Politics, Culture, and Kingdom Church Planting - Dwight Nisly | CGS 2021

Lesson Transcript

When I was first asked by Ernest Eby whether I would consider being a part of these sessions today, I told him that I didn't quite perceive myself as a church planter, perhaps a school planter, but I wasn't sure about a church planter. And Ernest, being Ernest, continued to work on me a bit and felt like there actually might be some things that would be here to share.

And as we talked about it, it was right at a time when it felt to me like the Anabaptist, conservative Anabaptist part of Christianity was maybe increasingly being impacted on political fronts in ways that were heavy on my heart. And I felt like it does really have an impact on the way we approach the Kingdom and the way we approach church planting and advancing the Kingdom of God. So that was in my heart at that point. And so this morning—or oh my, this afternoon—I am staying kind of a half a day behind here.

I would like to begin with presenting to you a number of introductory questions, questions that I think are helpful for us to consider this topic. Are you a church planter, or maybe do you consider yourself instead an ambassador, or just simply a Christian? Or maybe all of the above? Or maybe—hopefully not—that if we're going to make this multiple choice question complete, I would also need to ask for none of the above.

And so I'd like for us to be just having that as a little bit of a foundation for what I'm going to be sharing this afternoon. I'd also like to ask you this question: Whose politics do you appeal to and rely on in daily life? Now, I have this sense that if we've had at least a long-term conservative Anabaptist background, we would quickly say we have a Kingdom politics foundation.

I've sensed that perhaps the unspoken reality frequently can be that we do have some really underlying allegiances politically that impact the way we look at humanity and the way that we look at Christianity and the way that we look at what is secure and what is worth investing in and what is worth advancing. And so I urge us at the onset of this look at politics, culture, and the Kingdom of God's church planting to consider that question.

I would also like for you to consider this: Whose culture do you most advance? Yours, theirs, or God's? By theirs, I mean whoever God is calling you to interact with. I think that's an important thing to think about. And I would also like to ask this question: What risks do you consider worthy of the Kingdom? I think more than we realize, our perception of risks drives our decisions more than we give it credit for. And as we think about church planting, how do you view risk? What do you consider worthy risk?

What do you consider unworthy risk? I think that's going to be really foundational to the direction that your investment in Kingdom church planting takes. Well, I'd like to just begin with the first thing that I—the first question that I presented before you. And I may—is it okay if I just turn this fan out to the audience out here? I'm standing here because I'm afraid my pages may scatter, and that might put me in a position of struggle as to what to share with you. So maybe if you—I'm feeling comfortable.

Thank you so much for giving that provision to the flesh here. But that's super. But yeah, that's helpful for me. Is it okay with you? And if you're cold, we can shut it off as well. Whatever is good for you there. If I can do that, I will put what I have here on the podium. I sometimes have a rather massive podium in it, so I end up having kind of a collection that is sometimes a little difficult on a smaller one.

I'd like to just show you, though, before I go any further, something that has been in our school for some time. But initially, it only had one pronoun here. I really didn't like that pronoun. And so I took a red Sharpie and crossed it out and stuck another pronoun in its place. And I decided maybe that was better than whiting it out because I felt like by doing that, I could make a stronger statement. Pronouns are so powerful. And in this case, I think they actually represent two kingdoms.

If you are chasing your dreams, I don't think you're chasing God's. And if you're not chasing God's dreams, I think you're chasing earthly dreams, which I would say represents the Kingdom of this world. If you're chasing His dreams, you are embracing His dreams. You want His dreams. That's what drives you.

And so I just bring this as kind of a visual here this morning as we consider planting Kingdom churches in light of a culture in America that really does seem as a whole—the evangelical world as a whole—really does believe, I think, that politics plays a huge role in advancing the Kingdom of God. And I have this uneasy feeling that increasingly the conservative Anabaptist Church is beginning to think that, though perhaps not dare say that quite. I feel a need to challenge that this morning, actually.

And so this here is just a bit of an example of, I'd say, as this originally was, would have done a great job of representing America. Chase your dreams. Be who you are. And a very sad thing is, be you. I don't know what that means or how that can even be that huge or valuable, but that is the culture we live in. But by contrast, as Kingdom followers, we can actually dream dreams that are way beyond us. We can dream His dreams.

And I just—my prayer is that as we take a look at this topic, that is what this talk will inspire you towards. That is in my heart. I'd like to look at the four options that I gave. The first was: Do you consider yourself a church planter? The second was an ambassador. The third, a Christian. The fourth, all of the above. And the fifth, none of the above. All of those are powerful things to think about. And I'd like to just walk through that a bit.

And in fact, at one point in one of these options, I believe that if you embrace that, it ends up addressing a much larger identity that is actually useful in asking the questions about politics and culture. And so you might be thinking about that as we walk through this. So first of all, the first option: Do you consider yourself a church planter? Well, let me just ask you to start with: Have you ever, in your journey through the New Testament, found this phrase: "Go you therefore and be church planters"?

Have you ever seen church and planters planted side by side? I haven't either. Does that mean it's a wrong concept? I don't think so. Paul had an interesting comment. Paul had this to say: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." Paul saw the development of Kingdom churches as being a joint effort of planting, watering, and God giving the increase. If you have any one of those three pieces missing, it's messed up. It just won't work. You need planters. You need waterers.

But above everything else, God needs to be there to make the increase. And so while the term church planting isn't directly side by side, in that verse you get probably as close as you'll get, where Paul says, "I planted, and Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." So I'm okay with that term. But before we're finished with this talk, I would suggest another possible upgrade to that term that I think we do find in Scripture. But I'm okay with either one.

So that is our first possibility for who we identify ourselves to be. The second option is an ambassador. Now, let me ask you this: In your reading of Scripture, have you ever come across the term ambassador? Yes. In fact, you know how many times? Not often. Any guesses on it? Twice. And the same person says it twice. Do you know who that person is? Paul. Paul claims that he claims that in—oh, let's see—in Ephesians 6:20, he claims that he's an ambassador in chains.

In First Corinthians 5, he talks about the ministry of reconciliation. And he says, because of that ministry of reconciliation, he is an ambassador of Christ. In fact, that is a passage that is so powerful. If you have your Bibles, I would ask that you might just take a look at First Corinthians chapter 5. How's that? You know what? You're totally right. Thank you so much. Second Corinthians chapter 5. Yeah, we are one book behind on that. Thank you so much for that. That is so right. Second Corinthians chapter 5.

And in chapter 4, Paul has just talked about—I'd like to just start with verse 16 in chapter 4 and then read all of chapter 5. In chapter 4, verse 16, he says, "Therefore we do not lose heart. But though our outward man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent, which is our house, is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed, in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we having put it on will not be found naked.

For indeed, while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. Now, He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage and knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; for we walk by faith, not by sight.

We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body." And notice carefully where Paul considers home: "And be at home with the Lord. Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest to God." And I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences. "We are not again commending ourselves to you, but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of God controls us.

Having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died. And he died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore, from now on, we recognize no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him in this way no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. The old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." Notice verse 19 very carefully here: "Namely that Christ was in God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them. And he has committed to us the word of reconciliation." And some translations would say the ministry of reconciliation. "Therefore we are ambassadors of Christ.

As though God were making an appeal through us, we beg you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God. He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him." Here we see an incredible purpose of every believer. Paul is saying we've been given a special ministry, a ministry of reconciliation. And that ministry places us in a position of ambassadorship. That ministry actually places us where we are the king's voice to a foreign set of people.

We are the king's voice. Let me ask you: Is there anything more noble, anything of higher purpose than that privilege? I think sometimes we've read this passage. We've read about how, as believers, we are ambassadors. And it has hardly really connected with us. I'm curious: Has anyone in this audience ever actually personally met someone who was an ambassador of any country? Any of you? Okay, I see several of you.

Well, just to try to have us capture a little bit the honor of being an ambassador, let's say that suddenly there's a tap on this back door. And to our total surprise, it happens to be President Biden. And he says, "You may not be aware of it, I've been watching you. I see a nobility in you that I haven't seen in any other group of people. I see a loyalty and allegiance, a commitment.

And because of that, I'm just simply going to ask all of you to represent some of my many different embassies in the world." Now, that feels so far-fetched it may be hard for you to imagine that. But let's say it happened. You think you might be contacting your family before the day is over? At the very least, saying what happened. That would feel like a pretty unique experience, right?

What if instead Jehovah God comes in here and he says, "As the King of kings and the Lord of lords, I have seen your walk of allegiance to my kingdom. I've seen that you are strangers and pilgrims here, and that your heart is not for here. Your heart is for my heavenly home.

I'm asking you to be ambassadors here in this strange land, in all the places that I want to reach." Now, let me just tell you something: If President Biden would have come and given you that and you would have accepted that, you would actually carry with you out of that back door all of the authority of the United States. You would carry all the authority that he has because you are representing him and his kingdom. And that might feel like a pretty sizable thing on your shoulder.

I would like for us to somehow be able to grasp that when Jehovah presents that to us, his kingdom is of such vastly greater size and duration than the U.S. and its leadership and its kingdom. And that the extent of his resources and the extent of his authority and his power just put President Biden into such a small comparative place that if we could really see that, we'd say, "There's just no question.

If I'm going to live my short life, here is the kingdom that is worth investing in." That is something that I believe God really wants his children to grasp. And somehow I feel like if that's something that we can grasp, it's going to really revolutionize church planting, missions, our own journey more than anything else I can really think of. And so the second option that I gave was the option of us being an ambassador.

I would like to just mention what I read from an organization called Branches Worldwide about an ambassador. From that article, it said, "An ambassador is one who is sent to represent one country or government to another, while in the other country, the ambassador presents and demonstrates all the best that their country or government has to offer. Since you're representing God's government and his abilities, you have access to all the best he has to offer." Is that not an empowering, powerful thing to think about?

And I would like for you to notice in Second Corinthians 5, Paul was not seeing his experience in Rome as home. Paul was seeing heaven as home.

And he, in fact, in Philippians to the Philippian church, says this: "Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly await for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." And in John 17:14, Jesus says, "I have given them your words, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." And Peter in First Peter 2 says, "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul." I'd like for us to think just a little bit about

what are some of the characteristics of a good ambassador.

Well, a good ambassador has a strong patriotism to the country he represents. You know what? Patriotism can be great if it represents an allegiance to the right country. I would just desire for conservative Anabaptists to represent a patriotism to the King of kings that far exceeds what American patriotism has ever shown to an onlooking world. So a good ambassador gives a strong sense of patriotism to their home country. He's always aware that they are a minority in a host country.

If, as believers here in America, we don't see ourselves as a minority in a host country, we're not really ambassadors. And he's entirely grounded in good ethical and moral judgment. Those are characteristics of a good ambassador. I think we need to think a little bit about, if I am an ambassador, how should it look? And so I'd like for you to think about that. Some marks of an ambassador of God are that you've got to be a citizen of heaven.

You really can't be an ambassador of that kingdom if that's not where your citizenship is. An ambassador has to be a citizen of the country that he represents. And so if you're going to be an ambassador of the kingdom of God, you must be a citizen of heaven. You must be above reproach, selfless, in constant contact with the throne of God, steadfast and loyal, diplomatic, and have a thorough knowledge of the host country that you're representing. Those are all critical factors of being a good ambassador.

I'd also like for you to consider this: An ambassador doesn't appoint himself. He doesn't even appoint himself to the country he represents. And he does not support himself. Paul said, "My God shall supply all my needs." Paul understood that as an ambassador of the heavenly kingdom, his his king was going to supply all of his needs. An ambassador does not belong to the country that he has been sent to represent his kingdom to. He does not enter that country with personal interest.

And he has written instructions as to what he's supposed to be doing in that host country. Does that sound familiar? Do we, as ambassadors of the kingdom of God, have any written instructions? The word of God. And he doesn't take insult personally because he's not the kingdom. He represents the kingdom. And you know, if we can really grasp that well, Jesus said, "When they insult you, they're not insulting you.

They're insulting me." And so one of the freedoms of being an ambassador of the kingdom of God is that you can live free of concern about insult. Because as much as they may think they're directing at you, they're missing the target. Their insult, if you are representing a king other than yourself, actually transfers to that person. And so a freedom of being an ambassador is being free of needing to carry any insult that may be directed toward you.

And I would like to say that being an ambassador is the highest calling that a human can ever have, especially and only if that ambassadorship is to the only King of kings and Lord of lords who is eternal. I'd like to read another article that was in a magazine called The Forerunner. And this was in 2004. This was not a pilgrim church writer, as far as I know. His name is David F. Maas or Maas. His last name is spelled M-A-A-S. And I apologize to not knowing how that's pronounced.

But here's what he had to say about citizenship: "Having our citizenship in the kingdom of God by definition makes us aliens in the physical country in which we live. Like ambassadors of a foreign government, we cannot participate in the politics of another country. We cannot" I'm sorry "a practice that would distract us from our real spiritual goal. However, we realize that the apostle Paul has challenged us to be ambassadors for Christ. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ.

As though God were pleading through us, we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God" (Second Corinthians 5:20). And so he is saying that an ambassador by definition cannot really invest himself in his host country's politics.

As I was thinking about that as a definition of ambassadorship, I think that really does answer a question that may sometimes I know that there was a point when I was teaching in public school in Kansas, and I was asked by a friend who was also on the fire department, the local volunteer fire department, if I would consider being on the local city council. Well, I knew in my heart that didn't really feel like something I could do, but I felt like I needed a longer explanation than what that initial interaction had.

And so I told her, "You know, I'd like to discuss that, but I think we're going to need a little more time for it." And so one evening we spent maybe several hours talking about it. But we have well-meaning Christians saying, "If you're really going to be responsible, you've got to get involved in politics." But if we are foreigners and aliens and ambassadors here, I don't see how we can. And it feels like an awareness and an identity as an ambassador actually frees us of that.

Our head pastor in Brooklyn, New York, where we go to church there, Followers of Jesus Mennonite Church, he works in a secular workplace. And it was right during the 2016 election when really the fervor was high in politics. And so he was asked, "Have you voted yet?" And one day he said, "No, actually I can't." And he was hoping that would kind of stir a further question. And it did. So shortly he said, "Why can't you?" And he said, "Because I'm an ambassador." "Oh, really? We didn't know you were an ambassador.

Why didn't you ever tell us that?" And he said, "Yeah, I'm an ambassador." And he quoted Scripture and explained it from that standpoint. "Oh, okay, okay." But you know, as kingdom followers, I think that actually is a very deep reason for us to invest in the enduring kingdom and to stay out of the temporary kingdoms. I think some of the huge atrocities of our Mennonite past have been from being somehow led to think that believers should get involved in that. But it goes way beyond that.

It goes way back to the 300s when the church suddenly became a part of the state system. And the atrocities that have just littered the human landscape since then, when believers somehow embrace that idea, are so high and so costly. And I just feel like we can't repeat that again. And it feels like that is a place where we're just at the very crossroads of again. And it feels like it's something we really have to take a look at. Well, I need to continue.

So the third option that I had presented was, "Do you identify yourself as a Christian?" Well, I really hope you do. I don't really think you would likely be here if you didn't. But I think it's still a valid question to ask. And I think it's an identity that we need to think about. The fourth option is all of the above. So I'd like to just recount a little of what we've said up till now. So if you are a Christian, by virtue of being a Christian, are you also an ambassador?

Does every follower of Christ embrace the ministry of reconciliation? If we are a follower of Christ, is there any other option? I don't think so. And so if we are ministers of reconciliation and by virtue of that, that places us in a position of ambassadorship in representing Christ to a watching world, then at least our identity is at least Christian and ambassador. Now let's go to the church planning thing.

I would like to suggest to you that maybe if you are an ambassador, then you are developing an embassy in this foreign realm. And if you're developing an embassy, maybe we should be calling it embassy planters or embassy developers rather than church. I mean, either can work. But just to follow through on the actual term that we are in Christ of being an ambassador, then there is something I think really beautiful to think about. Our efforts to develop embassies are really kind of the fruit of being an ambassador.

And embassies are where you go to for protection. And shouldn't our churches be the places of protection in a foreign country? Shouldn't that be the place that everyone says, you know, when things get tough, and even when they don't, this is my my place. This is my this is what represents my kingdom. This is my place of security. So I've already addressed the next question. Whose politics do you appeal to or find your security in or go to internally for your sense of security?

Do you go to the earthly one, the American? For most of us that are here, probably are Americans or have American connections, or to the heavenly, the divine kingdom? Jesus made clear his allegiance when he had this to say: "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrests by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place." Jesus did not see the Roman Empire or any other empire of the world as holding any place of allegiance to his identity or person.

He saw no he felt no security there. He said, "That's not where his kingdom is from." In fact, at one point he says, "If it were, I'd protect myself like these kingdoms protect themselves." But he said, "That's not where it's at." I think that too gives us insight as to how we respond to challenges. Do we fight as the kingdoms of this world fight? If you're going to be involved in local politics, you're forced to.

And then when the disciples were just wrestling with how do we pray Jesus, Jesus in his model prayer at one point says, "Your kingdom come, your will be done." Where? On earth as it is in heaven. And so Jesus was saying, "You have a kingdom mindset right now, and you think of how that kingdom can come right here. In the host country you're in, you are bringing the heavenly kingdom too." That was what Jesus saw as the placement for our allegiance, for our sense of purpose here on this earth.

I also find it interesting that Jesus had to say: "For I have come down from heaven not to do my will, but the will of the one who sent me." Jesus's function here was just simply to reflect the king. It was totally to reflect the king. It wasn't even though he was divine, he didn't feel the obligation to represent himself. It still went to the king even when Jesus was here. Well, the final question that I asked was the question of risk. You know, I think so much of what we do is driven by our perception of risk.

I either do or don't do something because of whether or not I think that risk is worthy of its cost. We do that in finances. We do that in marriage. We do that in everything that we face. I think that risk question is there. There's an excellent book that I would encourage you to read. It's called Reaching America. It's written by Gary Miller. Excellent, excellent book. My oldest daughter is a big fan of Gary Miller.

And when she saw this book was available this summer, she said, "Dad, we got to get that book." And I said, "Okay." I was happy that this is the kind of book she was wanting to read. And so as we were traveling to my home state of Kansas, she was reading pieces of it out loud. And I said, "Boy, that could really be useful here." Gary talks about risk, and he asks some huge questions about risk that I think sometimes we don't really think about very carefully.

I think we could maybe it would be interesting to actually just stop and think, what is biblical risk management? We often hear about risk management, but what is biblical risk management? What does God view as worthy of risks? What does God view as unworthy of risks? What did God through Jesus actually present as the greatest risk? And he asks some interesting questions.

He says that what God Jesus actually presented as the greatest risk, and that frequently was money and covetousness and some of those kinds of things, we actually seem to be pretty okay with, I think, as a culture. But the things that God calls us to risk, we often ask some big questions about. And one of the things that I think is really important for us to consider is that our perception of risk is always limited, and it easily misses the counter and greater risk.

I think we should daily ask God to give us intervention of those faulty perceptions of risk, because they can very easily take us places away from the kingdom just because it looks too dangerous. So I think we need to ask God daily to give us a clear understanding of the true nature of every risk, what we see and what we don't see in the risk, and a heart and a mind that is willing to embrace the risks God would have us take.

I think this part here is something that I think is really important for us to think about. The risks most critical for believers to take are also those that the enemy would least want us to take. And his countertactic for those risks, I think, typically is fear. And so we're so gripped by fear over a risk that God is calling us to take and so void of fear of the very things that God would want us to not consider. And because of that, I really believe we need to take a careful look at that.

And I think politics and earthly governments are driven by the desire to protect certain interests, but they're very different interests from what the kingdom of heaven interests are to protect. And yet I think the more that affluence becomes a part of our culture, the more compelled we feel to have governments that will protect that affluence, and the more compelled we feel to be a part of politics so that that will happen. I think that's really sobering.

On the other side, if the interests we feel driven to protect are the interests that our King Jesus holds to protect, we're going to be the deadliest threat on Satan that exists on earth. And so in wrapping it up, I would just like to say, being an ambassador for the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords places us in a very unique position with ultimate authority because what our King has, we represent. So we can represent the authority of God Himself. We can represent the power of God Himself.

We can represent the honor of God Himself, the values of God, the hope of God, the future of God, all of those we possess as ambassadors of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That is the greatest possession we could possibly have. You know, there's a warning in Scripture in Hebrews 12:16 where it says, "Don't be like Esau." And it explains why. Because he had a pretty intense, immediate need, and that intense, immediate need drowned out a much greater value.

And in fact, it's so thoroughly drowned it out that he didn't care about the greater value. I have this burden that increasingly the American church is becoming an Esau. It is seeing a need that's being threatened, and it perceives the protection of that need as of greater value than that eternal treasure of the kingdom of God. And so we enter the temporary kingdoms. We enter the temporary solutions at the expense of that eternal long-term gift that is the birthright of every believer.

How much authority and power do you desire for your life? Where do you look to find it? How can you get it? How can it be good and uncorrupted and useful? Let me just tell you something. Power without God quickly corrupts. I think you've seen it. And yet power from God, when He receives total honor for it, cannot be corrupted by its very nature and is capable of tearing down all other powers. That is what we have in Christ. And so I would just urge us to think about this.

Jesus, so early in His life and I'm not sure who the youngest children would be that are here. Do we have any twelve-year-olds here? I see some that look a little younger. Oh, we have a twelve-year-old back there. Excellent. Well, Jesus at twelve had an understanding of life purpose that I think few people at fifty or sixty or ninety have. His parents were just shocked why He would be in the temple when He was supposed to be with the family and heading home. And He asked a powerful question.

He says, "Didn't you realize that I must be about my Father's business?" I would just urge you make that so characteristic of you that if people say, "Where is John? Where is Joseph? Where is Mary?" Well, don't you know he's about his Father's business? That's who he is. That's his identity. That's why he's here. That's who we should be. And so I just urge us that. I am realizing that I missed one part of my talk, and that is: Whose culture do you advance most?

And that may be something that you've been wishing I would address. And it looks like I'm kind of pressing my time a little. Let me just really quickly hit that one. We live in Brooklyn, New York, in a setting of very many cultures. In fact, there's one part of Queens where eight hundred different languages are spoken. And so the whole question of how do you integrate with cultures becomes much bigger than what my experience as a farm boy in Kansas ever offered me. And so that question of culture is a tough one.

Do we, in the mix of that, whose culture do we push? I would just be here to say that culture sometimes gets a really bad rap. Every last one of us, by virtue of being human, have a culture. And every last one of those cultures have some piece of the image of God in it. And that piece is beautiful. That piece you don't need to despise. That piece you can totally embrace. Every one of our cultures also has the imprint of the fall on it.

And that piece you don't need to embrace, and you shouldn't embrace, and you should gladly reject. And the Bible really provides for us a foundation for developing a culture that goes so beyond my culture or anyone else's culture, a culture that is a biblical culture, and that should supersede all cultures. Now, I know that's a very simple covering of it, and I know it can get more complex than that.

But I do urge us that we treasure the culture that God has given us in a way that is wholesome without defending the parts that really are not worthy of defense. We do the same with every culture that God calls us to. We can treasure in that culture everything that is good, and we can also reject what isn't. But above everything else, that Scripture can help us define that ultimate culture, and we can grow toward that. All right.

Well, I'm just going to quickly open it up for any responses that you might have to what has been shared. I'm not sure how you would prefer doing this. I think it's live, it sounds like. You have a question? Go ahead. Hey, Dwight. So this is great. Your focus on being an ambassador for Christ is a great reminder of our purpose, and I thank you for that.

As I've come out of evangelical circles and have embraced the kingdom of Jesus, one of the things that I feel like is the hardest for people to understand is this topic about politics.

In fact, just this week, I had two people at work tell me, "Yosh, I agree with you on ninety-nine percent of things, but this is the one thing I just can't agree with you on." And they cite things like very things that I'm sure you've heard about before, but they'll say, "Jesus told the adulterous woman to leave her sin." But instead, Jesus doesn't say that to people like Cornelius and other Roman officials and instead uses them for His ministry.

And they also cite the idea that many people work for companies that they may not directly support. So, for example, if you're a store clerk at Walmart, you're an ambassador for Walmart. You also shelf maybe beer, right? And I'm in a line of work where I understand that I would never invest in a company that supported alcohol because fifty percent of alcohol sales come from ninety come from the top ten percent of alcoholics or of alcohol drinkers who are very basically, they're classified as alcoholics.

And so by promoting any company that sells alcohol, you're also promoting alcoholics in their behavior. So I guess I have two questions. I know that was long-winded, but it's: How do you respond to someone who gets all of the ideas of the kingdom, but this is one topic that they're really struggling to understand? They mention things like this. And then the second part is this kind of goes to the last part you mentioned about culture.

Is it time that we also start talking about being an ambassador, not just in the kingdom of Jesus that goes against the kingdom of government, but maybe also the kingdom of work as well? Is that something that because I feel like from my time in kingdom circles, that has not been something I've heard as much about. Should that be something that's talked about more? Well, a quick response.

I think it's a totally valid question, and I am feeling like maybe we have more of an allegiance to worldly values of finances and work than what we may realize. And so I thank you for bringing that up, and I think that's something that needs a more careful look.

I think that was actually what drove the Russian Mennonites and the German Mennonites into politics, is because through their work ethics and through their success financially, they developed quite the empire that they really then wished they could protect. And I think the evangelical world also has developed quite an empire, but also the conservative Anabaptist scene has too. And I think on that front, that is a place we need to take a second look at.

On the other question about Cornelius and that question, I think to use that example is to argue out of silence. We don't know the rest of Jesus's conversation, and we do know that Jesus could see through the heart of a person. He could see what was the most important first conversation. I often interact with people who there are a host of things that I don't agree with, but my first conversation is not going to be the bulk of those disagreements. And I think Jesus very likely may have done the same.

But I don't think it's fair to say that that example makes certain that Jesus was supporting being a centurion, for instance. I think he was addressing a number one issue. And since Jesus does talk about His view of His kingdom not being of this world, I think there is where He is directly talking about how we look at it. And so wherever Jesus directly talks about it, we need to directly hear and apply.

Where it's an example and He is addressing something else, then to use that as an example out of silence to make a principle. I don't think we can ever make principles out of arguing through silence. But that may not be a complete answer, but that's just kind of a first thing that comes to me.