Living in Babylon: Finding Peace in Captivity

From the Heart! - Today’s passage provides important insight for us on how God’s children can live and even thrive as a minority in a foreign culture. This is important to us as Christians, because we have recently become a minority concerning the beliefs and values that dominate our culture. It used to be that Christianity played a major role in forming the worldview of those in power in our country. Christian values permeated every area of our society, even though many people lived more like cultural Christians than true believers. But that is simply not the case today. All you have to do is to express your beliefs about biblical marriage and sexuality, or dare to suggest that Jesus is the only way to the Father, to find out just how far the pendulum has swung in the other direction.

So this morning we’re going to focus on what God has to say about living as a believing minority in a country that is largely pagan in its values and outlook. As we study Jeremiah 29 and God’s instructions to His people living in exile in Babylon, we find some surprising instructions. Instead of holding grudges and fighting against those who stand opposed to their Jewish beliefs, the Israelites were called to work for the peace and prosperity of this new city that had become their home. All those who would follow these new instructions were given a powerful promise: If they would live with a mission to bless others, they are promised God’s peace in return! 

In His Service,

Pastor Steve