Series: Kingdom People: Who are We, and What are We Here For? Sermon: A People Who Live and Work in the Public Square People in West Orange call him Baba (meaning father). His real name is Emmanuel Anim-Sackey. He was raised in Ghana, and immigrated to the United States in 1996. He worked hard to secure a job as a U.S. postal worker an incredibly rich job for a guy from his small town in Ghana. Feeling like he had incredible prosperity, he started thinking about his people back in Ghana. Emmanuel began going to yard and garage sales and buying used clothing and other goods. When he would travel to Ghana, he would take everything he could carry with him and then distribute it to people in his village according to their needs. Then people on his postal route found out. A movement began. Household after household began giving their used clothing to Emmanuel. The community of West Orange adopted his village as a sister village. A non-profit called Adopt One Village was born. A local developer donated the use of a warehouse to house the overwhelming quantity of donations that began to come in. Emmanuel started shipping cargo containers to his village back in Ghana. Everybody got involved. All because Emmanuel decided to act. He was awarded the Citizen of the Year award in West Orange. Then he was awarded the Humanitarian of the Year award for the U.S. Postal Service. His local church sent two missions trips to his village in Ghana. They rebuilt a medical center, provided basic medical care, and distributed three shipping containers of goods, including 150 bicycles so kids could ride to school instead of walking long distances in the dark on bare feet. They also sent hundreds of pairs of shoes. 16 years later, the Adopt One Village charity still exists and has expanded to adopt many more villages than just Emmanuel s little village in Ghana.
All because Emmanuel decided to act. Where did he start? At work. This shows us that the opportunity for great kingdom work is right here, ripe for the picking. The majority of Christ followers do not get sent out as missionaries in the traditional sense (going to another country like Nancy). Not everyone is going to be called to leave the world of accounting to become a pastor like our super pastor - Jeremy. Most Christians live in the ordinary everyday world - working, making a living, raising families, going to school, playing video games, doing groceries, buying gas, watching TV, paying bills, facebooking, contributing to society and just getting by. The area where we do all this stuff is called the public square. It s where people meet and do business together. Where we work, hang out... This is where we spend most of our time. What does the Bible say about how we should be as people who live and work in the public square? What should our involvement be? How do we interact with the world when sometimes the world not only ignores God but is extremely hostile towards Him (and those who believe in Him?) Today, we continue the series, Kingdom People: Who are We, and What are We Here For? Today s sermon is titled, A People Who Live and Work in the Public Square. There are many examples in the Bible of people who have worked in the public square. Some did a great job, others not so much. Today, one of the guys I want to look at is Joseph. I m going to summarize the story so there s no need to turn there but if you want the references it Genesis chapters 37 50. Joseph was a handsome young man. Kinda like me but younger. Like one of the youth in our church, Anson Cheng (Anson comes up) (summarize Joseph s story) Quite the story, but listen to what Joseph says when his brothers realize that it is him that he is still alive of course they are afraid that he will try to get them back for what they did, I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold in Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you...to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.
We learn about God s sovereignty from this story. God is involved in the public square. But we also have a part to play too. Somehow, God redeemed the terrible circumstance that Joseph was in. Look how many people benefitted from the fact that he worked with integrity in the public square. All of Egypt, people from all over who came to buy the food that he had stored up during the famine, Potiphar s house when Joseph was there the prison when he was there, last but not least Joseph s family survived the famine and through his family came Jesus. What would have happened if Joseph didn t work with integrity in the public square when he was put in that situation? There are two sides to this story here. On the one hand, we are responsible for our actions and they do have public consequences. And yet, we can know that God is sovereign and has ultimate control of final outcomes and destinies. God clearly cares about what happens in the public square. God put you in your work place for a reason. We can look to the New Testament to see the continuity of our role in the public square. 1 Corinthians 15:58 says, Therefore my dear brothers, stand firm.
Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain. This verse comes at the end of a chapter about resurrection. Never forget that we serve the Living God. Jesus is alive. His resurrection means we are in a new era. Because of the proof of Jesus resurrection, we can be confident that the work that we do now for him won t be empty. Christopher Wright in his book, The Mission of God s people. Talks about a phrase called, redemptive purging. This means that this world is not going to be vaporized by God and then a new one created. Instead, this world is going to be purged of everything that is evil when Jesus returns. This has obvious implications for how we treat the environment or even our bodies, but it also has implications for how we treat the work that we do. In the same way that the good aspects of nature and good parts of how we relate to each other will be redeemed in terms of relationships, doesn t it stand to reason that the good work that we do in the public square will be redeemed? After the fall, work was corrupted but before the fall, we still were empowered to do work by God. All that is good will be redeemed. Christopher Wright says, All that has enriched and honoured the life of all nations in history will be brought in to enrich the new creation. Think of all the creativity that has happened since the beginning of time. All that is good will be a part of the new world. That should affect what we think about when we go to work in the public sphere. What can we be a part of creating, maintaining and redeeming that will be around when Jesus redeems this world when he comes back a second time? What relationships? What policies? What environments? What work? If we really believe in the resurrection of the body, we have to use our bodies today for the glory of God wherever we are. We re not just going to work to provide for retirement or for our family s futures. We have the opportunity to invest in things that will last for eternity and not just relationships. So how exactly do we get involved in the public square? We can start by serving the public. Back to our example of Joseph, despite his painful circumstances, he still served the public. He accepted the realities of where he was placed, even though it was different from what he would have been used to or even preferred. He worked hard for his government and the benefit of overall society. He also preserved his integrity in an environment that tested his character.
I think about another young person. At 15 she moves from her home to another country. Everyone around her is obsessed with clothes, boyfriends, music, parties and what to do when they get older. She is concerned with her faith. She gets involved with her local church. Then, she decides to organize an event much bigger than her. She wants to be a world changer. She has a vision for the world. Her public square. So she gets involved with her youth group and together with World Vision raises over $2300 which will go to the public square. Thanks Tiffany Louie, for serving the public. What about a young man, baptized a few years ago and being an example for his classmates and friends. Using his gifting with media he produces a video which placed first - encouraging people not to litter. Thanks Matt Tan for serving the public by reminding us to be good stewards of the environment. Thanks also for being our summer intern. Looking forward to seeing more of your amazing videos. I think about one of our board members. Also newer to the country. Recently landed a job in his field. Here s a young man with a wife, kids. Could easily settle in and focus on the good life. Go to work, do his minimal duty and go home and relax. But no! At our board meeting, he passionately shares about how at his job different people have to take turns making presentations. He notices how boring these meetings are. That people aren t engaged. So he decides that when it is his turn, he is going to do the best presentation ever. That he will get people engaged, do activities to help people be creative and enjoy the usually monotonous meeting. And... he does it! The other staff are amazed. It s a great meeting with everyone thoroughly enjoying it. His manager is proud of his efforts. He s raised the temperature of his work environment a little bit. Made it a better place. Thanks Brett Sears for serving your coworkers for the kingdom. I think about another board member. Working his way through the school system to get up into the administrative level. Now a VP, he has visions of serving the school system by working at the board level where policies are made in order make a positive contribution. Thanks Kevin Ko for your service in the public sphere.
What about another guy that I know. His job is not in the public square, but he works to empower those who are in the public square. He uses his strengths to produce materials that will give others structure and words to use when praying for those who serve in the public square. Thanks Pastor Steve for making the Cornerstone Prayer Book and reminding us to pray for the Federal, Provincial and Municipal government. Speaking of Pastor Steve s Cornerstone Prayer Book, praying for the public square is a major way that we can serve the public square. Picture the Israelites. At the point in the story where Jeremiah the prophet is around, the Israelites are in exile in Babylon. Imagine how hard it would be to pray in Babylon in that society, whoever was in power believed that their god was the most powerful. Here the Israelites are, captive to Babylon and Jeremiah is challenging them to pray. But not just pray. Look at Jeremiah 29:7,... seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. They are not only being ask to pray in Babylon, their land of captivity. They are being asked to pray for Babylon their captors. The Hebrew word for peace in this passage is Shalom. Shalom includes peace means much more than just the absence of outward conflict. Shalom comes from living in harmony with God. The fruit of that harmony is harmony with others, prosperity, health, satisfaction, soundness, wholeness, and well-being. How can we pray for shalom for the public square in which we live and work? How can we be a part of bringing shalom to the public square in which we live and work? The New Testament carries this idea on when it tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? (Matthew 5:44). In a section of Romans, where Paul is talking about submitting to authorities and loving he says, Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honour, then honour. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another... (Romans 13:7-8). Christopher Wright says, Christians should be among those who bring the greatest public good to the public arena and thereby commend the biblical gospel.
So by now I m sure we re convinced that we are called to serve the public. That God is involved in the public square and that we should be too. But what about when the public square is opposed to God? What is our response and responsibility then? We are called to be different. The Old Testament talks about being holy. Holy simply means different or distinctive. Leviticus 18:3-5 talks about how the Israelites were called to be different from the Egyptians that they were leaving and also different from the Canaanites that they would be going to in the promised land. The New Testament talks about being saints which carries the meaning of holy from the Old Testament. Not only are we different religiously (we serve a different God), we are also different ethically (we live by different standards). Listen to Matthew 5:13-16, You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made easy again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. A strong contrast is implied. Salt and light are both missional (they are used for a purpose). They are also confrontational (they challenge decay and darkness and transform both). When I was preparing this sermon I really debated with whether to use the word confront or not. I felt like most of us would have no problem with the first point serving the public square. Most of us are really good at living our lives in a way that builds relationships and pleases God. What I think we could work on is this second part. What do we do when there are things at work that aren t right? Salt gets involved. It both preserves and brings flavour to. Cornerstone is definitely a flavourful church. We bring flavour to the community, to families, to work, the world... What about preserving? How do you think Cornerstone is doing at making sure the way that God intends the world to be is preserved? Light exposes the darkness. How good are we at confronting the darkness in the workplace? In the world? For me personally, I know that is something I can work on.
While confronting may seem to have a negative connotation, it s really in how it s done. We need to confront the hardness that is in this world with love. But we also need to confront the softness in this world with truth. That takes courage. I was talking to different people about this idea during the week and one person was saying the issue is not confronting the issue is the times when Christians confront but then don t live our lives to match what we confront. Essentially a double standard. Our challenge is to be authentic. Richard Langdon was telling me the story about when he became a Christ-follower. Before he was a Christian, he was a rough around the edges guy, getting into fights and all kinds of trouble. When he became a Christian, he began to change. His friends were watching him closely to see if he d mess up or something. Eventually, his transformation began to affect them. They stopped swearing around him and stuff. His life was confronting them. Again, I think Cornerstone excels at this. Living a life as a Christ-follower that confronts people without even having to say anything. I wonder if the next level is to start saying things. Like how the Nicaragua missions team is saying something about poverty by connecting with the government in Bluefields, trying to establish microfinancing and child sponsorship, helping the local school to utilize their fertile land so that they could be selfsustainable... What does that look like at work on Monday morning? What are the issues that need to be dealt with in our companies and places of employment? Are we light at work? Exposing the darkness? What about school? There s a lot of darkness in schools. Bullying is a huge issue. In high schools, junior schools, etc. Are students confronting these issues? Are we speaking the truth in love? Are we living authentic lives so that we can speak with authority? There s no dichotomy between our private and public life. There should be no difference between who we are at work, at home and at church. No difference between what we say and what we do, between what we believe and what we actually practice. That s one of Cornerstone s core values All-of-Life Spirituality. We believe we grow in Jesus by offering every aspect of our lives to God.
So how can we be different in the public square? We need to navigate the tension that although world is created by Jesus, kept in balance by him and redeemed by him, there are still evil forces at work in this world. We need to resist the temptation to make work (which is good) an idol (which is bad). We need to resist the temptation to be consumed by work and what we can achieve. We need to resist making work our source of identity and fulfillment. We need to resist the temptation to be swept up with the consumerism that is a major idol of our world. A world where career, status and success is the measure of happiness. We need to resist the temptation to make security, outward beauty, and even health an idol. To live for God in this world where there are so many other idols we must be prepared to face conflict. There will be spiritual warfare. First we have to recognize that there is an enemy. We need discernment to recognize what the various idols in the public square are. Then we need to resist them. We are called to the public square to live and work and these forces will be there. We need to stand against it and be a witness to the fact that there is a better way. That people don t have to live trapped in the powers of this world. The kingdom of God offers another way. The power of the cross has delivered us from those powers and we need to live like it. Finally to live for God in this world means we have to suffer. We may even have to die. Listen to this quote from John Stott, The greatest single secret of evangelistic or missionary effectiveness is the willingness to suffer and die. It may be a death to popularity (by faithfully preaching the unpopular biblical gospel), or to pride (by the use of modest methods in reliance on the Holy Spirit), or to racial and national prejudice (by indentification with another culture), or to material comfort (by adopting a simpler lifestyle). But the servant must suffer if he is to bring light to the nations, and the seed must die if it is to multiply John Stott. Let s take a second to think about a specific way we can live this challenge out. How can we serve our community our public square in our place of work or school? Is there something we need to confront? Expose? Is there some righteousness that God would have us preserve? Benediction Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is his good, pleasing and perfect will. Let s be transformers salt and light.