Last week’s sermon passage (Jeremiah 29) is quite unique, in that God gives the Israelites instructions for how to live in a non-Israelite city (Babylon). Given there is no such thing as a Christian city, Christians have much to learn from this chapter about how to live in a non-Christian culture. Should Christians immerse themselves in that culture and assimilate? Are we to pray for the downfall of our city or culture? Or should we exploit the people and subvert the culture for our benefit? In v. 7 God says:
Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Christians are not to become just like their culture (i.e. assimilate); but they are to be FOR their city. So what does it mean to ‘seek’ the prosperity of the city in which we live? It means to put the wellbeing of the city above our own.
When choosing a job or career, Christian should place their contribution to society above how they can bolster their reputation or bank account. When in the ballot box, Christians should vote for the party whose policies most benefit society, not them personally. When choosing what car to drive, where to live, or what school to send our children to, how those decisions impact our society is more important than how it impacts our comfort or wellbeing. When the topic of Christianity comes up, Christians are to put the spiritual wellbeing of others ahead of our own reputation.
Christians are to do what we can to work for the social (e.g. ethnic) harmony, economic prosperity, physical wellbeing and spiritual health of our society. May we be Christians who are loving our neighbours by seeking and praying for the prosperity of our city.
