Thomas Barr focuses on a letter Jeremiah sent to Daniel and the exiles. In this letter, God instructs the Believer to live in a city he doesn’t belong to. Thomas also invites us to take a closer look at the infamous verse Jeremiah 29:11, giving us insight into what it meant for the exiles and what it can mean for us.
Key Takeaway
God has a purpose for you in the city you live in. By serving the brokenness, we transform cities and cultures from the inside out.
Jeremiah, the prophet, wrote a letter to Daniel and the exiles in Babylon. He tells them how to thrive in a captive city. They are to stay there, love the city, and hope in God's city.
Stay in the city. The Lord encouraged them to build homes and plant food. They would be there for 70 years, and it was time to settle in. God sent them to this city, and in the same way, God sent you to the city you're in. As you feel unease and experience mockery, remember that God placed you here for a purpose.
Engage in the city. Don't isolate. Eat their food, get to know people, and settle down. Root yourself somewhere. Remain distinct, and do not allow the city to transform you; you transform the city. Jesus ate with tax collectors, zealots, murderers, and prostitutes, but he didn't become them. He didn't isolate Himself in a holy bubble. He engaged and multiplied His ministry. The life of the exile is subversive submission. It is subversive in that it lives against the grain of the culture, but it's submission in that it respects the city. Live obediently to God and respect the city. In the New Testament, the writers speak of Christians as exiles or resident aliens. We belong to a different land, so we act differently, but we also become what's beautiful about that land as our actions transform it.
Love the city. In its welfare, you'll find your welfare. Love the city to new life. Seek its shalom or peace. God's view of peace is fullness. So, we seek the fullness of the city and serve the brokenness. We are for the Believer and those who don't know Him yet. This is what made the early church stand out: serving the brokenness. In every area where we see the fabric of society breaking, the Christian moves in to restore it. Christians have always done this. How Believers engage, love, and serve their city has transformed societies and cultures.
Pray for the city. Pray for Babylon; pray for the place you hate. If their shalom is your shalom, you're going to want the best for the city. Prayer also applies to your theology. It takes your propositional truths and makes them pulsating tensions. Do you believe God loves sinners? Even the ones that dragged you here? Talk to God about it. Do you believe that while you were still a sinner, Christ died for you? Do you believe He did the same for them? Talk to God about it. He put you in the land of sinners and gave you the grace of salvation, so talk to God about how you can be a light. Jesus calls you to love your enemy and pray for them.
Hope in the Lord's city. Hope is the coal that engines burn off of. Hope is the confidence that you belong to God's story, so you'll make it through whatever story you live in. He has plans for us. God kept His word and moved His people back to Jerusalem after 70 years. He had a plan for the exiles, and He has a plan for you, but they are His plans, not yours. In all things, He's pointing you to Himself.
Discussion Questions
Who is Jeremiah, and what was his role? Why did he write to the exiles in Babylon?
What were the first instructions that Jeremiah gave in Jeremiah 29:5? Why was God telling them this?
We see exile as a result of Babylon's takeover, but what does Jeremiah 29:4 tell us about how God's people ended up in exile?
When you look at the city that you live in, in what ways is it obvious that you are in exile here? Have you ever questioned if God really wants you to live in your city? See 1 Peter 2:11-12.
Next, Jeremiah told them not only to stay but to engage in the city. How were they to do this in Jeremiah 29:5-6?
Jesus engaged but remained distinct, and he also didn't isolate Himself to only those who followed Him, so His ministry multiplied. How can you engage and multiply? What are the dangers of going too far one way or the other?
Thomas mentioned the term "subversive submission." What is that and how do Believers participate in that today?
We are to love the city by seeking its fullness and serving the brokenness. How do you or your church participate in the shalom of the city?
Why must we pray for our cities? See Jeremiah 29:7. What does praying do? How does it confront your theology?
When we are hoping in God's city, what are we actually hoping for? Are His plans for us really that good?
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