25-1001wc - Detailed Summary

The Engagement Project is a 10-tour video series intended for small groups, guiding participants on a journey to seek God’s face and comprehend his heart, with a strong emphasis on applying these insights practically in daily life. The series is built around four major epics: creation, fall, redemption, and engagement. It ultimately challenges believers to actively live out their faith in the present era. Tour 4, entitled "Engagement, the Royal Task," represents a significant turning point in the series.

In this section, Del Tackett explores the epic of engagement, which is the current era we live in, highlighting the deep implications of Jesus' departure from earth and the subsequent indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers. Based on the first 24 minutes of Part 1, the discussion unpacks the "King’s Order," a divine mandate that redirects Christian living toward love, simplicity, and making an impact in one’s neighborhood. Through spiritual explanations, personal stories, and provocative questions, Tackett breaks down the overwhelming perceptions associated with God’s commands. He reveals a vision for kingdom work that is entrusted to ordinary believers, covering key themes such as the epoch of engagement, Jesus' departure, and the role of the indwelling Spirit.

Tackett places the engagement epoch within the larger biblical story. He compares it to the previous epics: creation, characterized by God’s perfect design where every human bears his image; the fall, marked by the entry of sin and the certainty of death; and redemption, defined by Christ’s sacrifice that offers salvation to all who believe. The engagement era is distinguished by two key transformative events: Jesus' physical ascension to heaven and the arrival of the Holy Spirit to dwell within believers.

Tackett explains that this current era has eternal consequences, influencing how Christians should function in the world today. A central question posed is: Why did Jesus leave? He argues that Jesus' departure was not an act of abandonment but a deliberate strategy to empower believers through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, referencing John 14:16-17 implicitly in the teaching. This change allows for intimate communication with God and equips everyday people for remarkable kingdom tasks. Building on the foundational "crown jewel" of God’s loving nature from previous tours, Tackett moves to the King’s order, encouraging viewers to embrace their role in this epoch.

He addresses the overwhelming burden of the law and its surprising lightness. A key highlight is a vignette about a boy carrying an ever-growing backpack of rules, symbolizing how the numerous directives in Scripture, combined with the vast global needs and suffering, can feel crushing. Tackett acknowledges this reality—the Bible has hundreds of commands, and the scale of human suffering adds to the impossibility. However, he shifts to a freeing truth by quoting Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus invites the weary to find rest, stating that his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

Continuing from the previous theme, Tackett references 1 John 5:3, which states that God’s commands are not burdensome for those who love him. This prompts a probing question: How can the law, with all its demands, not feel like a heavy load? He encourages viewers to reflect on times they’ve felt overwhelmed by divine expectations, preparing them for a simplified view of God’s will.

Tackett then sums up the law through the power of love, distilling the entirety of God’s law into its core essence. He draws from Jesus' response in Matthew 22:36-40 to the question of the greatest commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. He also includes Jesus' new command from John 13:34: Love one another as I have loved you.

These three overarching commands—love God, love your neighbor, and love one another—are all grounded in agape, the selfless and sacrificial love that mirrors God’s character. Tackett is amazed at how Scripture condenses these even further, summing everything into one directive: love your neighbor. He cites three key passages to support this.

The passages include Galatians 5:14, which states that the whole law is fulfilled in one word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Romans 13:9-10 explains that commandments against adultery, murder, theft, and coveting are summed up in "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," adding that love does no wrong to a neighbor and thus fulfills the law. James 2:8 affirms that fulfilling the royal law according to Scripture—"You shall love your neighbor as yourself"—means doing well. Tackett describes this as the Bible’s consummate understatement, underscoring its profound simplicity.

Tackett questions whether these passages truly encapsulate the law of Christ, referencing Galatians 6:2. By breaking down the Greek terms, he rephrases the command as: Have a steadfast sacrificial zeal for the true good, the shalom (peace and wholeness), of the one who lives near you. The word "plesion" for neighbor literally means "the one nearby," challenging the common tendency to reinterpret it as distant or abstract obligations.

Tackett asks why people often prefer focusing on far-away needs when God’s call is to those in our immediate surroundings. He presents a compelling vision for kingdom work, emphasizing that God has entrusted the primary work of his kingdom to ordinary, everyday Christian families. This is not about large-scale missions or institutional programs but about faithful engagement in one’s own neighborhood.

He poses a transformative "what if": If the estimated 80 million evangelical Christians in the U.S. each engaged just three neighbors with genuine agape love, that simple act would reach the entire population and create a ripple effect of transformation. This call to engagement is not burdensome but empowering. By focusing on "the one who lives near," believers fulfill the royal law, embody Christ’s love, and advance the kingdom in the current epoch.

Tackett’s teaching inspires viewers to reflect on questions like: What does loving my neighbor look like in practice? How might this change my daily priorities? Tour 4, Part 1 of The Engagement Project acts as a rallying cry for authentic, localized faith. As Tackett leads participants through these truths, he reminds them that the King’s order is not a remote decree but a personal invitation to join in God’s redemptive story, beginning right next door.

Thank you.