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Why are we here?

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Why are we here?

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  1. My people, hear my teaching;    listen to the words of my mouth.I will open my mouth with a parable;    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—things we have heard and known,    things our ancestors have told us.We will not hide them from their descendants;    we will tell the next generationthe praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,    his power, and the wonders he has done.He decreed statutes for Jacob    and established the law in Israel,which he commanded our ancestors    to teach their children,so the next generation would know them,    even the children yet to be born,    and they in turn would tell their children.Then they would put their trust in God    and would not forget his deeds    but would keep his commands. Psalms 78:1-7

  2. We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.But if anyone obeys his word, love for Godis truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him:Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did. . . . . . Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sisteris still in the darkness. Anyone who loves their brother and sisterlives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble. 1 John 2:3-6; 9-10

  3. Why are we here?

  4. Cognitive Dissonance: • “The discomfort experienced when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting cognitions or beliefs. In a state of dissonance, people may sometimes feel "disequilibrium": frustration, guilt, anger, embarrassment, or anxiety.

  5. “The ideal of America is the hope of all mankind. . . That hope still lights our way. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (George W. Bush, 2002) • “This country is still the last great hope on earth.” (Barak Obama, 2007)

  6. “Followers of Jesus must realize – and must help others realize – that the hope of the world lies not in a particular version of the kingdom of the world gaining the upper hand in Babylon’s endless tit-for-tat game. The hope of the world lies in a kingdom that is not of this world, a kingdom that doesn’t participate in tit-for-tat, a kingdom that operates with a completely different understanding of power. It is the kingdom established by Jesus Christ and a kingdom that is expanded by people committed to following him.” Greg Boyd, Myth of a Christian Nation

  7. Christianity Before Constantine Christianity After Constantine

  8. Christianity Before Constantine • Weaved servanthood into the fabric of their lives • Trusted the power of self-sacrificial love • Became footwashers of the world • Cross was an example to follow • Desired transformed lives that reflected the nature of Jesus to spread His Kingdom • Christianity After Constantine • Forced all to fall under the power of the empire • Trusted the power of the sword • Built armies to conquer the world • Cross was the symbol of war • Desired to change people’s doctrinal beliefs so they could stay out of hell

  9. Kingdom of God (Power Under) • Trusts the power of self-sacrificial love to transform hearts • Desires to establish the law of God through love • Centrally concerned with how people are and what they can become • Characterized by outrageous, even scandalous, grace • Kingdom of the World (Power Over) • Trusts the power of the sword to control behavior • Concerned with preserving law and order by force • Centrally concerned with what people do and believe • Characterized by judgment

  10. “No one can know Jesus who does not follow him in this life.” - Hans Denck (16th Century Anabaptist martyr)

  11. “The cross is not a detour or a hurdle on the way to the kingdom, nor is it even the way to the kingdom; it is the Kingdom come.” - John Howard Yoder

  12. Why are we here?

  13. Litany of Resistance One: Today we pledge our ultimate allegiance… to the Kingdom of God All: We pledge allegiance One: To a peace that is not like Rome’s All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the Gospel of enemy love All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the Kingdom of the poor and broken All: We pledge allegiance One:  To a King that loves his enemies so much he died for them All: We pledge allegiance

  14. One:  To the least of these, with whom Christ dwells All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the transnational Church that transcends the artificial borders of nations All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the refugee of Nazareth All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the homeless rabbi who had no place to lay his head All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the cross rather than the sword All: We pledge allegiance

  15. One:  To the banner of love above any flag All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the one who rules with a towel rather than an iron fist All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the one who rides a donkey rather than a war-horse All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the revolution that sets both oppressed and oppressors free All: We pledge allegiance One:  To the Way that leads to life All: We pledge allegiance

  16. One:  To the Slaughtered Lamb All: We pledge allegiance One:  And together we proclaim his praises, from the margins of the empire to the centers of wealth and power All: Long Live the Slaughtered Lamb One:  Long Live the Slaughtered Lamb All: Long Live the Slaughtered Lamb

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