Neighbor and Citizen

City Harbor Church – Hampden, Baltimore, MD

We can all respond, to the teaching of Jesus, with love, prayer, and effort.

“ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.’” – Matthew 22:37-40 NLT

Building our lives on the teaching of Jesus. Love God. Love neighbors.

4 “This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 ‘Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.’”

8 This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, 9 because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,’ says the LORD.

10 This is what the LORD says: ‘You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the LORD. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 In those days when you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be found by you,’ says the LORD. ‘I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.’” – Jeremiah 29:4-14 NLT

Jeremiah, transferrable principle: wholehearted devotion, dwell, work, pray for the peace of the city.

Love our neighbors. Live in the city, praying for and working toward its peace and good health.

Neighbors who love. Citizens praying for and working toward the peace of the city.

The earliest Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament translated peace “shalom” by using more than 20 different terms.

Shalom – healthy, complete, free from conflict or danger, salvation, safe & sound, peace & quiet, content, in good health, being at peace in every area of life, bringing people into peaceful relationships, an intact state of favorable circumstance, a state of wellbeing within and without (body illustration: not deficient of nutrients).

Peace – a state of being in good health: able to function at full capacity, able to rest, and free from conflict or danger in every area of your life and in every relationship.

Pray “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” – 1 Timothy 2:1

“Don’t worry about anything: instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He’s done.” – Philippians 4:6

Pray for those in civil authority. – 1 Timothy 1:1-2

Peace is the direction in which God is going; it must also be the concept which inspires our evangelistic, political, and social activity.

“the Kingdom of God…is a life of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Romans 14:17

“Search for peace and work to maintain it.” Psalm 34:14

“Work for the peace of the city…pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” v 7 Jeremiah 29:5-14

What are the things that we are already doing in response to God’s direction?

1. Loving our neighbors through positive interactions: greeting, listening, responding, and meeting needs.

2. Loving our neighbors by sharing the love of Jesus.

3. Loving our neighbors through food pantries and neighborhood associations etc.

4. Living in the city.

5. Paying taxes: city, county, state, federal.

6. Helpful citizen activities: voting, jury duty, school volunteering, clean ups etc.

7. Seeking the Kingdom of God via the local church’s Jesus Movement.

8. Using God-sourced wisdom and values when making decisions on stewardship of time, energy, and money.

What is God asking us to do? As a result, what should we do less of?

Ask God to help us recognize where we should spend less of our time, energy, and money. This may be things such as: activities that limit sleep, things we do to unwind but are not actually restorative, and activities that limit our capacity for God’s love.

1. Love our neighbors.

2. Serve and pray for the peace of our neighborhood and city.

3. Learn about God’s truth, purpose, and value system.

4. Give time and energy to thinking through how God’s truth, purpose, and value system should inform how we vote.

Voting is: Invitation to Participation. Civic responsibility. Privilege. Not as important as your relationship with God and your neighbors.

Important question for us to consider this week:

How does God’s truth, purpose, and value system inform how we vote?

Essential ingredient: spend less time on the news, info-tainment, and arguments in favor of having more peaceful clarity about our role in it all.

Live with a gracious humility, love, while pursuing peace. – Ephesians 4:1 NLT

Avoid “foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights….be kind to everyone,” – 2 Timothy 2:22-26 NLT