Living Just Enough For The City

The year is the 6th century B.C. and the Israelites have been carried away to Babylonia. Babylon is a very beautiful, yet brutal city. Their
are three competing thoughts about this move into the city.

The people of Babylon take the Israelites there to strip away their spiritual identity.

The false prophets of Israel; tell the people not to move into the city and keep their spiritual identity.

God through the prophet Jeremiah tell the people to move into the city and keep their spiritual identity. As a matter of fact God tells the Israelites to move in and serve the city out of their unique spiritual identity.

Jeremiah 29:4-7

4 "Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.
6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

(KJV) Jeremiah 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

In the bible "Shalom" means total flourishing in absolutely every dimension: physically, relationally, socially, and spiritually.

one way to think of shalom is in a cloth. In a cloth each tread is woven together to make the cloth prosperous. The treads are woven or lineup in a way that brings beauty and benefit for the cloth.

In the same way, we as the church or woven together or lineup to bring beauty and benefit...Shalom, total flourishing in every dimension: physically, relationally, socially, and spiritually were we are called.

This means we must serve and love those who need help and protection.

Bring God's love, peace, and justice to bear on a broken world.
Create and cultivate culture.

Hold our Christ as the ultimate satisfaction.

This is why we are a city set on a hill! Now, one of the ways we do this is through the spiritual gifts operating in the church.

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