The Role of the Church as a Prophetic Witness

𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗠 𝗨𝗣

• How has someone shown you kindness recently that you think he or she did not have to? How did it make you feel?

• How would you react if someone told you to have a meal with a person who has wronged or robbed you?

• Have you ever been part of a group that believed things that did not sit right with you? What did you do about it?

𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗  

“𝘛𝘩𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘴𝘳𝘢𝘦𝘭, 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘑𝘦𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘭𝘰𝘯: 𝘉𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮; 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦. 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. 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.” 𝗝𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟮𝟵:𝟰–𝟳

There are many issues that plague our world today, but as God’s people, how are we to respond and how can we be faithful to God’s calling for us? The people of Israel encountered a similar dilemma when they were sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. The Babylonian exile had three waves, and Jeremiah wrote this book between the second and the last wave. The Israelites repeatedly and continually broke their covenant with God. Therefore, He judged and punished them with exile to discipline and restore them to Himself and their calling as a people.

Because the conditions of the place of exile and the convictions of the people differ from their own, one of the most logical responses for exiles is despair and frustration. Similarly, we, the Church, are exiles in this world—yet we are called not merely to follow our natural responses, but to obey God. Especially in heated political climates and in the prevalence of societal injustice, no matter how frustrating things can get, we are not to rebel against the “Babylonians,” escape our “Babylon,” or assimilate ourselves with the “Babylonians.” Here’s what God told Jeremiah about living amongst people who did not share his convictions.

𝟭. 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.

“𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭, 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶  𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚.” 𝗝𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟮𝟵:𝟭𝟭

Despite the discouraging circumstances in our nation and world, we can always find reasons to be hopeful. But we ought to keep in mind that our hope is never in this world. This passage appears after the exile, and it points us toward an eschatological hope. There is a greater hope we are waiting for—the future prepared by God and won by Christ for us. Therefore, we are not to hold tightly onto our Babylon. The systems in place and the authorities that God has placed over us can never fully take us out of our despair and misery. This world is not our hope. No matter how progressive our world can become, we will never find true satisfaction in it. What has made you feel a sense of hopelessness lately? How did you move forward from it?

𝟮. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆. 

“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.” 𝗝𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗔𝗛 𝟮𝟵:𝟳

The people Jeremiah wrote to had experienced the violence and devastation of Babylon’s conquest of Judah. Their homeland had been devastated, Jerusalem destroyed, and many of their people forcibly deported. If there were ever a people who had every reason to be frustrated with the rulers of the empire and the city to which they were being exiled, it was them. In light of this, we might expect Jeremiah to tell them to rebel against the Babylonians, escape from Babylon, or even assimilate themselves to the Babylonians. Instead, God’s admonition to the people through Jeremiah is to 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺.

The word translated as “welfare” in this context is shalom, which can also mean “peace,” “well-being,” or “welfare.” Remarkably, Jeremiah uses the same word for both the welfare of the city and the welfare of the exiles—“𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦.” We are exiles in this world, which can rob us of and destroy our peace. In our exile, we witness and experience injustices that are sometimes too difficult to accept. And we might ask, “Am I really to seek the welfare of the city that robs me of peace?” The answer is yes. As we respond to unrighteousness and injustice—even when expressing our anger and frustration—our aim should be 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺. What does 1 Peter 2:11–12 say about how exiles should live?

𝟯. 𝗪𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. 

𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, “𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶.” 𝗝𝗢𝗛𝗡 𝟮𝟬:𝟮𝟭

Jesus Christ was not exiled—in fact, He is King. And He could have kept His status, but He chose to enter our exile (John 1:14). Our King Himself is aware of the injustice, unrighteousness, hunger for wealth and power, and brokenness that we observe and experience—and of those that we don’t. But when He came into our world, He started not by confronting the political powers of His time but by reaching out to ordinary fishermen (Matthew 4:19). Jesus’ long-term solution was not to start a rebellion, escape, or resort to violence and injustice. He focused on the work of transforming individuals into Christlike disciples who will make disciples and help bring transformation to the world.

As the Church of Jesus Christ, we are called to follow His example. We are not apologetic about putting discipleship front and center, because Jesus did it Himself. After He died and resurrected, Jesus said, “𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶” (John 20:21). We are set apart to be bearers of God’s peace (shalom). We still live in a broken world, but because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, we’re not just exiles but elect exiles—people of the new covenant (1 Peter 1:1). 

We are to live as a faithful prophetic witness and make disciples for the formation of the Church. As we do this, we seek the welfare of the city. How has your discipleship journey changed the way you respond to the Great Commission?

𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

• Which of the three ways of living as exiles (rebelling, escaping, and assimilating) are you more likely to do? What practical step may you take this week to move away from it and move closer to seeking the welfare of the city?

• This week, before you do anything in response to the turmoil in our city and world, commit to ask yourself this question first: “When I do this, am I seeking the shalom of the city?” If your answer is no, ask God to lead you to what you need to do instead.

• Who do you think God is calling you to disciple where He has sent you (e.g., family, school, workplace)? Commit to reach out to one to two people this week, and start walking this journey of faith with them.

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥

• Thank God for His word that grounds us in a world of great turmoil, injustice, and unrighteousness. 

• Thank God for giving us Jesus Christ in whom we are granted shalom and a sure hope. Ask Him for the grace to place our hope not in this world but in Christ alone. 

• Ask God to give us His grace, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to go out into the world as bearers of peace. Pray that, no matter how hard it is to seek the welfare of those who contribute to the destruction of our peace, He will empower us to embrace our role as elect exiles.