 Let me read to you this from him. You are the 00:35:04.590 --> 00:35:08.269 salt of the earth. He says this, but both metaphors 00:35:08.269 --> 00:35:10.369 of salt and light raise important challenges 00:35:10.369 --> 00:35:13.010 about Christian involvement in society. We're 00:35:13.010 --> 00:35:15.269 not called to control secular power structures. 00:35:15.469 --> 00:35:17.630 Neither are we promised that we can Christianize 00:35:17.630 --> 00:35:20.619 the legislation and values of the world. Instead, 00:35:20.719 --> 00:35:24.139 we must remain active, preservative agents, indeed 00:35:24.139 --> 00:35:27.079 irritants, in calling and revealing to the world 00:35:27.079 --> 00:35:30.440 God's heart of love. If you've ever wanted a 00:35:30.440 --> 00:35:32.460 framework for what it means to be a Christian 00:35:32.460 --> 00:35:34.400 in the workplace, I don't think there's a better 00:35:34.400 --> 00:35:38.280 one than that. That we are to remain active, 00:35:38.380 --> 00:35:41.619 preservative agents, even irritants, in calling 00:35:41.619 --> 00:35:44.920 and revealing to the world God's heart of love. 00:35:45.960 --> 00:35:49.219 What a beautiful call and mandate. That is for 00:35:49.219 --> 00:35:52.059 all of us. But the question that finally remains 00:35:52.059 --> 00:35:56.820 is this. How do we do that? Like, what are the 00:35:56.820 --> 00:35:59.219 acts that we do? Like, is there something that 00:35:59.219 --> 00:36:00.480 we should do? Like, tomorrow when I get back 00:36:00.480 --> 00:36:01.820 into the workplace, like, Andrew, help me here. 00:36:01.880 --> 00:36:05.519 Be practical. What is the next step? Well, interestingly, 00:36:05.639 --> 00:36:08.679 Jesus shows us the next step in the passage here. 00:36:08.900 --> 00:36:10.780 Notice what he says right at the end. He says, 00:36:10.880 --> 00:36:12.980 in the same way, let your light shine before 00:36:12.980 --> 00:36:16.159 people that they may hear. See your good deeds. 00:36:16.860 --> 00:36:18.619 And praise the Father in heaven. Our question 00:36:18.619 --> 00:36:21.920 should be, what are these good deeds? These good 00:36:21.920 --> 00:36:24.179 deeds. Now in the Greek, the word good there 00:36:24.179 --> 00:36:26.880 is actually translated to be lovely and beautiful. 00:36:27.019 --> 00:36:28.659 It's not talking about good as a moral standard. 00:36:28.880 --> 00:36:30.619 It's talking about something that's beautiful 00:36:30.619 --> 00:36:34.519 and wonderful and lovely and attractive. Jesus 00:36:34.519 --> 00:36:37.239 is saying, you need to be doing attractive deeds 00:36:37.239 --> 00:36:42.300 as salt and light in the world. So what are these 00:36:42.300 --> 00:36:45.619 attractive deeds? In the context, Jesus has already 00:36:45.619 --> 00:36:48.699 told the disciples what they are. In fact, if 00:36:48.699 --> 00:36:50.980 you just jump back to the few verses before the 00:36:50.980 --> 00:36:53.800 salt and light statement, you'll read about some 00:36:53.800 --> 00:36:56.260 of these deeds. Let me read this to you. So beautiful. 00:36:57.299 --> 00:37:00.760 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is 00:37:00.760 --> 00:37:03.179 the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who 00:37:03.179 --> 00:37:05.480 mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are 00:37:05.480 --> 00:37:08.039 the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed 00:37:08.039 --> 00:37:10.059 are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 00:37:10.400 --> 00:37:13.039 for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, 00:37:13.260 --> 00:37:15.360 for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the 00:37:15.360 --> 00:37:17.840 pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed 00:37:17.840 --> 00:37:19.980 are the peacemakers, for they will be called 00:37:19.980 --> 00:37:22.900 sons or daughters of God. Blessed are those who 00:37:22.900 --> 00:37:25.219 are persecuted because of righteousness, for 00:37:25.219 --> 00:37:27.639 theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are 00:37:27.639 --> 00:37:30.639 you when people insult you, persecute you, falsely 00:37:30.639 --> 00:37:32.699 say all kinds of evil against you because of 00:37:32.699 --> 00:37:35.860 me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your 00:37:35.860 --> 00:37:39.800 reward in heaven. For in the same way they persecuted 00:37:39.800 --> 00:37:42.639 the prophets who were before you. And then he 00:37:42.639 --> 00:37:46.699 says, you are salt of the earth. You are light 00:37:46.699 --> 00:37:49.739 of the world. So there's this beautiful list 00:37:49.739 --> 00:37:52.360 that we call the Beatitudes. And it's challenging 00:37:52.360 --> 00:37:54.340 for us Christians because when we read the Beatitudes, 00:37:54.480 --> 00:37:56.980 here's so often what we think. We think we need 00:37:56.980 --> 00:37:59.860 to be these people in order to receive the blessing 00:37:59.860 --> 00:38:03.099 of God. So I want to put myself in the place 00:38:03.099 --> 00:38:05.800 of being the receiver of the blessing. So I need 00:38:05.800 --> 00:38:08.559 to be poor in spirit. I need to work toward my 00:38:08.559 --> 00:38:11.199 humility. I need to be somebody who mourns. And 00:38:11.199 --> 00:38:12.780 if I mourn, then I know God's going to bless 00:38:12.780 --> 00:38:15.329 me. We often read the Beatitudes that way, but 00:38:15.329 --> 00:38:17.889 let's read them now in the context to which they're 00:38:17.889 --> 00:38:20.130 brought when Jesus says, your soul and life. 00:38:20.210 --> 00:38:22.809 I think Jesus is saying to the disciples that 00:38:22.809 --> 00:38:26.030 these are the lovely deeds that you get to go 00:38:26.030 --> 00:38:29.630 into the areas of all of your life and be a blessing 00:38:29.630 --> 00:38:33.929 to the poor in spirit. A blessing to those who 00:38:33.929 --> 00:38:37.429 mourn. A blessing to the ones who are struggling 00:38:37.429 --> 00:38:40.150 for justice in the workplaces but are finding 00:38:40.150 --> 00:38:42.889 it hard. A blessing. Could you imagine what it 00:38:42.889 --> 00:38:46.110 would look like if us Christians went into our 00:38:46.110 --> 00:38:48.610 workplaces and we decided we're going to bless 00:38:48.610 --> 00:38:51.170 the colleague that no one talks to and no one 00:38:51.170 --> 00:38:53.690 ever takes out for lunch? What would it look 00:38:53.690 --> 00:38:56.309 like if we were to bless the person in our team 00:38:56.309 --> 00:38:59.750 who made a mistake that cost us a chunk of money? 00:39:00.619 --> 00:39:04.000 What would it look like to bless our boss when 00:39:04.000 --> 00:39:07.760 he passes us over for promotion? Like these are 00:39:07.760 --> 00:39:10.059 the counter -cultural, counter -intuitive ways 00:39:10.059 --> 00:39:12.920 of the kingdom of God. And when people bless 00:39:12.920 --> 00:39:16.719 in that way, it reveals something of the wonder 00:39:16.719 --> 00:39:20.099 of the gospel so that Jesus would say, when you 00:39:20.099 --> 00:39:22.699 do that, you are salt, you are light. In other 00:39:22.699 --> 00:39:25.099 words, salt and light is not a command, it's 00:39:25.099 --> 00:39:29.389 a response. As we do the lovely, beautiful work 00:39:29.389 --> 00:39:32.570 of blessing the environments in which we are 00:39:32.570 --> 00:39:36.869 planted in, we become the salt and light of the 00:39:36.869 --> 00:39:40.510 world. So, what should Christians do when the 00:39:40.510 --> 00:39:44.150 world has gone crazy? Well, it's not to escape, 00:39:44.349 --> 00:39:48.550 insulate, control, or conform. It's not to privatize 00:39:48.550 --> 00:39:51.110 our faith and keep it all to ourselves. No, you 00:39:51.110 --> 00:39:55.130 are salt. You have inherent value. You are a 00:39:55.130 --> 00:39:59.690 flavor enhancer. You preserve the decay of what 00:39:59.690 --> 00:40:02.989 is around you. And you are light, shining for 00:40:02.989 --> 00:40:06.469 the glory of God and illuminating in your workplaces 00:40:06.469 --> 00:40:09.030 the wonder and the beauty of what is there and 00:40:09.030 --> 00:40:12.369 what isn't there. And you are all of those things. 00:40:12.469 --> 00:40:17.489 That, my friends, is Jesus in all of life. What 00:40:17.489 --> 00:40:20.619 a beautiful call it is. What a wonder it is that 00:40:20.619 --> 00:40:24.300 we get to stand for that gospel. And I want to 00:40:24.300 --> 00:40:26.619 pray that into you and over you here this morning. 00:40:27.159 --> 00:40:30.159 And maybe we could just close our eyes, quieten 00:40:30.159 --> 00:40:31.960 our hearts, and just come before the Lord in 00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:35.579 this moment. Father, I thank you that in this 00:40:35.579 --> 00:40:40.719 room are these beautiful people that you have 00:40:40.719 --> 00:40:44.099 saved, redeemed, and renewed. And that you have 00:40:44.099 --> 00:40:47.059 planted in spheres of influence here in Thailand. 00:40:47.820 --> 00:40:52.239 In companies, education, institutions, schools, 00:40:52.480 --> 00:40:56.500 family businesses, entrepreneurial structures, 00:40:56.880 --> 00:41:04.139 perhaps even governments and local council. Father, 00:41:04.199 --> 00:41:06.719 as we stand before you, we're grateful that you 00:41:06.719 --> 00:41:10.440 have called us to work. Called us to partner 00:41:10.440 --> 00:41:12.739 with you in the flourishing of the creation that 00:41:12.739 --> 00:41:15.489 you have made. And Father, I want to pray for 00:41:15.489 --> 00:41:20.949 my brothers and sisters here this morning. That 00:41:20.949 --> 00:41:24.190 you would light a fire within them in this time 00:41:24.190 --> 00:41:27.690 of our history to be carriers of the gospel to 00:41:27.690 --> 00:41:31.909 a tired and weary world. I want to pray, Lord, 00:41:31.949 --> 00:41:36.469 that we would be salt and light. I want to pray, 00:41:36.610 --> 00:41:38.630 Lord, that we would recognize our tendency to 00:41:38.630 --> 00:41:41.030 want to escape, insulate, control, and conform. 00:41:41.710 --> 00:41:45.059 Would you forgive us, Lord? Where we try to shut 00:41:45.059 --> 00:41:49.539 the world out. When you, through your incredible 00:41:49.539 --> 00:41:53.119 wisdom, has decided to use us as carriers of 00:41:53.119 --> 00:41:56.619 the gospel. How beautiful are the feet of those 00:41:56.619 --> 00:42:01.239 on the mountaintops who carry the gospel. Lord, 00:42:01.280 --> 00:42:04.920 I want to pray for a spiritual anointing over 00:42:04.920 --> 00:42:07.420 every person for tomorrow when they wake up. 00:42:08.440 --> 00:42:10.869 The Lord, they would step into their work. renewed 00:42:10.869 --> 00:42:14.889 energy, renewed spirit, and renewed hope. That, 00:42:14.929 --> 00:42:21.610 Lord, you would remind them the value, the flavor, 00:42:21.769 --> 00:42:28.849 the preserving, the shining that truly can change 00:42:28.849 --> 00:42:33.050 a city. Father, we thank you for this. In Jesus' 00:42:33.110 --> 00:42:59.320 name. If God is calling you to support our ministries, 00:42:59.320 --> 00:43:02.039 you will find giving options on our website. 00:43:02.840 --> 00:43:06.300 And remember to join us next week. God bless 00:43:06.300 --> 00:43:06.539 you.