Social Restoration - Phase 4: Social Wisdom, Part 2

Cultivation is the process of growing things is actually a neutral term could be growing bad things like germs or good things like apples or understanding system, even peace, but is an intentional process. You decide what you want and then you have to go after it with the plan today were going to talk about an intentional plan. God's plan to bring peace to a world that's literally falling. Thanks for joining us for this Edition of Living on the Edge ship Living on the Edge features the Bible to open Christians live what this program, we wrap up our series called social restoration, talking about how serious minded believers can be not countering cultural pressure white list any of these messages along the way available on the chipping remap or at Living on the Edge.just click the broadcasts without your son Ryan began this message in our previous program.

So today he brings us part two of his talk social wisdom will be with us after teaching that is to be sure not to miss that. If you have a Bible open James chapter 3 let's join Ryan and give you an example.

Each week in my life I just can't get there going all and as you look at the ocean and its power and you you recognize in being and all of the ocean.

I am going to adjust to the ocean's way of behaving.

I'm not asking the ocean to adjust to me and so on. I hop in and I served.

I recognize the currents in the tide. I wasn't actually as good at recognizing all the difference.

Eli Pfeiffer got stung by stingray this last week. Ouch. Why because is the ocean and thus their home and I am entering that presence and I need to adjust to the presence of the ocean awakens and see what holiness is purity is a response to the God who awakens all proverb says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord with all of the Lord, that we wouldn't look at God and ask God to adjust to us, but we would look with all who God is and we would adjust our lives to who God is this what it means to be holy, pure, well I'm in your territory. You are God you are great you are powerful you are mighty you are just you are righteous. There is none like you and in the light of who you are and the magnificent of God Almighty.

I can't continue to live this way. My life then is going to be adjusted in response to you of wisdom begins.

There and everything flows from there. When our hearts are awakened in all to the greatness of God says. First of all this internal quality, purity, or moral excellence, and then he goes on to give us six different things that are flowing out from that, he says, then it's peaceloving, then this is characterized by or prompting the state of wholeness or well-being. It's right relationships between individuals and between individuals and God. That is, there is this desire that wisdom is bringing peace between one another. If peaceloving is its agents of peace and trying to bring peace with others and God ministers considerate and actually our English word here doesn't help us to understand because it's such a rich and x-ray, very difficult Greek word to translate this word means not insisting on the right to enforce the strict letter of the law or custom is being merciful Orleanians.

In fact, as you read if you go back into the Hebrew Scripture translated into Greek is called the Septuagint, this word considerate is use most often of God's response to humanity as the king and the righteous king he doesn't enforces right but he does give us a leniency and mercy and grace. If the word that you wants every judge. If you ever did anything wrong to the way you want them to respond to you though they have the right to maybe execute this judgment on you. They give you grace and mercy. That's what this word is says wise people don't execute. According to the law, but they would then respond with love, leniency, give mercy and grace to the other person taking the high road means not insisting on my right, but extending the leniency of grace and love to the other person in the way we would want to be extended to us. Then he goes on and says submissive. This idea is willing and open to adopting another's position, belief, or of or course of action was sufficient reason or evidence. It is literally being open to reason willing to listen. In fact, you could just write in your Bible not being stubborn about nestled this is. Don't be stubborn. See says true wisdom is first of all pure this peaceloving is about restoration of relationships is considering it's a grace and mercy, giving moments. That's what wisdom engages in the midst of hurt and pain and then insist down is willing to listen willing to learn willing to go okay. What was going on and seek to understand and hear and not necessarily just always try to be heard and have your voice set since his submissive is not stop then goes on says full of mercy and good fruit. This is compassion moved to action. No, in the ancient Greek culture. It was pity for the one who is suffering unjustly yet in Christianity.

This word began to take on new meaning and new depths because it wasn't just pity for the one who suffered unjustly. We can all feel pity for the one who suffered and justly right he went.

Now that you began for Christians was pity for the one who suffering was brought on by themselves. How do you see how this brings about social restoration. When you lay down your rights when you're willing to listen when instead of judging the person who, because of all they've done deserve to be judged. You have pity and you engage this idea of mercy is incomplete and tell it takes action is not just about feeling bad is filling pity or bad for them to doing good. That is what wisdom does.

It takes the high road. This is impartial, not tending to cost factions or divisions within a group not being judgmental or divisive free from prejudice seen on I'm not gonna play one side or the other I'm going to engage in this moment with you. I'm going to sit and listen and hear and learn and I'm not gonna yell play favorites and when it in partiality stand in the middle and hurt and grieve in love and is harder that way.

In fact, you get more people angry at you.

That way because you're in the middle of both sides were you say now I'm going to simply do my best to love the way Jesus love without distinction. Then finally he says, sincere, without hypocrisy, and never pretends to be. What is not and never ask a part to gain its own and what you see is what you can is not a secret agenda with wisdom when it takes the high road is not an ulterior motive. You don't have to question our gas. What is going on and what are they up to really see change. The same wisdom that comes from heaven starts and originates from inside here where our hearts are so in all of who God is, we adjust our lives to God and then it flows out when work, peaceloving, considerate, submissive, for mercy is saying you know what I want to recognize the counterfeit wisdom was fueled by these negative emotions are powerful, and then I'm going to choose one choose to take the high road and the low road health celebrates going to take the high road that mean you can just start there and just okay in this moment in this post and my response to my wife or my kids or mice my coworkers. What does the high road required of me.

What is a look to take the high road that is going to say this. True wisdom so seeds of reconciliation. You want to know what true wisdom does is so seeds of reconciliation, not retaliation is so seeds of reconciliation, not retribution is so seeds of reconciliation, not revenge tofollowthewaysofJesusmemorizethatverseisveryshort.Youcandoityoucandoit.Peacemakerswhosowinpeacereapaharvestofrighteousness.Andwelookaroundattheworldseeinthebrokennesstheheartachethepainthedysfunction.TheinjusticeechowhatintheworldisgoingtochangethisJesusfollowersJesusfollow'swhostopplayinggamespretendinglikethisisjustasocialclubformypersonalbenefitbutrealizeyoubeenplacedonthisplanetforapurpose.Youaredeemedforpurpose.Youhavebeengiventheministryofreconciliation,tobringhopeandlifeandpeace.Youarecaught.Iamcalledbyhowwetalkhowwewalk.Howweacttobepeacemakersineverysituation.Peacemakers.WhatisreconciliationistheprocessbywhichenemiesarebroughtintoFrenchandisitlikethatcan'thappen.That'swhatGoddidforusinChristJesus.ButGoddemonstrateshisownloveforusinthiswhileweareyetsinnershewasapeacemaker,Christdiedforourbehalf.SeekseeiswhatGodhasdoneforuswhenwewereenemieswithhiminChristJesus,andasaresult,heisthenentrustedtoustheministryofreconciliationtobringpeaceandhopetothosearounduspeacemakerswhososeedsofpeacereapaharvestofrighteousness,reapaharvestofjustice.Whenyousowseedsofpeace.TheharvestthatyoureapisrightrelationshipsbetweenGodandotherslivingaccordingGodtoGod'sdesignseenothinggoodgrowsandatmosphereinacultureofhostilityandangerandinvitriol,butwhenusedsothekey'srighteousnesscangrowoutofitsrestorationcomestosocialrestorationiscultivatedbyfollowersofJesussowingpeaceastruesocialwisdom.Iwantyoutonoticesomethingclosersocialrestorationiscultivated,yousaidpeacemakerswhosoappieceweunderstandwhenyou'rereapingandandworkingyouknowwithagriculturethatyousowseedandyouplantwateritinyourweightonitandyoutakecareofit.Andovertimeitgrowsandwhatwewantinourinstantcultureisforeverythingtohappenovernight.Here'swhathesayingthere'saprocessandthere'sacultivationhowdowenavigatetheseculturallycomplex,emotionallycharged,sociallyintensetimestobringaboutsocialrestoration.Wehavetocultivatebeingpeacemakers.Wehavetocultivatepeaceinourrelationshipswithoneanother.Wehavetocultivatepeaceinthewayweengageonsocialmedia.Wehavetocultivatepeaceinthewaywerespondtooneanotherandhesaysisnotovernightitsconsistency,notintensitythatproduceslong-termchangeorimpactthiswhenJesusfollowerscultivatepeaceinthequestionMIpersonpiece.IlovetosayIlikeeverytimeapersonofpeace,butbacktothatpersonthatflipmeoffdrivingmyfirstresponsewasnottobeapersonofpeace.Let'sjustbehonestmyFirstResponsewastoridetheirtalent.MakesuretheyknewIwasrightthereandhowlongtheywereon'sconvictedinmypersoncaseismygoal,reconciliationorretaliationwillyouwillItakethehighroomtobringaboutsocialrestoration.Thisiswhatitmeansforustofollowthewayslisteningtolivingalltheshipswithustotalkaboutthemessaginggesture,butincaseyoujoinedisalittlelateorguestteacher.TodaywasRyanIngramwithhismessagesocialwisdom.Socialrestorationiscomplicated,evenwiththebestofintentions,well-meaningpeoplegetthemselvesintotrouble.SohowdowemakeadifferenceandbringlightnotheatwillthesemessagesfromRyanIngrambringalotofclaritytothequestion.Helooksatourcurrentcircumstanceswiththegospelvisionofcommunity,andprovidesbiblicalsolutionsforlimitedtime,resourcesforsocialrestorationarediscountedandtheMP3sarealwaysfreetoorderyourcopyortosendittoafriendvisitusonline at http://livingontheedge.org for additional information. Just give us a call at AAA 83336003. I'll be right back in just a minute to talk about some very specific application to this teaching by Pastor Ryan Ingram. But before I do I want to just say a word to those of us who want to make a difference who want to share some things with people we care about people that may even very much disagree with us a some of those people are in our own home were related to them. Some of those people are in our churches and were living in a world today where we have Christians that are in odds sociologically and theologically and with real regards to cultural issues. How do we bridge that gap. How do we come together, how do we have social restoration first in our families, and then in the church so we can be that light that healing agent that Jesus is called us to be.

I would suggest that you have to go to the root instead of look at the fruit. There's something behind the name calling and the prejudging and the putting people in categories even inside our families and in the booklet social restoration. Ryan has written a primer to help each one of us ask and answer the question what does God want to do with me and what kind of eyes.

Do I need to look at others through in order to bring healing. We all had this issue and in this booklet.

You then learn from Scripture how to begin to take the kind of steps that allow you to see people differently to see them the way God sees them to be a bridge builder instead of a divider. You have a tool that you can give to someone else that you agree with or disagree with that.

You can read it quickly and then have a good conversation over a cup of coffee and say you know something this is something that we can both agree on this is something we know God wants us as followers of Christ to follow and you know as we build bridges.

Then we experience healing.

Could I encourage you give us a call or go to the website will give it to you absolutely free. We want to put this in the hands of as many people as possible to begin to get to the root of the problem instead of constantly blaming one another with the fruit of the negativity that's happening in the church and families and society.

Go to the website or give us a call. Dave, could you give them that information. Happy to will not only is it a print copy but were also making this little booklet available as an e-book.

Either way, you can choose a free copy when you go to your website. LivingontheEdge.org Special offers on the app or give us a call at AAA 83336003. We'd love to get it into your hands and then have you pass it on when you're done.

It's a great little conversation starter with the bonus of God honoring solutions request your free copy of social restoration@livingontheedge.org special offers on the app or by calling us at AAA 83336003. Hope you'll do it today while we wrap up today's message and the entire series. I'm grateful for what God has shared with us through Ryan I learned a lot. I hope you have as well and you know when the Lord begins to work in our lives, and he begins to press then we cooperate things don't happen overnight.

This is a big series were talking about social restoration and that's like making a really really big difference in our world that needs it in my big reminder would be that macro change right the things we want to change we want to see racism gone. We want to see that the political rancor and hatred gone, but I want you to know that macro change always begins with micro-action. In fact, I love the quote in Ryan's message where he said this, there's a process and there's a cultivation.

How do we navigate these culturally complex, emotionally charged and socially, and to bring about social rest or in we have to cultivate being peacemakers. We have to cultivate peace in our relationships with one another. We have to cultivate peace in a way that we engage on social media. We have to cultivate peace in the way we respond to one another that I love this at the end. It's not gonna happen overnight, its consistency, not intensity. There produces long term change or impact so that means if you want wisdom you have to pursue it consistently.

If you want peace you can have to pursue it consistently. If you want to treat everyone with dignity and respect.

You can have to pursue it consistently, especially with those that you disagree with.

If you want to learn to watch your words instead of blurting things out and hurting other people. You can have to go into training and do it consistently. If you want to serve your community and see life and love and change have to do it consistently. This isn't just a little reaction where we say oh yeah, I'm going to do this for a couple days God taught us all those things that I just listed in this four-part series and what I would encourage you if you really are serious about social restoration go and download the MP3s go and download the notes pass them on to someone else review them on a regular basis and say to the Lord, you know, Lord, the world appears to be pretty messed up in a lot of ways and I can't change everything and I can't change everyone but I can change some things and I can change one person for sure. And the micro change that's going to change the world begins not out there. It begins with me and it begins with you what micro changes do you need to make your speech, your attitude, your prejudice, your tongue say Lord help me review these things, you take micro steps all take micro steps and is your little world changes and millions of other people's little world changes.

Guess what our world's going to change social restoration is possible, but only in the power and the grace of the Holy Spirit working in you and working in me. Let's do this together. Just before we close. I want to say thanks to those of you who are giving regularly to the ministry of Living on the Edge you're making a huge difference helping other Christians live like Christians of your enjoying the benefits of Living on the Edge, but aren't yet on the team would you do that today.

You can set up a recurring donation by calling us at AAA 83336003. Tapping the donate button or visiting us online at http://livingontheedge.org. Thanks for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do well for all of us here, this is Dave saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge