Transforming Communities: The Gospel's Call to Action

 

Summary

In 1989, when Kathy and I first moved to New York City, less than 1% of the population in Center City attended a gospel-centered church. Today, by God's grace, that number has grown to 5%. We have an audacious vision to work with churches across the city to triple that figure to 15% in the next decade. This vision, if realized, could lead to radical philanthropy, profound racial reconciliation, and real social justice, creating a humane city with ripple effects extending globally. We are launching this vision with the Rise Campaign, and we need your prayers.

Our reading from Matthew 5:11-16 reminds us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The gospel creates a community that evokes both animosity and attraction, yet is blessed. This community is not just a collection of individuals but a city on a hill, a counterculture for the common good. The gospel changes everything, transforming personal relationships and societal structures. It starts with repentance and faith, acknowledging our self-centeredness and embracing the love of Jesus Christ.

The gospel's transformative power enables us to create deep human communities that transcend racial, national, cultural, and class barriers. These communities are not mere clubs but alternate societies that change how we live, work, and relate to others. As Christians, we are called to be salt and light, preserving and illuminating the world around us. This involves sacrificial service, justice, and mercy, making our neighborhoods and cities better places.

Being salt and light will inevitably lead to both attraction and animosity. We must be prepared to face insults and persecution for the sake of Christ, without self-pity or anger. Jesus redefined success and accomplishment through his life and sacrifice. By looking to him, we can embody the countercultural values of the Beatitudes, living as a community that reflects God's truth and love to the world.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Gospel's Transformative Vision: The gospel has the power to transform cities and societies, leading to radical philanthropy, racial reconciliation, and social justice. This vision requires collective effort and prayer, as it seeks to create a humane city with global ripple effects. [00:09]

2. Community as a Counterculture: The gospel creates a community that serves as a counterculture for the common good. This community is not just a collection of individuals but a city on a hill, embodying the values of the gospel and transforming personal and societal relationships. [03:05]

3. Repentance and Faith as Foundations: The gospel begins with repentance and faith, acknowledging our self-centeredness and embracing the love of Jesus Christ. This transformation enables us to create deep human communities that transcend barriers and reflect God's truth and love. [09:14]

4. Being Salt and Light: Christians are called to be salt and light, preserving and illuminating the world around them. This involves sacrificial service, justice, and mercy, making our neighborhoods and cities better places. [18:53]

5. Facing Animosity and Attraction: Being salt and light will inevitably lead to both attraction and animosity. We must be prepared to face insults and persecution for the sake of Christ, without self-pity or anger, embodying the countercultural values of the Beatitudes. [23:07]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:09] - Vision for Gospel Growth
- [00:54] - Call for Prayer and Support
- [01:14] - Reading from Matthew 5
- [02:06] - Redeemer's Core Values
- [03:05] - Community Formation
- [04:02] - Light of the World
- [05:24] - Christians as a Community
- [06:11] - Healing Relationships
- [07:17] - The Me-First Impulse
- [09:14] - Repentance and Faith
- [11:57] - The Nature of Community
- [13:01] - Gospel's Impact on Life
- [17:07] - Community's Dual Impact
- [23:07] - Facing Persecution
- [28:13] - Inner Poise through Blessing
- [32:18] - Jesus' Example of Sacrifice
- [33:19] - Closing Prayer

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Matthew 5:11-16

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Jesus mean when he calls his followers "the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" in Matthew 5:13-14?
2. According to the sermon, how has the percentage of people attending gospel-centered churches in Center City New York changed since 1989? [00:09]
3. What are some of the societal changes the sermon envisions if the gospel's transformative power is realized in New York City? [00:24]
4. How does the sermon describe the dual impact of being a gospel-centered community in terms of attraction and animosity? [17:20]

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of being a "city on a hill" relate to the idea of Christians as a community rather than individuals? [04:17]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the gospel can lead to racial reconciliation and social justice? [00:24]
3. How does the sermon explain the role of repentance and faith in overcoming the "me-first" impulse? [09:14]
4. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between being salt and light and facing persecution? [23:07]

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own community involvement. How can you contribute to making your neighborhood a better place through sacrificial service, justice, and mercy? [18:18]
2. Have you ever experienced animosity or attraction because of your faith? How did you respond, and what might you do differently in the future? [23:07]
3. The sermon emphasizes the importance of community in living out the gospel. How can you become more actively involved in your church community to reflect God's truth and love? [16:29]
4. Consider a relationship in your life that could benefit from the gospel's transformative power. What steps can you take to bring healing and reconciliation to that relationship? [06:11]
5. How can you practice being "salt" in your workplace or family by preserving relationships and promoting peace? [20:17]
6. The sermon calls for a collective effort and prayer to realize the vision of gospel growth. How can you support this vision in your own context, and what specific prayers can you offer? [00:54]
7. Reflect on the Beatitudes and how they redefine success and accomplishment. How can you embody these countercultural values in your daily life? [28:28]

Devotional

Day 1: Transformative Vision of the Gospel
The gospel holds the power to transform not only individuals but entire cities and societies. This transformation can lead to radical philanthropy, racial reconciliation, and social justice, creating a humane city with global ripple effects. The vision to increase the number of gospel-centered church attendees in New York City from 5% to 15% in the next decade is ambitious but achievable through collective effort and prayer. This vision is not just about numbers but about creating a community that embodies the values of the gospel, leading to profound societal change. [00:09]

Isaiah 58:6-7 (ESV): "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?"

Reflection: What specific action can you take this week to contribute to the vision of transforming your community through the gospel's power?


Day 2: Community as a Counterculture
The gospel creates a community that serves as a counterculture for the common good. This community is not just a collection of individuals but a city on a hill, embodying the values of the gospel and transforming personal and societal relationships. It challenges societal norms and offers an alternative way of living that reflects God's truth and love. This community transcends racial, national, cultural, and class barriers, creating deep human connections that change how we live, work, and relate to others. [03:05]

1 Peter 2:9-10 (ESV): "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

Reflection: How can you actively participate in building a community that serves as a counterculture for the common good in your neighborhood or workplace?


Day 3: Foundations of Repentance and Faith
The gospel begins with repentance and faith, acknowledging our self-centeredness and embracing the love of Jesus Christ. This transformation enables us to create deep human communities that transcend barriers and reflect God's truth and love. Repentance involves a change of heart and mind, turning away from self-centeredness and towards God. Faith involves trusting in Jesus Christ and His love, allowing His transformative power to work in and through us. [09:14]

James 4:8-10 (ESV): "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to practice repentance and faith today? How can you take a step towards that change?


Day 4: Being Salt and Light
Christians are called to be salt and light, preserving and illuminating the world around them. This involves sacrificial service, justice, and mercy, making our neighborhoods and cities better places. Being salt means preserving what is good and preventing moral decay, while being light means illuminating the darkness with truth and love. This calling requires intentionality and courage, as it often involves going against the grain of societal norms. [18:53]

Colossians 4:5-6 (ESV): "Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person."

Reflection: In what specific ways can you be salt and light in your community this week? What challenges might you face, and how can you overcome them?


Day 5: Facing Animosity and Attraction
Being salt and light will inevitably lead to both attraction and animosity. As Christians, we must be prepared to face insults and persecution for the sake of Christ, without self-pity or anger. Jesus redefined success and accomplishment through His life and sacrifice, and by looking to Him, we can embody the countercultural values of the Beatitudes. This involves living as a community that reflects God's truth and love to the world, even in the face of opposition. [23:07]

2 Timothy 3:12-14 (ESV): "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it."

Reflection: How can you prepare your heart and mind to face animosity for the sake of Christ? What practical steps can you take to respond with love and grace in such situations?

Quotes


In 1989, when my wife Kathy and I first moved to New York City, less than 1% of the population of Center City New York was attending a gospel centered church. Today, by God's grace, that number has grown to 5%. Now God has given us a pretty audacious vision to work with churches across the city to try to triple that figure to 15% in the next decade because the gospel changes everything. [00:00:09]

The gospel creates a community which evokes both animosity and attraction and yet is blessed. That's what our text tells us, famous passage here from the Sermon on the Mount. Let's take a look at first of all down in verse 14 and 15 Jesus is talking to his disciples and says you are the light of the world and then seems like he mixes metaphors or shifts metaphors and says a town built on a hill cannot be hidden. [00:03:32]

It's only as a community that we are actually the light of the world, not court it is not actually as individuals. Do you say well why would that be what's so big about being a community you know that 80% of Americans say you can be a very good Christian without going to church at all that's not what this text says at all you can't be alive the world because you can't be a city by yourself. [00:05:36]

Repentance is admitting that your whole life is permeated with self-centeredness you see repentance is not just oh I've done some bad things everybody says that that doesn't that doesn't change your life that doesn't connect you to God saving repentance connects you to God it's not just saying well I've done bad things everybody knows they've done bad things. [00:09:08]

Christians now have got the ability to create a kind of deep human community that nobody else can a kind of human community that gets up it makes us one across the kind of barriers that divide other people across the racial barriers across the national barriers across the cultural barriers across the the class barriers. [00:11:27]

The gospel actually changes everything so, for example because it's come in and done a deathblow to me first, it changes your psychology it changes the way you relate to people it makes you more able to forgive by the way more able to reconcile you can do a certain amount of self renunciation without killing yourself esteem it also changes the way you look at sex money and power. [00:13:04]

If you want God's truth and light to come into your life and change you or if you want God's truth and light to go out into the world and and you know light in light in a darkened world you got to be part of a community you know who you are see if you're American or even kind of Americanized if you're an American or even if you've been here a long time so you kind of Americanized you you might believe what the culture says which is that you're mainly the product of your own personal choices. [00:14:46]

This community if it's a real gospel community if it really represents Jesus Christ will evoke both animosity and at the same time attraction it'll be both off-putting in compel, it's one of the main teachings of this passage of course but throughout the New Testament how so well first of all we already saw that we're light of the world and of course light is attractive is it not. [00:17:18]

For Christians to be salt means we don't do that we go into the workplace we go into friendships in our family we're the ones are not turf conscious we're the ones who are will overlook a slight we are the ones who are not irritable we're the ones who are never feel like well I'm not getting mine, we're salt we're preservative we're the thing that keeps the relationships going. [00:20:24]

If you're going to be salt and light you're going to get hurt, you shouldn't whine about it you should not be feeling filth full of self-pity there's going to be people who you're trying to help who are just bigger than as a peer they will not be there like the little woodland creature who is not particularly grateful. [00:26:33]

Someone came into this world Jesus Christ who completely redefined what it means to be successful it accomplished, because the beatitudes before they point to you and me how we should live they point to him did you know that listen let me ask you a question I'm asking this to Christians in here Christian brothers and sisters why is it that you and I eventually will be according to the Bible riches Kings because he became poor. [00:30:30]

He took the things we deserve for all of our me firstness he took he took the penalty we deserved for the mess we've made the world he went to the cross and took our punishment so that he took the curse so that we could be blessed he became poor so we could become rich he became empty so we could become full filled and here's what that means when I see Jesus Christ being persecuted saving me by being persecuted without any self pity than I can do that too. [00:32:05]

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Transcript
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