Stones Hill Community Church
What is happening to our world? You and I are witnessing at warp speed the devolution of a nation. If things move toward a “post-Christian nation” and some are now arguing that this is the case, then how should the people of God operate when relegated to the cultural margins? What is the way forward in a hostile world?
Welcome to the Old Testament book of Daniel!
We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!
A typical Stone's Hill service has:
* music (so feel free to sing out);
* some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of);
* a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word);
* and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your daily life.)
So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!
Daniel 2:1-23 NIV
Living in the Lion's Den: The People of God in Exile
Post-Christian Culture
It has been said that our world is becoming a “post-Christian” world. Post means after. Christian means an era of time when Christ and His teachings were a dominant influence in society. Culture means the way we think and value things. This means that, over the course of recent generations, there has been an observed decline in the Church’s influence in society. In a post-Christian culture, the dominant worldview is no longer founded on Christian principles — or at least we can no longer assume that they will be.
As the church enters this time of exile from the center to the margins, we must have a vision through the unique challenges that are presented. As a Christian, in a hostile environment where the dominant values run counter to one’s own, you now experience exile while you REMAIN in your homeland. Just demonstrate that you are unwilling to conform to the tyranny of majority opinion, and you’ll know exile while still at home – forced removals, cancellations, disenfranchisement, job losses.
The Way Forward
What is the way forward in a hostile world? Discerning the meaning of the present moment requires sobriety for no one knows how hostile it may become. Eventually, a post-Christian society moves from assuming Christian values to ignoring them, to resenting them, to repressing them, and eventually to persecuting them. What was once Christian and is now post-Christian will eventually become anti-Christian, led by those who actively destroy it.
Strangers, Aliens, Exiles
God’s people do their best work when in exile. We always have. Exile infuses communities with new creative energy that rises to meet the challenges of new cultural circumstances. The way forward is to look around and understand our context, to look back and gather the resources the Word affords to us, and then to look forward with a clear vision of how we can function as the Lord’s people in a time of contemporary exile.
That’s why we have transitioned to “A Biblical Worldview Church.” It’s a vision for how to do life in cultural exile and it empowers you to come together with a game plan that will prepare your family to live in this world rather than just integrate with dominant culture. It’s the local church that can form a vibrant counterculture.
Exiles on Assignment
How do we build biblical worldview communities within our condition of internal exile, and under increasingly hostile conditions? Can we live with joy and confidence though marginalized? If you’re caught between a host empire you cannot embrace and a church that has no worldview mission, where do you go?
For much of recent history individuals and Biblical Worldview institutions could plan, execute, and flourish with their visions of a better world. That may no longer be the case in a few years. But don’t despair. For in the midst of the chaos of a crisis comes opportunity. The history of the church tells us that crisis always precedes renewal, and the framework of renewal offers us new ways forward. A Non-Anxious Presence shows how that renewal happens and offers churches and leaders strategic ways to awaken the Church and see our culture changed for Christ.
The question is: How? How can we engage a post-Christian society? How can we influence a culture which is desperate to press you into it’s mold? This is not to say that God isn’t at work in dominant culture. He has his “Daniel’s” strategically placed to do His bidding in the “Babylon’s” of the world. There are others who are being prepared to become “Esthers” (in Persia) and “Jonahs” (in Ninevah) and “Josephs” (in Egypt) – those who bring a biblical worldview to the culture, but within the culture itself.
So our primary job is not to make everything “Christian” in culture. Our job is to live out a Biblical Worldview wherever we find ourselves and bear witness to the truth. But, there’s no room for neutrality. The corrosive soil and polluted air of a secular worldview will have to be breathed by your children. You will face marginalization for living out a Biblical Worldview.
Living in the Lion’s Den: The People of God in Exile
Daniel 2:1-23
Daniel gives these incredible insights as to how we can live in a post-Christian culture, a secular age that wants to push a Biblical Worldview to the margins, if not completely out of the picture. So far, our sermons in the Daniel series can be succinctly stated:
Jer.29:1-14 – Live your life
Dan. 1:1-7 – Stamp your child
Dan. 1:1-7 – Draw your line
Dan. 1:8-21 – Stand your ground
Dan. 1:8-21 – Love your people
Dan. 2:1-23 - Face your crisis
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How do you face and lead through crisis? How do we discern God’s plan in the crisis? How do we hear His voice?
1. Separation (v.16): He gave himself space. It’s an act of humility. It’s Daniel’s way of saying “I don’t know it all.” Daniel removed distractions. Avoid instantaneous knee-jerk responses.
2. Connection (v.17): Daniel shared his situation with trusted friends. It was an act of urgency. He didn’t have all the answers and he was transparent with this.
3. Intercession (v.18): Daniel followed his values, one of which is transparency. He hid nothing. He didn’t pretend. It’s his way of saying “God is my guiding light. Everything anchors to Him.” Daniel knew he was one of a very few representatives in Babylon. If he went down, what of the Kingdom?
4. Expectation: (v.19,23): Daniel attributes all power to God and solicits input from others. Daniel is so based and grounded. Daniel is sure God will fight for him in Babylon as he bears witness to God’s truth.
People like Daniel (who lead with humility, urgency, transparency, and who are based) give us the compass even though they don’t have the map for every crisis that culture and life creates.
[By the way, this is what we’ve done as a church. In light of post-truth culture, we’ve developed a plan for becoming a “Biblical Worldview Church.” We are making a great proposal; that if you’ll see and do life from a Biblical perspective, it will set you up for human flourishing. We… 1 Gathered all the facts. 2 explain the plan. 3 team it up. 4 discern God’s solution for the crisis. To give you good standing and position before you face the secular storm.]
Closing
The Bible says that in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). So to know Jesus as Savior and Lord is to be wise. Here’s the deal: God wants to communicate with you. Cultivate a little silence and listen. Pay attention to the sequence of events that although seem accidental seem to have been planned or arranged. God might be trying to tell you that you’re not alone. Why don’t you take a moment to pray Daniel’s prayer? Even more, why don't you invite Christ in today?