King Jesus 2020
From the second week in October through Election Day in November, we will pray for the health of our nation and the holiness of our church. We are going to do this two ways as a church: 1) commit to engage in ten ways through this next month and 2) fast and pray on Tuesdays.
Ten Commitments for Our Church Family
In the midst of a chaotic cultural moment, centering ourselves on Christ and his vision for Life is vital if we are to maintain sober minds and soft hearts. We will hand out reminder cards in the services on 10/11. Here are the ten commitments we will remind ourselves of often:
- 1. Worship (Ex 20:2-3; Psalm 115:1-8, Phil 2:9-11): I commit my allegiance to King Jesus over all other idols and ideologies.
- 2. Love (Phil 2:1-11, Matt. 22:34-40): I commit to participating in civic life as a means of loving and serving my neighbor.
- 3. Respect (Gen 1:26, James 3:9): I commit to honoring the image of God in all people by treating them with dignity.
- 4. Wisdom (Psalm 119; 2 Tim 3:16): I commit to having my views challenged by the Bible rather than using the Bible to proof-text my presuppositions.
- 5. Speech (Gal 5:22-23, James 3): I commit to engaging in political speech that is marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
- 6. Humility (James 1:19, 1 Cor 12:12-26): I commit to being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.
- 7. The Log (Mt 7:1-5): I commit to giving meaningful attention to critiquing potential flaws in my own political ideas and instincts.
- 8. Justice (Is 1:17; Micah 6:8, Mt 23:23): I commit to pursuing justice as I engage in public life and allowing Scripture to shape my concept of justice.
- 9. Peacemaking (Mt 18:15-17, Rom 12:17-21): I commit to face-to-face conflict resolution rather than arguments on social media.
- 10. Enemies (Mt 5:43-44, 1 Tim 2:1-4): I commit to loving and praying for my so-called political enemies.
Weekly: Fast & Pray on Tuesdays
In a culture that trusts in the power of humanity, we will trust in the power of God. For the four Tuesdays leading up to and including election day (10/13, 10/20, 10/27, 11/3), we are asking our whole church to join our pastors and staff in fasting and prayer. This could mean fasting from food, electronic devices, or social media. For guidance on how to fast, see this blog post: How (Not) To Fast.
Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Jeremiah 29:7
