Leading with Love in Divided Times

### Summary

Good morning, Menlo Church! Today, we continue our series, "Smear Campaign," where we reflect on how fighting dirty is dividing relationships and damaging our witness. Whether you're a Christian or not, no one is happy about the state of public discourse today. We aim to equip you with lessons to navigate these challenging times, especially as we approach a national presidential election year. I hope you had a chance to apply some of the things we talked about last week, and I have a hunch you'll get more opportunities to apply this week's lessons.

First, I want to give a shout-out to our Bay Area campuses in San Mateo, Mountain View, Saratoga, and right here in Menlo Park. We are one church in multiple locations, and the hope of Jesus is available throughout Menlo Church because of faithful followers like you. I've been reminding you that your financial support allows Menlo to make a difference in the communities we serve. Automating your giving is crucial, especially as our ministry ramps up in the summer with special events and trips. If you're a follower of Jesus and call Menlo Church home, consider making giving financially a priority as part of your journey with Jesus.

Last week, we talked about the underlying fear feeding the dysfunction around us and expanded the two political parties into the four Americas we live in. Today, I want to talk about diversity, a word that has become loaded over the years. The extremes in the conversation have dominated the space, leading to confusion. But before we dive in, let's pray. God, thank you that no matter what's happening in the headlines, your kingdom will continue to reign. Help us to reframe our understanding and submit our view to your vision.

We need to commit to caring for the world around us. Part of this is through the listening magnets you received. Place them somewhere visible to remind you to lead with listening. When we moved from Colorado to California, I joked that my approach to polarization wouldn't change much, but I'd be called a crazy liberal in Colorado and a crazy conservative in California. We live in crazy times. During the 2020 election season, I received messages criticizing my preaching from all four Americas. Many left for churches that aligned more closely with their specific convictions. But when we lead and live out of fear, we make bad choices. Jesus always moved towards people who were different and sought to learn from them. He invites us to do the same.

The younger generation is increasingly cynical, with many believing elections don't matter. Avoid this extreme of cynicism. God has a vision for how we should walk out our views and values. Let's pray for people and ideas that confront our assumptions. Who is the neighbor you've been avoiding? Who's the coworker you haven't spoken to because of their political views? Use the lessons from the magnet and lead with listening. You have no idea what hangs in the balance of your ability to lead with love, just like Jesus.

Jesus was so good at meeting people where they were without surrendering His convictions. He led with compassion. Let's pray that God gives us the heart and vision to do the same. For some, this is a hard conversation. You've made decisions that have alienated friends. This won't end soon, but let's be people of love, welcoming different perspectives because everyone is made in God's image. Neither political party has the moral high ground. We need to live as thoughtful witnesses in a world that needs hope.

I want to share a list of ten kingdom commitments from "The Party Crasher." These include worship, loving our neighbors, honoring the image of God in all people, biblical wisdom, biblical justice, fruitful speech, peacemaking, removing the log from our own eye, humble learning, and loving our enemies. Imagine what it would look like if we committed to this list through November. Some of you aren't followers of Jesus because these commitments seem far from your experience with Christians. I'm sorry about that, but we all need the grace of Jesus as we figure this out together.

In Luke's biography of Jesus, he records the moment Levi, also known as Matthew, was called to follow Jesus. Matthew was a Jewish tax collector, a combination unthinkable at the time. He had to bid for the right to collect taxes, enriching himself at the expense of his people. Jesus offered him a spot as a disciple, representing a path to a life he thought had passed him by. This is a beautiful picture of repentance. Jesus' approach to diversity was radical. He chose people who had been passed over, like Matthew, and invited them into a relationship that seemed impossible. This is the example we should follow.

### Key Takeaways

1. **The Importance of Financial Support**: Automating your giving is crucial for the church's mission, especially during the summer when ministry activities ramp up. This act of financial stewardship is part of our journey with Jesus, reflecting our commitment to support the work God is doing through Menlo Church. Consider making giving a regular rhythm in your life to help sustain and grow the impact of our community. [[22:44]]

2. **Embracing Diversity**: Diversity has become a loaded term, but it's essential to our faith. Jesus modeled radical diversity by engaging with people who were different from Him. He moved towards them, learned from them, and built relationships. We are called to do the same, leading with listening and love, even when we disagree. This approach can transform our interactions and witness in a divided world. [[24:47]]

3. **Avoiding Cynicism**: The younger generation is increasingly cynical about politics, believing that elections don't matter. This cynicism is dangerous and contrary to God's vision for us. We must engage thoughtfully and let our faith shape our politics, not the other way around. Pray for people and ideas that challenge your assumptions and help you grow in understanding and compassion. [[49:20]]

4. **Leading with Love and Compassion**: Jesus met people where they were without compromising His convictions. He led with compassion, inviting people into a relationship with Him. We should follow His example, especially in politically charged times. Engage with those you disagree with, listen to their stories, and show them the love of Christ. This approach can break down barriers and build meaningful connections. [[51:27]]

5. **Kingdom Commitments**: Living as thoughtful witnesses involves ten kingdom commitments: worship, loving our neighbors, honoring the image of God in all people, biblical wisdom, biblical justice, fruitful speech, peacemaking, removing the log from our own eye, humble learning, and loving our enemies. Imagine the impact if we committed to these principles through November. This commitment can transform our interactions and witness, reflecting the love and grace of Jesus. [[41:15]]

### Youtube Chapters

[0:00] - Welcome
[22:44] - Importance of Financial Support
[24:47] - Embracing Diversity
[41:15] - Kingdom Commitments
[49:20] - Avoiding Cynicism
[51:27] - Leading with Love and Compassion

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
1. **Luke 5:27-32 (ESV)**
> "After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, 'Follow me.' And leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' And Jesus answered them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.'"

2. **Matthew 7:3-5 (ESV)**
> "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

3. **Romans 12:18 (ESV)**
> "If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all."

#### Observation Questions
1. What was Levi's (Matthew's) occupation before Jesus called him, and why was it significant? ([33:29])
2. How did the Pharisees react to Jesus eating with tax collectors and sinners, and what was Jesus' response? ([33:29])
3. What does Jesus mean when He says, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick"? ([33:29])
4. According to the sermon, what are some of the ten kingdom commitments mentioned? ([41:15])

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think Jesus chose someone like Levi (Matthew), a tax collector, to be one of His disciples? ([33:29])
2. How does the concept of removing the log from your own eye before addressing the speck in someone else's eye apply to our current political and social climate? ([44:57])
3. What does it mean to live peaceably with all, and how can this be challenging in today's divided world? ([49:20])
4. How can the ten kingdom commitments help us navigate political and social divisions? ([41:15])

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your own life: Are there any "tax collectors" or people you have avoided because of their differences? How can you take a step towards them this week? ([33:29])
2. Think about a recent disagreement you had. How could leading with listening and love have changed the outcome? ([50:54])
3. Identify one of the ten kingdom commitments that you find most challenging. What practical steps can you take to incorporate it into your daily life? ([41:15])
4. Have you ever felt cynical about politics or social issues? How can you shift your perspective to align more with God's vision? ([49:20])
5. Jesus met people where they were without compromising His convictions. How can you balance holding your convictions while showing compassion to those who disagree with you? ([51:27])
6. Who is a neighbor or coworker you have been avoiding due to their political views? What is one action you can take this week to engage with them positively? ([50:21])
7. How can you automate your giving or make financial stewardship a regular part of your journey with Jesus? ([22:44])

Day 1: Financial Stewardship as a Spiritual Discipline
Description: Financial support is not just a practical necessity for the church; it is a spiritual discipline that reflects our commitment to God's work. Automating your giving ensures that the church can continue its mission, especially during busy seasons like summer when ministry activities increase. This act of stewardship is a tangible way to participate in the life and growth of the church community. By making giving a regular rhythm in your life, you help sustain and expand the impact of Menlo Church in the communities it serves. Consider how your financial contributions can be a part of your journey with Jesus, reflecting your dedication to supporting the work God is doing through Menlo Church. [22:44]

2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (ESV): "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

Reflection: How can you make financial giving a regular and joyful part of your spiritual practice? What steps can you take today to automate your giving and support the church's mission?


Day 2: Embracing Radical Diversity
Description: Diversity is a term that has become loaded over the years, often leading to confusion and division. However, it is essential to our faith. Jesus modeled radical diversity by engaging with people who were different from Him, moving towards them, learning from them, and building relationships. We are called to do the same, leading with listening and love, even when we disagree. This approach can transform our interactions and witness in a divided world. Embracing diversity means seeing the image of God in all people and valuing their unique perspectives. By doing so, we reflect the inclusive love of Christ and build a more united community. [24:47]

Galatians 3:28 (ESV): "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Reflection: Who in your life represents a different perspective or background that you have avoided engaging with? How can you take a step towards building a relationship with them this week?


Day 3: Engaging Thoughtfully in Politics
Description: The younger generation is increasingly cynical about politics, often believing that elections don't matter. This cynicism is dangerous and contrary to God's vision for us. We must engage thoughtfully in the political process, letting our faith shape our politics rather than the other way around. Pray for people and ideas that challenge your assumptions and help you grow in understanding and compassion. By doing so, you can avoid the trap of cynicism and contribute positively to the world around you. Thoughtful engagement means being informed, prayerful, and compassionate in your political interactions, reflecting the values of the Kingdom of God. [49:20]

Micah 6:8 (ESV): "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"

Reflection: How can you engage more thoughtfully in the political process? What steps can you take to ensure your faith shapes your political views and not the other way around?


Day 4: Leading with Love and Compassion
Description: Jesus was exceptional at meeting people where they were without compromising His convictions. He led with compassion, inviting people into a relationship with Him. We should follow His example, especially in politically charged times. Engage with those you disagree with, listen to their stories, and show them the love of Christ. This approach can break down barriers and build meaningful connections. Leading with love and compassion means prioritizing relationships over being right and seeking to understand before being understood. By doing so, we can reflect the heart of Jesus in our interactions and witness. [51:27]

Colossians 3:12-14 (ESV): "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony."

Reflection: Think of someone you disagree with politically. How can you show them love and compassion this week? What steps can you take to listen to their story and build a meaningful connection?


Day 5: Committing to Kingdom Principles
Description: Living as thoughtful witnesses involves committing to ten kingdom principles: worship, loving our neighbors, honoring the image of God in all people, biblical wisdom, biblical justice, fruitful speech, peacemaking, removing the log from our own eye, humble learning, and loving our enemies. Imagine the impact if we committed to these principles through November. This commitment can transform our interactions and witness, reflecting the love and grace of Jesus. By living out these principles, we can be a light in a divided world, showing others the hope and love found in Christ. [41:15]

Romans 12:9-10 (ESV): "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor."

Reflection: Which of the ten kingdom principles do you find most challenging? How can you commit to living out this principle in your daily life starting today?

Well, good morning, Menlo Church, and welcome back to part two of our series, "Smear Campaign," where we are reflecting on how fighting dirty is dividing relationships and damaging our witness.

Whether you're a Christian or not, no one is happy about the state of public discourse today. And if you were with us last week, I told you that one of the reasons we're doing it this way, where we're trying to have this conversation in a national presidential election year this early, is in hopes of being able to sort of help you before you're going to need the lessons to be able to think about how you show up well and how you respond when events happen months from now.

And it turns out it wasn't going to be months. It turns out it was like a few days. And so I hope maybe you had a chance to apply some of the things we talked about last week. And I have a hunch if history is any predictor of the future, you're going to get a chance to apply some more things this week.

Now, I want to give a shout out to our Bay Area campuses in San Mateo, Mountain View, Saratoga, and right here in Menlo Park. We are one church in multiple locations, and I know that the hope of Jesus is available throughout Menlo Church because of faithful followers just like you at every single one of those campuses.

Now, I've been thinking about how do we have this conversation around getting ready for summer? And I've been taking the first few minutes of each message over the last couple of weeks to remind you that your financial support is what allows Menlo to make a difference in the communities that we serve.

Automating your giving, if you're a follower of Jesus and you call Menlo Church home, is such an important part of making that possible. For some organizations, summer is kind of an easy time to just slow down a little bit. And the fall and the winter allow for a season of catch-up before the end of the year.

But for us, ministry actually ramps up in the summer with special events and trips. And then our financial year ends at the end of summer. So we don't get the same fall pickup opportunity as a church.

And I would say, I'm just trying to remind you that if you're a follower of Jesus, He wants access to your finances as well, especially if you're younger, maybe. And this just has not been a conversation for you. Making giving financially a priority is a part of our journey with Jesus.

And I mentioned to you last week that I've been talking about this for a couple of weeks. And one person had automated their giving. And I didn't mean that to publicly shame you, but we had a 400% increase in first-time gifts. So that's exciting. I'm thankful. Thanks for doing that.

And I would say, if you haven't yet, maybe just think about automating your giving. We have a generation of people here at Menlo who have been so faithful for so long. And if you're in a younger generation, it's our turn to begin to share that load for the generations to come.

So if you've given in the past, but maybe it's not a normal rhythm for you, can I ask you to take some time to consider making a plan to support what God is doing at Menlo Church and automating your gift? You can learn more and you can sign up at menlo.church/give. It matters more than you know.

Last week, we talked about the underlying fear that is often feeding the dysfunction that we all feel around us. And we expanded the two parties that we often think about politically into the four Americas that we live in, even in the same zip code or the same classroom or, for some of you, the same home.

And learning to live together and to love one another is so central to what it means to follow Jesus. Today, I want to talk about diversity, a word that has gotten pretty loaded over the last few years. Like so much of our political discourse, the extremes in the conversation have dominated the space, but they have also led to our own version of confusion when we're not careful.

But before we get started, I'm going to pray for us. And if you've never been here before, never heard me speak, before I speak, I pray kneeling. And part of the reason that I do that is to model the conversation that we're having—that actually there is only one king that you and I were ever designed to kneel before.

Would you pray with me?

God, thank you so much. Thank you that no matter what's taking place in the headlines, God, your kingdom will continue to reign. It's going to reign without end. That God, your incredible work in our lives and in the world, we can trust it. We can trust it now. We can trust it forever.

No matter what we walked in with, no matter what we logged on with, no matter what's going on in our lives, would you simply reframe our understanding right now to be more in line with your will for our lives that we might walk it out today. It's in Jesus' name. Amen.

I want to tell you a little bit about my friend Carl. Carl began attending the church that I was leading a number of years ago because his girlfriend had connected there and found community. Carl didn't quite fit. He presented as very angry and definitely gave off the "leave me alone" vibe. You know what I'm saying?

And it turns out that Carl was a practicing witch—his words, not mine. And he came to church to keep his girlfriend happy, but he had no intention of letting any of this "brainwashing"—again, his words—impact his life or mind until it did.

And we weren't a perfect church, but we just started praying for him and showing kindness. We didn't run away; we walked towards him. Today, fast forward, Carl is married to that woman, and he's a Jesus follower. He's got lots of tattoos and a big beard and a crazy story.

But he taught me this really important lesson that God has had to teach me many times throughout my life, which is we don't judge books by their covers. And we shouldn't assume we know who God can use and who God can work in the life of and who He can't. We are terrible at that.

For centuries, missionaries have used different tools to assess how receptive a person or area is to the message of Jesus. And on the one hand, I get why that has to be a component or a tool for missionaries, but I think for you and me, we need to be very careful about who we think, who we assume, is beyond the reach of God, or who maybe we can't even learn from because that circle is way bigger than we think it is.

In a conversation like this one, we may feel like Carl's story is inspiring as long as he's not that political party, as long as he doesn't vote for that candidate. But that sort of limiting view isn't just hurting others; it's actually hurting you. It's limiting our capacity to love and care for people.

Before we dive into our biblical study, I want to share a little bit of how we've gotten to these extremes. Without realizing it, we can make America and the capitalist system synonymous with biblical Christianity. Are you uncomfortable yet?

And when we do that, no matter the political party we align with, it creates a lot of unintended consequences. On one end of the ideological spectrum, the most politically conservative will justify and rationalize the atrocities committed throughout our history toward indigenous people or the devastating practice of chattel slavery. In this view, opposing perspectives are just trying to avoid personal responsibility.

On the other end of the spectrum, we see critical theories spawning tools like intersectionality, where everyone is categorized as oppressed or oppressor. And the more oppressed you are, the louder your voice should be. And in this view, opposing perspectives are just trying to avoid accountability.

Now, if you were here last week, you are likely feeling kind of a pinball effect in your mind as these words bounce around to the four Americas that we talked about. Combine these extremes with the concept of tribalization and identity politics, which, by the way, both parties have plenty of, and instead of learning together, we intentionally drift apart.

Whether you realize it or not, we are being manipulated to be drifting apart. But Jesus was incredible at diversity. As a matter of fact, it got Him in trouble. It's one of the things that got Him killed. But we can learn so much from His approach.

The beautiful thing about Jesus and people who were different than Him is that people who were nothing like Jesus liked Jesus, and He loved them back. It was amazing because it was so unique and so different than the religious leaders that existed at the time.

A story like Carl's, the guy I mentioned just a minute ago, can be a hard picture of diversity for us because we go, well, we know that there's something God changed in his life, something big. There's something new and different that needed to happen.

But let me tell you about my friend Marcus. I met Marcus as a 19-year-old Bible college student, and he was a 27-year-old black man from Oakland who had been in prison, and we had been placed together as roommates. It was quite the pair. We couldn't have had less in common. But there we were.

Now, I know that he extended way more grace to me than I ever knew to extend to him, but we became close. I learned things about his life that challenged my assumptions, and I'm better because of it. Not because I found a way to only interact with people who were like me, but because I found a way to interact with others who actually weren't.

And God found ways for that to happen in my life, too. If we're not careful, the people in our world will look like us, think like us, believe like us, and vote like us. But that's not the example that Jesus set for us. Quite the opposite, actually.

We're going to look at one example of Jesus modeling radical diversity for us in calling one of His earliest disciples. Jesus was a rabbi, a Jewish teacher, and basically, if you were a Jewish teacher or a rabbi, the way that your reputation was better was the kind of crew of people, the caliber of disciples that you had around you.

Often, if you were a kid, it was like getting tapped for club sports early in your development. You were seen as someone that really could grow into this. They knew they were special very early in their life, and after years of training and preparing to study underneath a rabbi, a prospective disciple would basically apply to a specific rabbi to be that one's disciple.

If they had gotten far enough in their training, the process changed to where they were initiating that part of the process. So Jesus' approach became even more startling because He would go choose people who had been passed over this kind of attention many years before, people who were working jobs that clearly showed that they had not been seen as worthy by rabbis in their past, which is perhaps most evident with Jesus' disciple Matthew.

In Luke's biography of Jesus' life, he records the moment this way. It says, "And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?'"

Now, Jesus had just begun His public ministry a chapter earlier. It's likely that this is no more than just a few days into His preaching, teaching, and miracle ministry, including in the temple, and He has now quickly become someone that no one could explain.

Levi, who we know as Matthew, was eventually given this new name either by Jesus, which means "gift of God," or it was the difference between his Hebrew and Greek name. But Levi, or Matthew, was a Jewish tax collector, which—that's a combination of words that was unthinkable at the time to Jewish people.

Let me tell you a little bit why. See, Jewish people, they were suffering under Roman rule. They were being persecuted. They were being heavily taxed. And the idea that any Jewish person would help them do harm to their own people was unthinkable.

Add to that the fact that the entire premise of why someone would want to be a tax collector was because it would give them the ability to extort even more money and become personally wealthy as a result, and in Matthew's case, doing that against his own people.

This job didn't fall in Matthew's lap either. He would have had to work really hard to get it. The Roman Empire used a concept called tax farming to establish specific regions that were responsible to give to Rome a specific amount of money in collection of taxes.

And the specific tax collector then would bid for the right to take care of that district. And anything they could raise above what they needed to give to Rome, they would just personally enrich themselves with. It's likely, then, even in the most conservative estimates, that Matthew would have had to bid hundreds of thousands of dollars to be given this region to work for the taxation for the Roman Empire.

Whether he came from money or not, he had taken everything that he had to gain this access to this additional revenue stream in his life. But he probably learned pretty quickly that money couldn't make him happy. Some of you have learned the same thing.

And simply being a tax collector would have made him ceremonially unclean, and he would no longer have been able to celebrate the normal Jewish practices of his youth. The doors he thought he could return back to were closed.

And so Jesus offers him a spot as a disciple. And while that phrase, "follow me," that we hear Jesus say to His disciples, it may not seem like one you would immediately respond to. Remember, for these guys, especially for Matthew, it represented a path to a life that he thought had passed him by.

No Jewish child said to somebody, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" No Jewish child said, "I want to be a tax collector for the Roman Empire." The door had closed for Matthew until this day when he got an invitation to a relationship that had seemed impossible just a few minutes before.

Matthew couldn't undo his decision either. Some of the other people, they were in trades that before the kind of earthly ministry of the church started after Jesus' death, they were all wondering, "Should we go back to the things that we were doing before? Should we go back to fishing? Should we go back to the trades that were a part of our life?"

That was never an option for Matthew. The moment that he walked away as a tax collector, this region would have been reassigned. He was all in in choosing this new life. It meant ending his previous one.

And that is a beautiful picture of a concept in the Bible called repentance. It doesn't mean that Matthew was perfect for the rest of his life. It just means that there was a steady direction with bumps and bruises along the way as he learned to increasingly follow the will and way of Jesus.

Imagine the conversations that Matthew had and that others had about Matthew as he got added to the mix. I think about the fishermen that Jesus has already selected as His disciples who looked at Matthew and thought to themselves, "Wait a second, that guy or one of his cronies has stolen money from us. If he's joining the crew, he owes me some money."

This was the earliest time—the earliest of collections that Jesus had of His followers. On the other hand, Matthew throws this big party and he hosts all the tax collectors who were probably already scheming about how they could get access to his territory, to this taxable region that was otherwise not available to them.

It felt like they'd lost Matthew to this religious cult and they were going to try and make money off of it. Then on top of that, the Jewish religious leaders were mad at Jesus for all of it. They were probably very confused about why He would associate with sinners at all.

And as a matter of fact, when we think about "sinner," we say it like kind of abstractly about someone or about a group of people. But 2000 years ago, "sinner" was an actual societal category. It was a group of people based on your profession, and tax collectors were in it—not just a way of disrespecting someone.

And the religious leaders, they prioritized separation from sinners. They intentionally distanced themselves. But for Jesus, one of His most early names that we see in the Hebrew scriptures describing Him is the name Emmanuel, which means "God with us."

And so He responds to the accusations from the religious leaders this way. He says, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

See, different groups of people with different backgrounds, different value systems, different political allegiances, even different religions, were not an uncomfortable necessity for Jesus. They were the point for Jesus.

And people can tell whether we love them simply because they are worth love as created in the image of God, whether they ever believe like us or not, or whether or not we love them because they're a project. And we'll love them as long as it feels like we're making a good investment.

People were never projects to Jesus. He boldly and lovingly invited people to follow Him, even into this picture of repentance. And even when sinners didn't choose to follow Him, even when people in society didn't do that, He didn't stop caring about them.

And that's probably one of the reasons that people who were nothing like Jesus liked Jesus, and He loved them back. The pattern that you and I are called to follow.

Let me tell you about another friend of mine. His name is George. Okay, I'm not that old. He's not a friend. But George Washington was our first president. And while he was certainly an imperfect man, he has had a massive impact in American history.

He had some pretty countercultural thoughts about what we have drifted into in the past couple hundred years. George Washington wanted to be the president of all Americans. So he refused to run as a member of any political party.

He predicted that partisan divides would create a spirit of revenge within our nation that was less about national progress and more about individual power. Can you imagine that? Unlike other nations where there are many parties, in America, we have coalesced around two.

And because of that, it can feel like we are always choosing the lesser of two evils. That problem gets compounded because our primary system incentivizes playing to the extremes to win the nomination. And for many decades, what it felt like was sort of this return back towards some sort of messy middle compromise.

And now, that shift seems to have gone away entirely. Again, this is true of both parties. Let me repeat what I said last week. Neither political party in America has the moral high ground. They both fall short of the kingdom principles that followers of Jesus are called to embody as thoughtful witnesses in a world that needs so much hope.

It doesn't mean that we don't have political perspectives. It means that we can name the tensions to the picture of Jesus. Last week, I explained a little bit of how we got here and the counter-cultural nature of the kingdom of heaven.

But what can we really do to live as thoughtful witnesses in a world that is so quickly labeling and dismissing people with whom we disagree? I want to share with you a helpful list of commitments from a book called "The Party Crasher."

Here's maybe the question to ask, right? What if we lived by these ten kingdom commitments together?

The first one is worship. And we talked about this last week. The idea that if we are friends, if we are followers of Jesus, we live undivided lives. That God has access to every part of our lives. He's the only one we bow before. He is our highest and best. And everything in our life submits to His vision.

Number two, we talked about last week too, which is that we understand that everyone is our neighbor. And we're called to love them. And you go, even this person? And I think whatever person you have in your head right now, whether on your social media feed, or in your neighborhood, or at work, if you're like, "Do I have to? Is this person really my neighbor?" I think Jesus would say, "Especially that person." Right?

Number three, image of God. That we commit to honor the image of God in all people, regardless of the excuses that we might make to avoid the need with some people. All people are created in the image of God.

Number four, biblical wisdom. That we will let our views of life and our views of politics be challenged by the way of living that we see in the scriptures. No areas are off limits. No parts of our life get quarantined to be able to dive into whatever rabbit hole we're in disconnected from our faith in Jesus.

Number five, biblical justice. We commit to viewing politics through the lens of our faith and for advocating and getting involved to make a difference in those areas that align to God's heart for the world.

Number six, fruitful speech. I'm going to let this one be a little bit of a teaser for a special message that we have next week. We have an amazing author and speaker, Ashley Island, who's coming to talk about how we can find hope in disagreement and provide helpful tools for fruitful speech.

It'd be a great weekend to invite a friend, even if they're not a Christian. If they're just wondering, "How do I navigate this political season? What do I do with it?" It could be the perfect weekend to bring with you.

Number seven, peacemaking. We commit to face-to-face conflict resolution rather than slandering online or behind someone's back. I'm just telling you, this is so important for us to stand out in a culture that is just doing it so differently.

There have been times, even for me this week, there were times yesterday where I wanted to unfollow people on my social media feed because of the crazy stuff that they were posting. And I'm like, "We're doing this again?" And I know that we've just sparked off what is going to be however many months we have going forward.

And thankfully, I didn't unfollow that person, and I'm going to continue to try and engage in conversation and relationship. Somebody came up to me after the last service and they said, "Hey, Phil, God really challenged me to go unblock somebody that I'd blocked on social media."

I just think our world gets really small when we delete people out of it. And I would also say, if you're the person that's constantly having to take a stand and make a point on social media and you're just, "I got the killer meme, I'm going to own that group, I'm going to own that group, I'm going to really put it to them."

I have never in the comments section seen someone with a snarky meme in the comments section go, "You know what, this has completely changed my worldview. Thank you so much for this thoughtful and sarcastic post." Maybe you have; you send me a screenshot. But we are called to be peacemakers.

Number eight, removing the log. We commit to spending more time evaluating the weakness of our political leanings and the impact of our own sin before we examine others. And you go, "Yeah, Phil, but if I admit weakness, that's just going to be a chance for them to be able to win me over."

No, no, no, that's just a chance for you to be intellectually honest. Neither side is perfect. We should be able to name and own that.

Number nine is humble learning. If we're not dead, God's not done growing and developing us. We should always be willing to learn from anyone at any time because God has placed them in our life.

And then number ten, loving enemies. We are committed to loving those who oppose us in practical ways. And we're committed to praying for their good. If you want to see God change your heart, start praying for the good of the person you think is evil.

Start praying that God can do things in the lives of your political opponents. If you don't particularly appreciate someone that's in office in a particular area or their political leanings, the Bible actually tells you and me to pray for our leaders, regardless of who they are.

We're committed to loving those who oppose us in the lives of their political leanings. What if we tried that? Just imagine this. Imagine what it would look like over the next few months. You know, like in December, go nuts. But what if just through November, we committed to that list?

Some of you, you aren't followers of Jesus. And some of the reason that you aren't a follower of Jesus is because the things that we just talked about seem so far from the experience that you've had with Christians. And I'm really sorry about that.

We all need the grace of Jesus as we figure this out together. But it's no excuse. We need to be increasingly submitting our view to God's vision. Menlo Church, let's commit to this kind of a vision for really caring for the world around us.

Part of the way that we are doing this is through the listening magnets that you were given on your way in this weekend, whatever campus that you're at. If you're online, there's an image that's going to get posted that you can go grab as well.

But I would just say, throw it on your fridge over the next few months. Or maybe throw it on your Cybertruck just as you walk in. You can see it and be reminded every time you see it what it looks like to listen first, to lead with listening.

That if you will listen well in a way that stands out during a season with so much division, who knows what God can do? When we moved from Colorado to California, I joked around that while my approach to this conversation and polarization and political tribalization wouldn't change very much, I would go from getting called a Christian, a crazy liberal in Colorado, to being called a crazy conservative in California.

We live in crazy times. That's just a part of what it is to live in this world. During the 2020 election season, a group of people regularly messaged me to let me know whatever new word, phrase, or agenda I was promoting from my preaching and why it was harmful and heretical.

The feedback was weighted, but it came in part from all four of the Americas that we talked about last week. Many of those people left for churches that would speak on social and political issues in a more narrow way that aligned with their specific convictions.

And I want to be fair to them. They were scared. And they were trying to avoid things that felt very dangerous and very confusing. But when we lead and live out of fear, we make very bad choices.

And I think that impulse—the impulse that all of us are being pre-programmed to have—to move away from people we don't understand or that we don't agree with, that is the impulse of the religious leaders that Jesus criticized. Not Jesus. Jesus always moved towards people who were different.

And He sought to learn from them and grow in relationship with them. Jesus is always inviting. That's the model that we should still follow today. Open hands. Letting people in, whether we ever agree with them or not.

One last thing to consider as well. The younger you are, the more likely it is that the extreme you're leaning into right now is actually different than all of this. A recent study of 18- to 30-year-olds revealed that nearly half of the respondents don't think elections matter at all and really nothing will improve as a result, with another quarter kind of unsure—they're on the fence.

And so we can talk about the ideological extremes of right and left or one of those Americas, but I also think there's the extreme of cynicism that I would really caution you to avoid. I know that these are difficult conversations, and I know that they're not always handled very well in the public space.

But they do matter. And God actually has a vision for what it looks like for you to walk out the views and the values that He has invested through His scriptures into this way of following Him.

So dive in. Get involved. Become informed, but let your politics be shaped by your faith rather than the other way around. Let's pray that God would bring people and ideas into our lives that confront our assumptions and not simply conform to our presuppositions. We all need that.

Who is the neighbor maybe that you've been avoiding because of the sign in their yard? Who's the coworker whose mug leads you to believe that you don't have very much in common so you just won't have a conversation with them?

I hope that maybe over the course of the next week for some of you, you're going to unblock somebody on social media. For somebody, rather than driving into the comment section, you're going to send them a message. Maybe you're going to have a conversation where you'll say, "Hey, can we grab coffee? Can we grab a meal? Tell me a little bit about you. Tell me about your life. Tell me about your story."

And use the lessons from that magnet and lead with listening. You have no idea what hangs in the balance of your ability to lead with love just like Jesus. And the chance to have your perspective challenged in an intellectually honest way and to share your thoughts that will come in time in a much more open and receptive relationship.

Be patient, just like we learned love is patient last week. Aren't you glad that God is patient with us? I mean, think about it for a second. You're someone that on paper God should have given up on. So am I.

But God, instead of giving up on you and me, He leaned in. He loved. He died to provide a path back to relationship for all of us. So God forbid, Menlo Church, as followers of Jesus, we lead with the same sort of religious judgmentalism, the same kind of closed-handed anger and fear.

Rather than saying, "I want to first understand. I want to lean in at a time like this." Not into the extremes, but into the way of Jesus that calls me to specific convictions with compassion.

Jesus was so good at meeting people where they were, and He didn't surrender His convictions to do it. He just perfectly embodied and led with compassion as He communicated His convictions.

Let's pray that maybe God would give you and me the heart and the vision to do that very thing.

Can I pray for you?

God, for some people in the room today, this is a really, really meaty, hard conversation. They have made decisions this week that have alienated friends in their life. They've let others who have made those decisions become barriers to relationship.

And God, this is not going to end this week or next week. This is going to be with us for sure, increasingly over the next few months. Would You help us to be people of love? Would You help us to be people that look for different perspectives and welcome those people into our lives because they're made in Your image with infinite dignity, value, and worth?

Help us to be people, God, that remember You didn't write us off, and God, You're calling us not to do the same for others. We give all this to You. We believe You can do this and more. It's in Jesus' name. Amen.

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "We commit to face-to-face conflict resolution rather than slandering online or behind someone's back. I'm just telling you, this is so important for us to stand out in a culture that is just doing it so differently. There have been times, even for me this week, there were times yesterday where I wanted to unfollow people on my social media feed because of the crazy stuff that they were posting. And I'm like, we're doing this again? And I know that we've just sparked off what is gonna be however many months we have going forward. And thankfully, I didn't unfollow that person and I'm gonna continue to try and engage in conversation and relationship." [44:17](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)

2. "We are committed to loving those who oppose us in practical ways. And we're committed to praying for their good. If you want to see God change your heart, start praying for the good of the person you think is evil. Start praying that God can do things in the lives of your political opponents. If you don't particularly appreciate someone that's in office in a particular area or their political leanings, the Bible actually tells you and me to pray for our leaders, regardless of who they are." [45:39](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)

3. "Some of you, you aren't followers of Jesus. And some of the reason that you aren't a follower of Jesus is because the things that we just talked about seem so far from the experience that you've had with Christians. And I'm really sorry about that. We all need the grace of Jesus as we figure this out together. But it's no excuse. We need to be increasingly submitting our view to God's vision. Menlo Church, let's commit to this kind of a vision for really caring for the world around us." [46:19](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)

4. "We need to be people of love. Would You help us to be people that look for different perspectives and welcome those people into our lives because they're made in Your image with infinite dignity, value, and worth. Help us to be people, God, that remember You didn't write us off and God, You're calling us not to do the same for others." [53:05](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)

5. "Jesus always moved towards people who were different. And he sought to learn from them and grow in relationship with them. Jesus is always inviting. That's the model that we should still follow today. Open hands. Letting people in, whether we ever agree with them or not." [48:49](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)

### Quotes for Members

1. "Number eight, removing the log. We commit to spending more time evaluating the weakness of our political leanings and the impact of our own sin before we examine others. And you go, yeah, Phil, but if I admit weakness, that's just gonna be a chance for them to be able to win me over. No, no, no, that's just a chance for you to be intellectually honest. Neither side is perfect. We should be able to name and own that. Number nine is humble learning. If we're not dead, God's not done growing and developing us. We should always be willing to learn from anyone at any time because God has placed them in our life." [44:57](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)

2. "I want to lean in at a time like this. Not into the extremes, but into the way of Jesus that calls me to specific convictions with compassion. Jesus was so good at meeting people where they were and He didn't surrender His convictions to do it. He just perfectly embodied and led with compassion as He communicated His convictions." [52:29](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)

3. "We need to be very careful about who we think, who we assume, is beyond the reach of God, or who maybe we can't even learn from because that circle is way bigger than we think it is. In a conversation like this one, we may feel like Carl's story is inspiring as long as he's not that political party, as long as he doesn't vote for that candidate. But that sort of limiting view isn't just hurting others. It's actually hurting you. It's limiting our capacity to love and care for people." [27:42](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)

4. "If we're not careful, the people in our world will look like us, think like us, believe like us, and vote like us. But that's not the example that Jesus set for us. Quite the opposite, actually. We're going to look at one example of Jesus modeling radical diversity for us in calling one of his earliest disciples." [31:36](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)

5. "It doesn't mean that Matthew was perfect for the rest of his life. It just means that there was a steady direction with bumps and bruises along the way. As he learned to increasingly follow the will and way of Jesus. Imagine the conversations that Matthew had and that others had about Matthew as he got added to the mix." [36:56](Download raw clip | Download cropped clip | Download vertical captioned clip)