A Revolutionary Faith?

As apprentices of Jesus in Kingdom living, we are learning how to live as citizens in a heavenly Kingdom. We are training to live here and now in preparation for how we will live there and then. But as with most training, practice is required because Kingdom living is both counterintuitive as well as countercultural. Initially, Kingdom living feels unnatural to us because we are rebels from birth. Rebellion and disobedience were our heart’s natural inclination, until we went all-in for Jesus. Then God gave us new hearts as he had promised through the prophet Ezekiel:

¹⁹ And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart.
Ezekiel 11:19

Before receiving our new hearts and the Holy Spirit, it was impossible for us to whole-heartedly embrace Kingdom living. But when God’s Spirit transformed our stony, stubborn hearts, what formerly was impossible, became possible. The natural orientation of our new hearts is to embrace Kingdom living, even if we are still far from perfect. What was formerly counterintuitive has been reversed when we became citizens in God’s Kingdom. Now, our heartfelt desire is “your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Countercultural

Kingdom living is also countercultural. Our culture is post-Christian. Instead of being “one nation under God” we have become a nation without God. This cultural shift assumes we can make a better, more just, and happier society without God’s help than with his help. We dare to think we can have heaven on earth without God. But since only God can change people’s hearts, the dream of building a better society relying upon human wisdom will always fail because the “fear of the LORD is the foundation of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Disciples, however, because we are Spirit-filled, have the capacity to practice and experience authentic Kingdom living even though it is countercultural as well as counterintuitive. This requires courage, perseverance, and the Spirit of God.

Jesus loves and died for all people. Consequently, our enemy is not secularized or lost people dreaming of building a better world. Our real enemy is “not flesh and blood” or those whose have different beliefs and values. Humanity’s worst enemies are the “evil rulers, and authorities of the unseen world … mighty powers … and evil spirits…” (Eph 6:12). We take our stand “against the strategies of the devil” who seeks to confuse and undermine God’s objective truth, the truth we stand on. Those evil entities were defeated by Jesus on the cross. His victory was confirmed by his resurrection. On the cross goodness overcame evil, life overcame death, and love overcame hatred. Yet the now defeated devil and his forces still engage in guerilla warfare, bringing turmoil, confusion, chaos, and death wherever they can. 

Jesus fought and won the most important battle in the history of the universe. Easter celebrates that victory. In fact, every Sunday is a reminder and celebration of his victory. But in our continuing battle against Satan and the dark forces of evil, Paul tells us to put on the “armor of God” so you “can stand against all the strategies of the devil” (6:11). “Put on all of God’s armor” including “the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness” (v 13). Read the complete list of armor in Ephesian 6:11ff. Spiritual conflict also dictates the need to practice the “ruts of routines that become the grooves of God grace” that were introduced in Challenge 4, Part D. 

Revolutionary

In Part B, I indicated culture is the lens through which we see and make sense of the world around us. Our culture is now widely described as post-Christian. This does not mean that people cannot personally believe in and follow Jesus in private, but that society has dismissed God as irrelevant in public life. Post-Christian makes the Jesus Way and Kingdom living, by definition, countercultural. Countercultural means we who believe in and follow Jesus are swimming against the cultural currents. We can’t fully fit in. 

We have given a lot of attention to considering culture and countercultural. The mainstream culture is the status quo. Followers of Jesus are a minority who approach life differently than the mainstream culture. This still may be difficult for some believers to accept and so I am repeating three excerpts from Os Guinness’ book, The Magna Carta of Humanity, that were also included in Part B. He declares God and the church are countercultural and revolutionary. Initially, you may question the veracity of these statements, but I believe that Guinness’ assertions accurately reflect biblical truth. He claims:

The Jewish and Christian faiths were the original revolutionary faiths long before the French Revolution. Both were called to be countercultural protest faiths, though the Christian church too often abandoned its biblical calling and became the chaplain to the status quo and even the cheerleader to a series of oppressive establishments. (p. 12)

In fact, the idea of turning the world upside down came directly from the Bible, where the prime revolutionary, and therefore, the subversive of the status quo, is said to be God himself. As the Hebrew Scriptures see it, God is the true revolutionary. God creates order, but humans create disorder. …the disordered must itself be overturned and God’s order reasserted. Turning the world upside down is therefore God’s way of turning the world the right way up. (p. 12)

…the early Christian movement was regarded as subversive and countercultural. They believed the good news they proclaimed was truly revolutionary. (p. 13)

Twenty-first-century, post-Christian culture views Christianity as archaic and outdated. It belongs in the past as a symbol of what once was the status quo. If that is true, the church has lost its edge and become the “chaplain to the status quo.” Yet, we must not give up on the church because God has not given up on it. He promised that he would never abandon it. Instead, we need to personally repent and call the church to repent. 

Kingdom Standards

Always remember, disciples are called to teach and obey everything Jesus commanded (Matt 28:20). Whatever he commanded are the standards we embrace. But we must understand whatever Jesus taught, commanded, or expected of us. Jesus’ teaching is found on almost every page of the N.T. his standards are woven into the entire NT. Let’s look at one of the largest sections of Jesus’ teaching found in chapters 5 through 7 of Matthew. Most of us know it as “The Sermon on the Mount.” It reveals the truly revolutionary and countercultural nature of Jesus’ teaching. Jesus obviously was not a fan of the status quo. His words practically leap off the page. They are the standards Jesus taught his disciples; how he expected his disciples to live. If his teaching was obeyed by all disciples, it would likely turn the world upside down. I only have space to include a fragment of his message. Focus your attention on what Jesus taught his disciples because that has become the same standards we live by.

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)

³ “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
⁴ God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
⁵ God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth.
⁶ God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.
⁷ God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
⁸ God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God.
⁹ God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.
¹⁰ God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.
¹¹ “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. ¹² Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Jesus’ Teaching about Anger (5:21-24)

²¹ “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ ²² But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. ²³ “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, ²⁴ leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Jesus’ Teaching about Adultery (5:27-30)

²⁷ “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. ²⁹ So if your eye—even your good eye—causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ³⁰ And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Jesus’ Teaching about Revenge (5:38-42)

³⁸ “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ ³⁹ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. ⁴⁰ If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. ⁴¹ If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. ⁴² Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

Jesus’ Teaching about Love for Enemies (5:43-48)

⁴³ “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. ⁴⁴ But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! ⁴⁵ In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. ⁴⁶ If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. ⁴⁷ If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. ⁴⁸ But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Teaching about Money and Possessions (Excerpts from 6:19-34)

¹⁹ “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.
²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.
³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
³⁴ “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Do not Judge Others (7:1-6)

¹ “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ² For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. ³ “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? ⁴ How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? ⁵ Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.
⁶ “Don’t waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don’t throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you.

The Narrow Gate

¹³ “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. ¹⁴ But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

The Tree and Its Fruit

¹⁵ “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. ¹⁶ You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. ¹⁹ So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.

True Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. ²² On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ ²³ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

Building on a Solid Foundation

²⁴ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ²⁵ Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. ²⁶ But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ²⁷ When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

Jesus was not a hypocrite; his actions and his teaching were one and the same. His words and actions remain countercultural and revolutionary. Just these excerpts alone would confirm Guinness’ bold affirmation, “the idea of turning the world upside down came directly from the Bible, where the prime revolutionary, and therefore, the subversive of the status quo, is said to be God himself.” This is a snapshot of what Kingdom living looks like. Post-Christian culture will pass away, but Jesus’ revolutionary words will never pass away. They may overwhelm you, but that is why Kingdom living requires disciples to nurture a growth mentality (Challenge 8) 

Sacrifice and Suffering

Sacrifice and suffering play an important role in life and ministry of Jesus and is an important component in the Jesus Way. Jesus’ incarnation was sacrificial. Jesus surrendered his rights and privileges as God, and he humbled himself to the level of becoming fully human. Jesus literally embodied sacrificial love in his incarnation. After the Father had confirmed Jesus’ identity and mission in his baptism, a highlight in his life, he faced adversity and hardship in the wilderness. 

“¹ … Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.  ² For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.”
Matthew 4:1-2

Intentionally going without nourishment for forty days combined both sacrifice and suffering. This preceded his three plus years of public ministry when Jesus frequently went without sleep much like a nursing mother suffers sleep deprivation because she loves her child. Authentic “ministry” (or translated as “service” from the Greek) is always an expression of love which makes it costly. Ministry or service requires one to consider the needs of others as more important than one’s own personal needs. 

True love is expressed through sacrifice. Jesus certainly sacrificed daily to meet the needs of others. Consequently, he became exhausted from constantly serving others. One time he was so exhausted he fell asleep in the back of a boat. An unexpected storm struck the boat with howling, hurricane force winds. His disciples, fearing for their lives, woke their weary leader up to save their lives. Crowds frequently pressed in on him. Yet he repeatedly healed every person who sought his healing touch. He always made time for others, including outcasts and notorious sinners. His closest disciples intensified his suffering. Judas betrayed Jesus and Peter denied him. 

Of course, his greatest sacrifice was to suffer and die on a cross, which is death by torture. The suffering is intense. As Jesus hung naked from the cross for hours, his opponents taunted and insulted him. But his greatest suffering on the cross was hidden from view as Jesus’ suffered separation from the Father. He was utterly alone in his hour of greatest need. His cross is both the epitome of sacrifice and suffering while simultaneously being the deepest and most significant expression of love in history. This is paradoxical, but true.

Sacrifice and suffering are part of the Jesus Way. Following Jesus will inevitably bring sacrifice and suffering as well as incomprehensible love. He told his disciples the narrow road of the Jesus Way would be difficult, bringing pain, persecution, and adversity. Moreover, all the original disciples except for John (and Judas) died as martyrs. John died as a prisoner. The last two thousand years of history includes the murder of countless thousands of disciples (martyrs) because they refused to renounce Jesus. 

Love suffers, but this truth is counterintuitive, countercultural, and cross-cultural. Disciples view every part of life through the lens of the cross and resurrection. The Jesus Way becomes not only countercultural, but cross-cultural when one deliberately chooses love knowing the cost. What first appears to be life-denying turns out to be life-enhancing. God’s love is experienced in a way that words cannot express. Suffering morphs into a life-enhancing experience. There is pain, but in and through the pain. Jesus becomes more real.

Dustin Koslosky, one of my sons-in-law, captured this mystery well in his thesis for his master’s degree. I included these quotes in Challenge 6 (Better Together), Part B (Fellowship), and think it is also helpful in considering sacrifice and suffering. He wrote it after three deployments to Afghanistan (his sources are included in 6 B). 

“Repeatedly we see combat veterans describe the powerful bonds that men forge in combat as stronger than those of husband and wife.” The bond Grossman describes here is one that I have personally felt. The relationships our team forged eleven years ago in the mountains of Afghanistan endure to this day, and for many years, caused me to miss the war and long to return. Junger writes extensively on this phenomenon, noting that adversity makes people more interdependent, feeding a sense of belonging that people inevitably miss. As awkward as it is to say, part of the trauma of war seems to be giving it up. This experience, however, is not limited to veterans and has been recalled by WWII Blitz survivors, Peace Corps workers, and even AIDS survivors. 

Also:

One of the most important lessons I have learned over the course of study is how suffering strengthens our identity in Christ and amplifies our testimony of his greatness and love…. This is true in relationships with each other as well, where the bonds we form in shared suffering, such as in combat, are remarkably strong.

Disciples do not seek suffering, but we willingly make sacrifices as we follow the Jesus Way. Those sacrifices bring suffering, but also a greater awareness of the Lord’s presence, goodness, and love. Suffering is ugly, even evil, but somehow becomes a thing of beauty when motivated by love. 

In Part B, we considered Romans 12:2 which implores the disciples in Rome to “not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The verse preceding, verse 1, also offers an important challenge to disciples.

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
Romans 12:1

Paul calls all believers to offer our bodies to God as a living sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed his body on the cross and by doing so, he fulfilled the OT sacrificial system. Consequently, we no longer offer animal sacrifices on an altar. Even though that system has been canceled, one sacrifice is still necessary. Like Jesus, we offer our bodies as sacrifices, but unlike Jesus, we offer them as living sacrifices. We keep giving ourselves to God because Jesus gave himself for us. Jesus is the giver of life (See Jn 3:16, 10:10, 14:6, 1 Jn 5:11), but he sacrificed his body and his life. As we offer ourselves as living sacrifices, we are bound to Jesus at a deeper level, the level of our hearts. We enter his suffering, and he meets us in our suffering. We are united in a spiritual union with Jesus, much like the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:23ff), manifesting the Lord’s presence.

The Jesus Way is counterintuitive, countercultural, and cross-cultural. There is also an element of mystery in this way of living. Sacrifice and suffering somehow become life-giving and life-enhancing experiences. This way of living, as Os Guinness claims, is revolutionary, countercultural, and subversive of the status quo. It appears to turn the world upside down but is God’s way of turning the world, warped by sin and brokenness, the right way up. Humans create disorder but the disorder must be overturned, and the Creator’s original order restored.

THINKING IT THROUGH

Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Psalm 143:8b

THE TRUTH: Jesus responded to opposition, rejection, and hatred with truth, courage, grace, and love. 

THE CHALLENGE: Disciples seek to respond to opposition, rejection, and hatred with truth, courage, grace, and love.  

The Scriptures, questions, and notes are for group discussion and personal reflection. Our goal in Tier II is character transformation which requires sustained effort and growing faith. Thinking through the questions can help you understand this challenge at a deeper level. We encourage you to focus on those questions that you find most interesting or helpful. This is not a test, but a tool to help you respond to the challenges.

Related Scriptures 

Mark 2:22 ²² “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”

Psalm 11:3 (ESV) 
³ If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?

Matthew 24:9 ⁹ “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.

John 15:20 ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.

Luke 21:12 ¹² “But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and prisons and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my followers.

2 Corinthians 4:8-10  ⁸ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. ⁹ We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. ¹⁰ Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

1 Thessalonians 3:4 (NIV) ⁴ In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know.

Mark 4:17 ¹⁷ But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.

Romans 8:35-37, 39
³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁹ … indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 3:11-12 ¹¹ You know how much persecution and suffering I have endured. You know all about how I was persecuted in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra—but the Lord rescued me from all of it. ¹² Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Romans 8:17b ¹⁷ But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.

Romans 12:14 17-21 (excerpts)
¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them…

¹⁷ Never pay back evil with more evil… ¹⁸ Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.  ¹⁹ Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,” says the LORD.  [Deut 32:35]
²⁰ Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them,
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink
In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” [Prov 25:21-22]
²¹ Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. 

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 ⁸ Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away [thorn in his flesh]. ⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 Thessalonians 1:3-7 ³ Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. ⁴ We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. ⁵ And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. ⁶ In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. ⁷ And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven.

Hebrews 10:32-34 ³² Think back on those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. ³³ Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. ³⁴ You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail, and when all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew there were better things waiting for you that will last forever.

Questions

You are encouraged to use these questions for group discussion or personal reflection. Respond to the questions that are most relevant or interesting to you (I urge you to write your responses in a journal or notebook).

1. Part B was partly a diagnosis of our culture, what it is and how it is changing. I argued it has become a post-Christian culture which seeks to banish God from the public square. Consequently, believers no longer enjoy a privileged status as we did in Christendom. Disciples live in ways and values that are often incompatible with our post-Christian culture. Part C explores the Bible’s teaching at a deeper level to help us live and flourish as cultural misfits. When you finished reading the narrative portion of Part C, what was your response? Pick several words that express your response. 

2. The narrative summarized the Jesus Way as being counterintuitive, countercultural, and cross-cultural. Explain why you think these three terms are an accurate or an inaccurate description of the Jesus Way.

3. The resurrected Jesus prepared his disciples for his departure (his Ascension) by giving them his final directions, which is called the “Great Commission.” He said, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them...and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Matt 28:19-20, NIV). We have considered a sizable chunk of his teaching in Part C. Do you think this is what Jesus wants you to know and obey in the first quarter of the twenty-first Century? Explain your reasons for your answer.

4. Review the excerpts from the Sermon on the Mount contained in the narrative. 

   • Identify (by underlining, highlighting, or compiling a written list) every part of Jesus’ teaching (in the sermon) that you think Jesus would include his statement “everything I have commanded you” (from the Great Commission).

   • Then look over your list of Jesus’ teachings that we are to teach new disciples and circle the ones that someone has sought to teach you.

   • Do think Jesus would be pleased with the way we go about “making disciples” today?

5. Do you agree that Kingdom living is “counterintuitive” (not natural)? Why or why not?

6. You have read the same three excerpts from Os Guinness’ book, The Magna Carta of Humanity, in both Part B and Part C (in the “Revolutionary” section). You’ve been encouraged to think critically about them. Reread those excerpts from Guinness one more time and then state whether you agree or disagree with them and why. 

7. Do you believe God is calling his church to be a “chaplain to the status quo” or a “countercultural” movement”? Why?

8. The last section of Part C was about “Sacrifice and Suffering.” Does this belong in a discussion of Kingdom Living?

9. Romans 12:1 tells disciples to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice….” Explain what this means.

10. How does our culture understand sacrifice and suffering? Is this cultural view congruent with the Bible?

Copyright © 2024 Don Waite

All rights reserved.

Previous

Next