First Baptist Church . 3 Hedge Street . Simpsonville, SC 29681 . phone: (864) 967-8591 . Class Location: Main 210
Our Prayer
Our Prayer
Heavenly Father, I know that I have sinned against You and that my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my sinful past and turn to You for forgiveness. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins, that He was raised from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become my Savior and the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You and to convict me when I sin. I pledge to grow in grace and knowledge of You. My greatest purpose in life is to follow Your example and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Jesus declares that God’s Word is truth — not
one truth among many, but the truth. In a culture that elevates personal
opinion, feelings, and social consensus, Scripture alone stands as the final
authority. Truth is not discovered within ourselves or determined by the world;
it is revealed by God. We resist confusion and compromise by submitting our
lives to the authority of God’s Word.
As Jesus was rejected and despised because of
truth, so too will we when we build our lives on this same truth. By standing
on God’s Word, followers of Christ are set apart from a culture that clamors in
the chaos of subjectivity. Subjective truth is not truth at all but is rather
lies that our enemy wants us to believe. There is only one truth, and we must
be a people that live under its rule.
John 17:14-19
14 I have given them Your word, and the world
has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the
world. 15 I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep
them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the
world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me
into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I
consecrate Myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
How does our culture define truth? How does
that differ from Jesus’ words in this passage?
Why is it tempting to allow opinion, emotion,
or social pressure to shape our beliefs?
What dangers arise when the Church
compromises biblical truth to fit cultural norms?
How does being grounded in Scripture protect
us from confusion and compromise?
Closing Thoughts
In an ever-increasing hostile culture to
truth, we must be devoted to daily and weekly gospel community that studies the
Word of God together. The culture around us itches to hear only what it wants
to hear (2 Timothy 4:3), but we must proclaim truth to the world. This means
that we do not shy away from hard conversations but are bold to speak on the
things that God has clearly revealed.
Jeremiah 29 reminds believers that political
displacement, cultural hostility, and national instability are not new
challenges. God’s people have always lived between kingdoms. This passage
teaches that faithful political engagement is neither withdrawal nor worship of
the state, but hopeful obedience under God’s sovereign rule. Christians are
called to be present, prayerful, and purposeful — trusting God’s long-term
plans while seeking the good of the world around them.
Jeremiah 29 was written to God’s people
living in exile, under a government control they didn’t choose, facing a future
they didn’t like — but still called to live faithfully.
Jeremiah 29:1-11
These are the words of the letter that
Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles,
and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had
taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 This was after King Jeconiah and
the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the
craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. 3 The letter was
sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah,
whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
It said: 4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles
whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live
in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and
daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that
they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. 7 But
seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the
Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 8 For thus
says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your
diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that
they dream, 9 for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I
did not send them, declares the Lord. 10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy
years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my
promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for
you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a
future and a hope.
Do you tend to be more engaged in politics or
avoid it all together? Why?
How does God’s instruction to seek the good
of Babylon in this passage challenge our natural instincts?
What does this passage teach us about God’s
sovereignty over nations and governments?
What are warning signs that politics is
becoming an idol in our lives?
Closing Thoughts
Living as faithful exiles requires community,
humility, and prayer. Political engagement can easily divide believers, but God
calls His people to unity rooted in truth and love. When the church is divided,
the culture around us will look the same.
The best way for us to engage politically and
culturally is to share the gospel with our words and our lives. Then, we must
speak and stand where God has clearly spoken. This is how we seek the welfare
of our communities.
END
Teacher Notes:
In today’s cultural and political climate,
are you pulled more towards fear, anger, or hopelessness?
Fear when the future feels out of our
control.
Anger when we feel morally outraged.
Hopelessness when nothing seems to change.
Jeremiah 29 was written to God’s people who
were exiled in Babylon as a message of hope.
If you remember, Red told Andy that hope
was
a dangerous thing...
Click Play to Watch
Red would come to say, I hope…
Jeremiah 29 was written to God’s people to
to give them Hope
but also,
to give them a purpose to live in the culture
they were now in.
Jeremiah 29:1-4
These are the words of the letter that
Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles,
and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had
taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. This was after King Jeconiah and
the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the
craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. The letter was
sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah,
whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
It said: “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles
whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
How do you see that as Christians, we too
are living in exile?
And would you say that we too are living
in Babylon today?
How should this shape how we
live each day?
Do you believe that God has determined the
moment
we live in today?
If so, what does that mean to you?
In God’s infinite wisdom and sovereignty,
each of us live in a specific political, cultural, and social context.
It is not by chance we are living in the
Upstate of South Carolina in 2026.
Our place in this cultural moment is no
accident; God assigns our witness.
Jeremiah 29:5-7
Build houses and live in them; plant gardens
and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for
your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and
daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the
city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for
in its welfare you will find your welfare.
How does Jeremiah 29 tell us to live in
today’s culture?
Build strong godly families…what does that
mean?
Seek to be a blessing to the world around
us…what does that mean?
Pray for the world around us…what does that
mean?
What does this say to how we are to engage
the political discussions of today?
Speak as witnesses, not conquerors. Don’t try
to take control; live as representatives of another kingdom. Our tone matters.
Political conversations should sound like people who trust God, not people
looking for power or control.
Prioritize faithfulness over effectiveness.
Our goal isn’t to win a debate. It’s to reflect God’s character — truthful,
just, patient, and loving — even when the conversation is tense or one-sided.
Hold convictions without contempt. We don’t
need to demean those who differ. We can disagree clearly and still treat others
with dignity.
Pray before, during, and after we speak. Jeremiah
doesn’t tell the people to complain about Babylon — he tells them to pray for
it.
Jeremiah 29:10-11
“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years
are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you My
promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,
declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and
a hope.
How do we engage the political
discussion?
Our only goal as we engage in political
discussions of the day should be to point people to JESUS!
Click Play to Watch
Conclusion
We engage the culture:
By not conforming to this world, but by being
transformed by the renewing of the way we think – through God’s Word.
By living holy, different, and set apart
lives.
By not putting our hope in anything/one -
other than JESUS!
By publicly declaring that JESUS is our Lord,
Savior, and King.
This is a thought provoking lesson in the fact that many people (Christians included) don't see the connection of these two words - work & worship. Work is secular, worship is spiritual. If you are retired, please share how you looked at this understanding before, and if you are still working, please share how you might still be wrestling with this connection.
From the opening pages of Scripture, work is
presented as a good gift from God. Before sin entered the world, God created
humanity in His image and entrusted them with meaningful responsibility.
Genesis 1–2 shows us that work is not accidental nor merely a means of
survival; it is part of God’s original design.
God calls His people to steward what He has
made, to cultivate creation, and to reflect His character through faithful
labor. When our work is connected to God’s mission and aimed at God’s pleasure; it becomes an act of worship. Our vocation (wherever God has placed us) is one
of the primary ways we live out our identity as image-bearers and participants
in God’s ongoing work in the world.
Genesis 1:26-31 & Genesis 2:15
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man
in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He
created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of
the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that
moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant
yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in
its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and
to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth,
everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for
food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold,
it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in
the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
How does Genesis 1–2 challenge the idea that
work is a curse or a necessary evil?
Why is it important to remember that we are
stewards, not owners, of our work and resources?
In what ways has your view of work been
shaped more by culture than by Scripture?
How does seeing your work as worship change
your motivation or attitude?
What might it look like to view your job, or
daily responsibilities as a mission field?
Closing Thoughts
Work Where God Has Placed You.
God has intentionally placed you where you
are — not by accident, but for His purposes. Faithfulness in your work is one
of the primary ways you reflect Christ.
Be Salt and Light Through Stewardship.
Living on mission often looks ordinary:
working with integrity, serving others, and honoring God in daily
responsibilities. When done for His glory, ordinary work becomes extraordinary
worship.
END
Teacher Notes:
Click Play to Watch
Do you work for God's pleasure?
Consider these 2 questions and common answers:
Now consider this:
Short answer? No — most people don’t. And
that’s true both in the culture at large and inside the church.
We’ve absorbed a sacred–secular divide. Many
believers (often unconsciously) believe work is secular and worship is
spiritual. So, worship gets confined to Sundays, while 40–60 hours a week feel
spiritually disconnected. That idea isn’t biblical, but it’s deeply cultural.
Culture tells us work is about self. The
dominant messages are:
• Find
your passion
• Build
your brand
• Maximize
income
• Climb
the ladder
That frames work as self-expression or
self-advancement — not service to God or others. Even Christians swim in that
water.
We equate worship with emotion. Worship is
often defined by how it feels. Work rarely feels transcendent or joyful — especially
ordinary or unseen work — so it doesn’t get categorized as worship. Scripture,
however, defines worship as obedient offering, not emotional experience (Rom.
12:1).
What Scripture says instead: The Bible
consistently presents work as worship when it is: done in faith, offered to God,
and shaped by obedience and love. “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the
Lord and not for men.” (Col. 3:23)
Genesis 1–2 shows that God delighted in work
before sin ever entered the world—and humans were invited into that same joy
and responsibility.
Genesis 1:26-31 and Genesis 2:15
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea
and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man
in His own image, in the image of God He created Him; male and female He
created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and
multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of
the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that
moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant
yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in
its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and
to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth,
everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for
food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that He had made, and behold,
it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in
the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.
How does Genesis 1–2 challenge the idea that
work is a curse or a necessary evil?
Work existed before the Fall
In Genesis 1–2, God gives Adam and Eve
meaningful tasks before sin enters the world:
“Fill the earth and subdue it… have dominion”
(Gen. 1:28)
Adam is placed in the garden “to work it and
keep it” (Gen. 2:15)
That’s huge. Work isn’t a punishment for
sin — it’s part of God’s good design for human life. The curse in Genesis 3
affects work (pain, frustration, toil), but it doesn’t create work.
God Himself works and calls it good
Genesis 1 repeatedly shows God working:
creating, ordering, shaping, naming. Then He steps back and declares His work
“very good” (Gen. 1:31).
Humans, made in God’s image, are invited to
reflect Him by working too. Work is not beneath us — it’s one way we mirror our
Creator.
Work is tied to purpose and dignity, not
survival
Before there was scarcity, competition, or
exhaustion, Adam was already working. That means work wasn’t about “earning a
living” or avoiding hunger — it was about:
Stewardship
Creativity
Responsibility
Participation in God’s ongoing care of
creation
Work gives meaning, not just money.
Genesis 1–2 teaches that work is a gift
before it is a burden. Sin distorts work, but it doesn’t define it. Work is
part of what it means to be human, created in God’s image and entrusted with
His world.
Why is it important to remember that we are
stewards, not owners, of our work and resources?
That distinction — stewards, not owners — is
foundational, and it reshapes almost everything about how we live and work.
It keeps us humble and dependent on God
If we see ourselves as owners, success easily
turns into pride and failure into despair. Stewardship reminds us:
What we have is received, not achieved (Ps.
24:1; 1 Cor. 4:7).
Our abilities, opportunities, and resources
ultimately belong to God.
That humility guards the heart and keeps us
reliant on Him rather than ourselves.
It reframes work as service, not
self-promotion
Owners ask, “How can this benefit me?”
Stewards ask, “How does God want this used?”
When we remember we’re stewards, work becomes
an act of worship (Col. 3:23), not merely a ladder for status, comfort, or
control. Faithfulness matters more than visibility.
It loosens our grip on possessions
Ownership leads to fear — fear of loss,
comparison, and scarcity. Stewardship leads to generosity and trust.
We hold resources with open hands.
We’re freer to give, share, and invest in
what lasts.
This is why Scripture links stewardship with
joy, not anxiety.
It gives meaning even to unseen or
uncelebrated work
If we are owners, unrecognized work feels
pointless.
If we are stewards, faithfulness matters even
when no one is watching (Luke 16:10).
God measures success differently than the
world does.
It points us forward to eternity
Stewardship has an end goal: “Well done, good
and faithful servant.”
We are managing what belongs to Another — for
a time. That eternal perspective keeps work from becoming either an idol or a
burden.
Remembering we are stewards, not owners,
keeps work from ruling us or ruining us. It anchors our identity in
faithfulness, frees us from control and fear, and aligns our labor and
resources with God’s purposes — not just our own.
In what ways has your view of work been
shaped more by culture than by Scripture?
How does seeing your work as worship change
your motivation or attitude?
Seeing work as worship quietly but radically
reframes why and how we work.
It shifts the audience
When work is worship, the primary audience
isn’t a boss, a customer, or even yourself — it’s God (Col. 3:23).
That means:
Integrity matters even when no one is
watching.
Faithfulness matters more than applause.
You’re no longer performing for approval;
you’re offering your work to the Lord.
It reshapes motivation
Instead of working mainly for pay,
recognition, or advancement, motivation becomes more about obedience and
gratitude.
Work turns from “What do I get out of this?”
into “How can I honor God through this?”
That kind of motivation is steadier — it
doesn’t rise and fall with circumstances.
It redeems ordinary or unseen tasks
If worship only happens in church, then much
of life feels spiritually empty.
But if work is worship, even routine,
repetitive, or unnoticed tasks gain eternal significance (Luke 16:10).
No work done faithfully for God is wasted.
It changes your attitude toward excellence
Worship doesn’t mean perfectionism — but it
does mean care.
Seeing work as worship encourages:
diligence without obsession
excellence without pride
effort without idolatry
You work well not to prove your worth, but
because God is worthy.
It softens frustration and hardship
Work is still hard in a fallen world. Worship
doesn’t remove thorns — but it gives context.
Frustration becomes something you bring to
God rather than something that defines you (Rom. 12:1).
It guards against burnout and resentment
When work becomes identity, burnout is
inevitable.
When work becomes worship, rest becomes an
act of trust, not guilt (Gen. 2:2–3).
You can stop working because your value isn’t
on the line.
Seeing your work as worship transforms
motivation from self-centered to God-centered and turns attitude from
resentment to purpose — even when the work is hard or unseen.
What might it look like to view your job, or
daily responsibilities as a mission field?
Viewing your job, or daily responsibilities
as a mission field doesn’t mean turning everything into a sermon — it means
seeing people and moments through God’s purposes rather than just your
schedule.
Here’s what that can look like in real life:
Seeing people, not just roles
A mission field mindset asks:
Who has God placed around me?
What burdens, questions, or hurt might they
be carrying?
Coworkers stop being obstacles. Customers
stop being interruptions. They become image-bearers God deeply loves.
Excellence as testimony
Doing your work well is part of your witness —
not to earn favor, but to reflect God’s character.
Showing up prepared
Working honestly
Owning mistakes
Treating authority with respect
This quietly communicates that your faith
shapes how you live, not just what you say (Col. 3:23).
Prayerful awareness
Mission-minded people learn to pray:
before the day begins
during tense conversations
after unexpected opportunities
Prayer tunes your heart to God’s work already
happening around you.
A long-term perspective
Most mission fields aren’t one-time
encounters — they’re relationships built over time.
Trust grows slowly. Influence deepens
quietly. Seeds are planted long before fruit appears.
A mission field isn’t defined by geography —
it’s defined by calling.
God hasn’t just sent you somewhere to work or learn;
He’s placed you there to represent Him.
Closing thought:
When does work become worship?
Work becomes worship when it is done for
God’s pleasure, not personal glory.
Conclusion
Work Where God Has Placed You.
God has intentionally placed you where you
are — not by accident, but for His purposes. Faithfulness in your work is one
of the primary ways you reflect Christ.
Be Salt and Light Through Stewardship.
Living on mission often looks ordinary:
working with integrity, serving others, and honoring God in daily
responsibilities. When done for His glory, ordinary work becomes extraordinary
worship.
