“Make sure you bring Jesus & justice to the city.” - Ed Stetzer

If you have been around me for awhile you have probably heard me contextualize the Christ-follower’s life as INTIMACY and INCARNATION. John 5 has one of my favorite stories that models this. “19Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” Jesus was one with the heart/will of His Father. Therefore, He DID whatever was on the heart of the Father. He became the hands and feet of His Father. Jesus has shared this privilege with us. We too can draw near to the heart of God. He reveals His heart. Then we become His hands and feet. He fills us with Himself - we overflow in the lives of others.

There are two incarnational areas we want to press into: evangelism and justice.

We talk about the things that are most important to us. Jesus wants this to translate into evangelism: sharing our faith. Paul said in Romans 1: 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Jesus wants us to love the poor, the helpless, and the wounded. Luke 14: 12Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Galatians 2: 10All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do.

Here is your homework:

(1) Listen/View Mark Stearn’s teaching from 11May08.
(2) Go to a Journey Group this week - there will be a specific focus on Jesus and Justice
(3) Be ready for God wreck your world
(4) Follow whatever the Holy Spirit tells you as an individual, family, and Journey Group
(5) Pray for God to lead Sojourn and larger “city church” to obey Jesus and incarnate Him in our city
(6) Celebrate personal and corporate obedience to the call of evangelism and justice

Join God’s mission for His city.
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David Thew
Sojourn Pastor
Thewblog
twitter.com/davidthew