We reflect and pray about the shift from partners to friends we explored this week.
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CloseRyan Sim - March 26, 2014
Wednesday - Change It - Reset Society
Hi, welcome to Redeem the Commute. I'm Ryan your host of the Daily Challenges. Here we are in nature. And that's because this week we're studying how following Jesus resets our views of society’s divisions. We saw yesterday a vision of those in Christ being one with no divisions due to class, race or gender. Unfortunately there have been many divisions between Christian individuals and churches from history, influenced by wars, political differences, etc. but that is no excuse. For Christians this passage makes it clear that nurturing divisions from other Christians for race, class or gender comes under God’s judgement. Note the particular emphasis on Christians here – those who have been baptized into Christ. He’s reflecting on the ways a committed follower of Jesus acts in response to the gospel. His emphasis on baptism didn’t mean he thought a Christian was made by water – he’s so clear elsewhere that one is saved by faith alone. Water signifies what happens on the inside, and wouldn’t have been taken lightly in his day. No one was likely being baptized out of tradition, like we unfortunately have today. Only those who deliberately meant to follow Jesus, and were willing to risk everything for it, including family, social standing, inclusion in their ethnic group, would bother being baptized. The baptized risked these things for Christ, and gained a new family, a new society that is meant to be unified. To see further division in that would be a terrible shame, and undermine the message. When people are bound by Christ, those differences are not cause for division, but can be celebrated. Now this isn’t a statement that all religions are equally valid and good. Nor is it a statement that everything in every culture should be celebrated. He is saying those who say they follow Jesus need to overcome the divisions that others may promote. Here’s how John Stott put it: Celebrate richness of culture but not the idolatry that may be at its heart. What comes first is the faith and baptism into Christ. Then that changed, and reset heart can be led by the Holy Spirit to discern what parts of culture, ethnicity, gender roles, etc. are of Christ, and what is about idolatry – of the religious variety or the selfish variety. Paul himself tried to navigate this carefully. When he spoke in Athens, he explored a city full of altars to various gods, including one to an “unknown god”. He told them he knew the unknown God they’d been looking for. He found the one thing in their culture that he could celebrate. Question: Think critically: What parts of your own culture are rooted in idolatry? Idolatry doesn’t just mean worship of golden statues, but worship anything God created – things like money, power, ego, etc. What parts are compatible with life in Christ?
Related Topics: Class, Diversity, Gender, Race, Reset, Society | More Messages from Ryan Sim | Download Audio
From Series: "Reset"
When our computers get bogged down and unmanageable, we know to hit a reset button to simply start over. Wouldn't a reset button be great in life? We know it would be complicated, with all our responsibilities and routines to consider, but imagine the freedom and refreshment of a new start in life! What would you do differently? What would you pay more attention to, and what would you ignore? How would you avoid getting bogged down and broken again? The great news is, in coming to earth as Jesus Christ, God has begun to "reset" our universe, our world, and even us. We're invited to start over with him, in what he calls his kingdom. We're invited to start a new life with a clean slate. What gets wiped clean, and lived differently, when God resets our lives? We'll explore how God resets these key areas of our lives: Reset: Goals Reset: Time Reset: Money Reset: Work Reset: Body & Food Reset: Sex & Marriage Reset: Family Reset: Compassion Reset: Nature Reset: Society Reset: Death Join us for the next several weeks, and invite God to reset your life.
More Messages From Ryan Sim...
Wednesday - Study It - The Look | February 27, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - The Look | February 26, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - The Look | February 25, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Anger | February 22, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Anger | February 21, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Anger | February 20, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Anger | February 19, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Anger | February 18, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Law | February 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Law | February 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Law | February 13, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Law | February 12, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Law | February 11, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Light | February 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Light | February 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Light | February 6, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Light | February 5, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Light | February 4, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Salt | February 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Salt | January 31, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Salt | January 30, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Salt | January 29, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Salt | January 28, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Living Backwards | January 25, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act on It - Living Backwards | January 24, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Living Backwards | January 23, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Living Backwards | January 22, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - New Idea - Living Backwards | January 21, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Persecuted | January 18, 2013 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Thursday - Act - Persecuted | January 17, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Persecution | January 16, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Persecuted | January 15, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Persecuted | January 14, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Peacemakers | January 11, 2013 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Thursday - Act - Peacemakers | January 10, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Peacemakers | January 9, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Peacemakers | January 8, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Peacemakers | January 7, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - January 4 - God | January 4, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - January 3 - Generosity | January 3, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - January 2 - Grace | January 2, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
New Years Day - Groups | January 1, 2013 | Watch | Listen | ||
New Years Eve - Growth | December 31, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - December 28 | December 28, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - December 27 | December 27, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Boxing Day | December 26, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Christmas Day | December 25, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Christmas Eve | December 24, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Pure in Heart | December 21, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Pure in Heart | December 20, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Pure in Heart | December 19, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Pure in Heart | December 18, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Pure in Heart | December 17, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Merciful | December 14, 2012 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Thursday - Act On It - Merciful | December 13, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Merciful | December 12, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Merciful | December 11, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Merciful | December 10, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Righteousness | December 7, 2012 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Thursday - Act On It - Righteousness | December 6, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change It - Righteousness | December 5, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Righteousness | December 4, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Poor in Spirit | December 3, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Meek | November 30, 2012 | Music | Watch | Listen | |
Thursday - Act - Meek | November 29, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Meek | November 28, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Meek | November 27, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Meek | November 26, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Those Who Mourn | November 23, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act - Those Who Mourn | November 22, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Those Who Mourn | November 21, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Those Who Mourn | November 20, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - A New Idea - Those who Mourn | November 19, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Friday - Reflect - Poor in Spirit | November 16, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Thursday - Act On It - Poor in Spirit | November 15, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Wednesday - Change - Poor in Spirit | November 14, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Tuesday - Study It - Poor in Spirit | November 13, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Monday - New Idea - Poor in Spirit | November 12, 2012 | Watch | Listen | ||
Introduction to Daily Challenges | November 2, 2012 | Watch | Listen |