Extremists for Love: An Apostolic Call to Justice

Devotional

Day 1: Rooted in Our Shared Spiritual History

Just as a family tree explains where you come from, the church’s history informs who you are today. When you open the Gospel of Matthew, you are met with a genealogy that grounds Jesus in a specific story. You are part of a long line of believers who have walked this path for over two thousand years. Recognizing the heroes and the history that came before you allows you to step into your own inspiration. This connection to the past is not just about dates, but about understanding the mission you have inherited. [23:02]

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. (Matthew 1:1-2 ESV)

Reflection: When you look back at your own spiritual "family tree," who are the people whose faith or values have most deeply shaped the way you follow Jesus today?

Day 2: Sent with a Specific Mission for the World

To be apostolic means to be a person called to a specific mission in the world. You are invited to join the group of people Jesus first commissioned to share God’s message across the land. This calling is not reserved for the figures of the past, but is a living invitation for you today. As you go forth, you are tasked with baptizing, teaching, and spreading the warmth of God’s welcome. You are rooted in a history that continues through your own hands and feet. [21:10]

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

Reflection: In your current neighborhood or workplace, what does it practically look like for you to "go and make disciples" through acts of kindness or sharing your hope?

Day 3: Empowered by the Spirit to Bring Life

The early disciples worried about how they would continue the work without Jesus physically present. You may also feel overwhelmed by the call to live out your faith in a complex world. However, the promise remains that the Holy Spirit lives within you to provide guidance and strength. This spirit brings life to others through your service, whether you are packing food for the hungry or speaking truth to power. You are never asked to walk this journey alone or by your own power. [28:03]

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8 ESV)

Reflection: Where in your life right now do you feel most "out of your depth," and how might you invite the Holy Spirit to provide the strength you lack?

Day 4: Choosing to be Extremists for Love and Justice

There is a profound choice before you regarding what kind of influence you will have on the world. You can choose to be an extremist for hate and injustice, or an extremist for love and righteousness. Following the example of Jesus and those who stood for justice throughout history, you are called to stand in the gap. This means seeking the extension of justice rather than the preservation of comfortable inequities. Your faith is expressed most clearly when you choose the path of radical compassion. [33:16]

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. (Amos 5:24 ESV)

Reflection: When you look at the injustices in your local community, what is one small, concrete way you can "stand in the gap" this week to promote God's justice?

Day 5: Walking Together in Faith and Prayer

Faith is not a solitary endeavor, and you were never meant to carry your burdens by yourself. Stepping out of your comfort zone to share your needs with others creates a space for God’s grace to flow. When you ask a neighbor how you can pray for them, you are participating in the apostolic tradition of mutual care. This simple act of turning toward one another strengthens the entire body of believers. By uplifting each other’s concerns, you reflect the love and mercy of Christ to the world. [39:59]

Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2 ESV)

Reflection: Who is one person in your life that you could reach out to this week to ask, "How can I be praying for you?" and how might that change your relationship?

Sermon Summary

The assembly is invited to remember that being apostolic ties present faith to a living history shaped by the Spirit. Grounded in the Nicene marks—one, holy, catholic, apostolic—the congregation is urged to see apostolicity not merely as ancient pedigree but as an active calling: apostles are those sent on a specific mission, and that same sending continues through the Spirit today. History matters because it shapes identity; the gospel’s genealogy and the church’s own records trace how past convictions and failures form present vocation.

The apostolic witness is a twofold inheritance: it connects believers to the story of Christ and it calls them into the ongoing work of the Spirit. Jesus’ final charge to make disciples and Jesus’ promise to remain via the Spirit mean the church’s mission is not nostalgic repetition but renewed obedience empowered from within. Remembering the past honestly includes naming harm done in the name of religion—colonialism, complicity in slavery, and recent denominational fractures—while also recognizing instances where the Spirit birthed justice, mercy, and life in concrete deeds like feeding neighbors or advocating for the oppressed.

Martin Luther King Jr.’s reflection on “extremism” reframes zeal: the only relevant question is the direction of fervor—toward love and justice, or toward preservation of injustice and hate. The call is not mere rhetoric but practical formation: living out ecclesial essentials should shape daily choices about whom to welcome, whom to defend, and what risks to take for justice. Worship, prayer, and shared practices (like mutual intercession and tangible service) are the means by which a congregation is formed into a community that can stand in the gap between present brokenness and God’s promised justice.

Finally, the congregation is sent with a clear benediction: to remember origins, embody the Spirit, and bring a foretaste of heaven into places that feel like hell. The question left with the people is urgent and personal—what kind of extremists will they be—and the answer will be revealed in sustained acts of love, disciplined communal life, and the courage to confront injustice in the name of Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Root mission in apostolic history The call to be apostolic anchors present action in a lineage of witness that spans Scripture and church life. This is not romanticizing the past but allowing memory to discipline and orient mission so that faithfulness today coheres with what God has begun before. Understanding where the church came from clarifies where it may be sent next and exposes patterns that must be revised. [21:46]
2. Experience Jesus through the Spirit The resurrected Christ continues presence by sending the Spirit, which transforms absence into ongoing companionship and power. Reliance on the Spirit reframes ministry from nostalgia for embodied presence to confidence in active, inward guidance that enables witness. This shifts responsibility from mere imitation of past forms to discerning how the Spirit leads now. [28:03]
3. Own the church’s mixed history Honest faith refuses both whitewashing and despair: it names past harms while keeping watch for the Spirit’s redemptive moves. The church must learn from complicity and from courageous resistance alike, allowing both to form a repentant and resilient identity. Such refusal to hide history grounds moral clarity in future-directed repentance and repair. [29:04]
4. Choose to be extremists for love Zeal is unavoidable; the decisive question is whether fervor will serve justice or preserve injustice. Committed love may demand costly witness and civil disobedience, but it coheres with Christ’s way of sacrificial solidarity with the oppressed. This is a summons to courageous alignment with God’s justice rather than timid preservation of comfort. [33:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:20] - Call to Worship and Psalm Reading
[10:08] - Announcements & Prayer for Reconciliation
[16:03] - Series: Ecclesial Essentials Overview
[20:46] - What Is an Apostle?
[26:24] - Why Church History Matters
[28:03] - The Spirit as Ongoing Presence
[30:44] - MLK’s “Extremist” Reflection
[33:41] - Question: What Kind of Church?
[39:59] - Congregational Prayer Practice
[46:20] - Lord’s Prayer & Doxology
[54:17] - Benediction and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Here is a Bible study guide based on the sermon summary:

Bible Reading

Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV)
> And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Acts 1:8 (ESV)
> But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Observation questions

The sermon mentions the Nicene Creed as a foundational statement for the church. What are the four "marks" of the church that were discussed in this series? [16:44]
The sermon highlights that apostolicity is not just about ancient history but about a present calling. What does it mean to be "sent on a specific mission" in the context of the church today? [20:46]
The sermon points out that history shapes identity and that the church's records trace how past convictions and failures form present vocation. What are some examples of past harms done in the name of religion that were mentioned? [29:04]
Martin Luther King Jr.'s reflection on "extremism" is brought up. What is the key question King poses about zeal or fervor? [33:16]

Interpretation questions

The sermon suggests that the church's mission is not a "nostalgic repetition but renewed obedience empowered from within." How does the promise of the Holy Spirit's presence change the way we understand our mission compared to simply imitating the past? [28:03]
The sermon states that "honest faith refuses both whitewashing and despair." How can acknowledging both the harmful actions and the redemptive moves of the Spirit in church history help us develop a more resilient identity? [29:04]
The sermon connects Jesus' command to make disciples with the promise of his presence through the Spirit. How does this connection empower believers to fulfill the Great Commission, even when facing challenges or feeling inadequate? [27:36]
The sermon asks, "What kind of extremists will we be?" considering King's reflection. How does the sermon suggest that our daily choices, worship, prayer, and shared practices shape the kind of "extremists" we become? [33:41]

Application questions

The sermon emphasizes rooting our mission in apostolic history, not to romanticize the past, but to allow memory to discipline and orient our mission. What is one specific way you can intentionally connect with the church's history this week to inform your present actions or calling?
We are called to experience Jesus through the Spirit, which transforms absence into ongoing companionship and power. When do you feel most aware of the Holy Spirit's presence and guidance in your life, and how can you cultivate that awareness more consistently? [28:03]
The sermon calls us to own the church's mixed history, learning from both complicity and courageous resistance. What is one aspect of the church's history, either positive or negative, that has personally impacted your understanding of your faith or your vocation? [29:04]
The sermon challenges us to choose to be "extremists for love," aligning with God's justice rather than preserving comfort. In what specific area of your life or community are you being called to take a risk for love and justice this week? [33:16]
The sermon concludes by sending us to "bring a foretaste of heaven into places that feel like hell." What is one tangible way you can bring a bit of heaven—love, justice, mercy—into a difficult situation or place you will encounter this week? [45:06]
The sermon encourages us to be "disciplined communal life" and to "stand in the gap between present brokenness and God’s promised justice." How can you more actively participate in the life of this community to strengthen our collective ability to stand in the gap? [34:01]

Sermon Clips

``So my question is is I'll leave you with the question of king. Right? What kind of extremists will we be? Will we be extremists for love or for hate? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or the extension of justice? And as we think of that, what kind of church will we, as prince of peace, be to the world around us? Amen. [00:34:29] (29 seconds) #ExtremistsForLove

You might be interested in reading the the Bible, and you might come up to someone and say, I'm interested in reading the Bible. Where should I start? And they say, oh, well, you should probably start with the gospels. You should probably start with the New Testament. And then you open up the first you open up to Matthew, the first page of the New Testament, and what does it tell you? It's Jesus' genealogy. Right? So it's this person gave birth to this person, gave birth to this person. And it gives you a history of where Jesus came from before it tells you who Jesus is. So there's this idea that our past really informs our present. [00:22:44] (36 seconds) #PastInformsPresent

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