Economic Discipleship 1

ECONOMIC DISCIPLESHIP Viv Gregg Urban Leadership Foundation economicdiscipleship.org LEVITICUS 26: 1-8 Reward for Obedience 26 “‘Do not make idols or set up an image or a sacred stone for yourselves, and do not place a carved stone in your land to bow down before it. I am the LORD your God. 2 “‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. “‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. 3 “‘I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove wild beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. 7 You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. 8 Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you. 6 LEVITICUS 26: 14-22 Punishment for Disobedience “‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15 and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16 then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17 I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. 14 “‘If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. 19 I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. 20 Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of your land yield their fruit. 18 “‘If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. 22 I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted. 21 LORD IS CREATOR, RULER AND Agenda REIGNS OVER ALL 1 King of Creation 2 Year of Jubilee 3 Role of Humanity KING OF CREATION 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters…. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. 3 ~ Genesis 1:1 – 2:3 Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being… 7 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 15 ~ Genesis 2:7 - 2:15 WORK, PRODUCTION, CREATION – 2 ELEMENTS Pleases God Serves Humanity NATURE OF RESOURCES Pre-Fall Expressi on Creativit y Post-Fall Curse Law “‘If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. ~ Lev 26:3 3 YEAR OF JUBILEE MODERN DAY JUBILEE ROLE OF HUMANITY ROLE OF HUMANITY Humanity to and rule gave as histo God created God created humanity image provide ROLE OF HUMANITY Wealth Poverty • Attributed to righteousness Verb roots • Introduction of Year of Jubilee ana Force into submission dalal Become powerless; forced aba Yearning for rescue • Wealth = God’s resources haser Deserved Undeserved Acts of laziness sakan Bring to subordination muk Reduced to nothing rush yarash Due to sinful acts Born into poverty OUTLINE – ECONOMIC DISCIPLESHIP 1 I. King of Creation A. Genesis 1 – God created all things B. Genesis 2 – God intended for man to rule over all things and to work and care for the earth C. 2 elements of work, production and creation I. Please god II. Serve humanity D. Work Pre-fall and Post-fall II. Year of Jubilee A. Created to redistribute wealth, ensure God’s creation shared B. Modern day Jubilee example by churches III. Role of Humanity A. God created humanity to rule in his image and as he intended B. Prosperity and wealth in God’s terms C. Poverty and unintended creation by man’s sin DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. How do you feel about your work and do you see it in the light of how God intended it? Why or why not? 2. How can you change your attitude, view or approach to work with God’s original intentions? 3. What aspects of the Year of Jubilee spoke most clearly to you? Was it convicting or reassuring and how so? 4. Are there any ways you can consider or take action to honor or implement God’s intentions for the Year of Jubilee? 5. Are you using the Talents God has given to you and ‘investing’ or multiplying as he expects of you?