1. What are wrong ways to relate to our city?
• The Babylonian way:
• The Jewish exiles’ way:
2. What is God’s way to relate to our city?
• : Seek the of your city.
• : your city.
3. The provides the power to live out
NOTES:
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Read Jeremiah 29:4-7 and discuss:
• Put yourselves in their shoes: In what ways might we also feel like
“exiles” in our own city or culture today?
• How would you describe the Babylonian way (assimilation) in
modern terms (for context, read Daniel 1:3-7)? What are ways
Christians today “blend in”? What are some current pressures or
situations where you’re tempted to conform to the world’s values
rather than God’s? What happens when Christians compromise their
convictions for assimilation and personal gain or comfort?
• How does Hananiah’s message (for context, Jeremiah 28) illustrate
the danger of isolation or escapism? What happens when Christians
isolate and refuse to interact with the people around them?
• Why do you think both assimilation and isolation are appealing—and
how do they both miss God’s mission?
• Jeremiah 29:7 says, “Seek the welfare (shalom) of the city where I
have sent you…” What does shalom really mean, and how does that
shape the way we engage our city?
• Why do you think God ties our own welfare to the welfare of the city
(“for in its welfare you will find your welfare”)?
• How can we rely more deeply on the Holy Spirit for our witness and
engagement in the community?
• What impacted you most from the message?
PERSONAL REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
• Pray daily: Pray specifically for one city leader, one local ministry, and
one unbelieving neighbor or coworker each day this week.
• Build relationships: Invite a neighbor, coworker, or classmate into
conversation or hospitality this week; build rather than withdraw.
• Engage practically: Identify one small act that brings shalom:
volunteering, mentoring, buying lunch for a teacher or first responder,
or encouraging a struggling neighbor.
• Depend on the Spirit: Pray, “Fill me today so I can see my city the way
You do and serve with Your love and power.”
• Serve your city with Grace this week: Text Serve to (208) 643-7990.