Living as Exiles
The mission of God is evident throughout the Bible. In the Old Testament, Israel was to be a light to the nations (Isaiah 42:6) wherever they were, even as exiles. While Israel was in Babylonian captivity, God’s message through Jeremiah charged his people to love and serve the city as exiles (Jeremiah 29: 4-7). Two main directives stand out in verse 7. The people were to:
- Pray to the Lord on the city’s behalf
- Pursue the well-being of the city
Paul reminds us that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20), yet we live on mission here to take the gospel to the nations. The nations are predominantly found in the city, where the masses desperately need to see the love of Jesus and hear the gospel.
Learning from Jesus: Loving the City
Jesus’ love and compassion for broken and hurting people is evident throughout the gospels. Recognizing the harassed and helpless people, he responded with compassion (Matthew 9:35-38). His care impacted the lives of a variety of people including the sick, the grieving, and those in bondage to evil spirits. His ministry to physical and social needs was mixed with the message of the kingdom.
LOVEjax: Sixty Days to Love and Serve our City
In September and October of this year, many of our JBA churches will mobilize a collaborative mission force to spend sixty days loving and serving our city. We have an opportunity to engage our city as churches strategically launch initiatives in three ways:
- Church – Churches are encouraged to discover missional opportunities in their community and meet those needs in a churchwide initiative.
- Families – Families are encouraged to plan and conduct at least one family engagement project during LOVEjax. Families that serve together are building missional DNA into the next generation.
- Individuals – Individual acts of kindness provide believers with numerous opportunities to demonstrate kingdom life and love. These acts of service can also provide an opportunity to initiate gospel conversations.
Below are some ways you can connect and collaborate in LOVEjax 2021. We are here to assist you as you engage the city by showing and sharing the love of Jesus.
- For the LOVEjax Flyer go HERE
- To register your church for LOVEjax go HERE
- To download the document Sixty Ways to Love and Serve Your City go HERE
- To access the sermon series For the City by Dr. Gary Webber go HERE
- To join the LOVEjax Facebook page go HERE
