Together we will be discussing learning from a series of videos titled ReFrame, produced by Regent College. Feel free to download the workbook, so even if you can’t join us in person, you can still participate well.
Session 8: Strangers & Exiles
(You can watch the video here.)
How do we live out this story? How do we engage the world around us? In this session, we explore how God calls all Christians to live as ambassadors. Rather than simply assimilating or withdrawing from culture we participate in God’s mission to witness to and redeem culture.
Outline
Assimilate or Withdraw—Christians living in exile can be tempted to either assimilate or withdraw from the culture around them.
Ambassadors—Our true citizenship is in the kingdom of God, and so we are called to be ambassadors of this kingdom.
Embassy—Daniel teaches us that ambassadors need an embassy—a community in which to gather and be sent from.
Church—The embassy for Christians is the local church, which gives humanity a foretaste of heaven. It is also the residence of the King of kings, Jesus Christ.
Discussion
- Like Fran, why do you think we are tempted to withdraw from our culture?
- What are the similarities and differences between the exile we experience and the exile Daniel and the Israelites experienced? What can we learn from Daniel about engaging culture?
- Where are you experiencing exile, and what difficulties do you experience there? What does it mean to be an ambassador in that place?
- How is your church a local embassy? How might your church help sustain you as an ambassador?