Politics and the Kingdom of God

Luke 4:5-8 (NLT)

5 Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. 7 I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”

8 Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

John 19:10-11 (NLT)

10 “Why don’t you talk to me?” Pilate demanded. “Don’t you realize that I have the power to release you or crucify you?”

11 Then Jesus said, “You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”

FOUR ACTION STEPS AS CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS:

1. Live to advance God’s Kingdom, not a political agenda.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NLT)

20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

2. Pray for our leaders at every level of government.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NLT)

1 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. 2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.

3. Vote.

4. Always be ready to do good.

Titus 3:1-2 (NLT)

1 Remind the believers to submit to the government and its officers. They should be obedient, always ready to do what is good. 2 They must not slander anyone and must avoid quarreling. Instead, they should be gentle and show true humility to everyone.

SMALL GROUP MEETING OUTLINE

Where your faith intersects with real life!

Reconnect:

Each person shares a recent high and low from their life. (If this is the first time you are meeting as a group, you can skip these first two sections and start with the “First time groups” section below.)

Explore:

Review the message notes.

Big Idea: As representatives of Jesus, we’re called to be salt and light to advance God’s kingdom while we live in this world.

Consider:

Choose one or two questions for your Group to discuss as time allows.

This is the first week of our Groups Season! For those of you who are meeting for the first time you can use the questions below, and for those of you who are continuing to meet, you can share by spotlighting encouragement together this week.

▶ First time groups:

Round 1: Ask each person to introduce themselves sharing their name, where they are from, what they do for a living, whether they prefer steak or lobster, and their favorite dessert.

Round 2: Ask each person to share a high and low they have experienced recently.

▶ Ongoing groups:

Take some time for spotlighting encouragement. Start with one group member and have each person in the group share a character quality they have noticed in that group member, then move on to the next person, etc.

Activate:

Spend a moment in silence to consider your response, then share with the Group.

Read Matthew 5:13-14. Which word picture do you feel more prompted to consider – being salt or being light? What is one way you can live that out this week?

Prayer:

Thank God for the highs and lift up the lows.

Read 1 Timothy 2:1-4. Take some time to pray for our leaders and for our church, that we would honor God as growing followers of Jesus.