25-1001wc Transcript

Transcript (0:04 - 8:49)

Teacher: Scott Reynolds

(0:04) The Engagement Project, a 10-tour video series designed for small groups, invites participants (0:11) on a journey to seek God’s face and understand his heart, emphasizing practical application in (0:18) everyday life. Structured around four major epics, creation, fall, redemption, and engagement, (0:26) the project culminates in challenging believers to live out their faith actively in the current era. (0:35) Tour 4, titled Engagement, the Royal Task, marks a pivotal shift in the series.

(0:43) Here, Tackett delves into the epic we inhabit today, focusing on the profound implications (0:49) of Jesus' departure and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Drawing from the first 24 minutes (0:56) of Part 1, this segment unpacks the King’s Order, a divine mandate that reorients the (1:03) Christian life around love, simplicity, and neighborhood impact. Through spiritual exposition, (1:11) personal anecdotes, and thought-provoking questions, Tackett dismantles overwhelming (1:17) perceptions of God’s commands and reveals a vision for kingdom work entrusted to ordinary (1:26) believers—the epoch of engagement, Jesus' departure, and the indwelling Spirit.

(1:34) Tackett begins by contextualizing the engagement epoch within the broader biblical narrative. (1:40) Just as creation was defined by God’s perfect design where every human bears his image, (1:47) the fall by sin’s entry and the inevitability of death, and redemption by Christ’s sacrifice, (1:54) offering salvation to all who believe. Engagement is marked by two transformative events, (2:02) Jesus' physical ascension and the Holy Spirit’s arrival to dwell within believers.

(2:09) This era, Tackett explains, carries eternal ramifications, (2:14) shaping how Christians are to operate in the world today. (2:18) A second question drives the discussion. Why did Jesus leave? Tackett posits that his departure (2:26) was not abandonment, but a strategic move to empower believers through the Holy Spirit’s (2:33) indwelling, John 14, verses 16-17, implied in the teaching.

This shift enables intimate (2:42) communication with God, equipping ordinary people for extraordinary kingdom tasks. (2:49) With the foundational crown jewel of God’s nature, his love, established in our prior tours, (2:56) Tackett transitions to the King’s order, urging viewers to embrace their role in this epoch. (3:03) The overwhelming burden of the law and its surprising lightness.

One of the session’s (3:09) early highlights is a vignette illustrating the weight of biblical commands. Tackett (3:15) recounts a story of a boy burdened by an ever-growing backpack of rules, symbolizing (3:21) how the sheer volume of laws in Scripture, coupled with the vast needs of the world, (3:27) can feel crushing. He acknowledges the reality.

The Bible contains hundreds of directives, (3:34) and the global scale of human suffering adds to the sense of impossibility. (3:41) Yet, Tackett pivots to a liberating truth. Quoting Matthew 11, verses 28-30, (3:48) he highlights Jesus' invitation.

(3:52) Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy, (3:58) and my burden is light. Similarly, 1 John 5-3 affirms that God’s commands are not burdensome (4:07) for those who love him.

This raises a probing question. How can the law, with its demands, (4:14) not feel like a heavy load? Tackett invites reflection on whether viewers have ever felt (4:21) overwhelmed by divine expectations, setting the stage for a simplified understanding of God’s (4:28) will. Summing up the law, the power of love, Tackett masterfully distills the entirety of (4:37) God’s law into its essence, drawing from Jesus' response to the greatest command in Matthew 22, (4:44) verses 36-40.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and love your neighbor as (4:54) yourself. He adds Jesus' new command from John 13-34. Love one another as I have loved you.

(5:03) These three meta-commands, love God, love your neighbor, and love one another, form the core, (5:11) all rooted in agape, the selfless sacrificial love that reflects God’s character. (5:18) What Tackett finds stunning is how scripture repeatedly condenses even further. Summing (5:26) everything into one directive, love your neighbor, he cites three key passages.

(5:33) Galatians 5-14, for the whole law is fulfilled in one word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (5:42) Romans 13, 9-10, the commandments against adultery, murder, theft, and coveting are (5:50) summed up in this word, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no wrong to a (5:57) neighbor, therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

And James 2-8, if you really fulfill the (6:06) royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You are doing (6:12) well. Tackett calls this Bible’s consummate understatement, emphasizing its profound simplicity.

(6:21) He wonders aloud if these encapsulate the law of Christ. Galatians 6-2, breaking down the Greek (6:29) terms, he rephrases the command, have a steadfast sacrificial zeal for the true good, the shalom, (6:39) peace, and wholeness of the one who lives near you. The word plesion, neighbor, literally means (6:47) the one nearby, challenging the tendency to reinterpret it as distant or abstract obligations.

(6:55) Why, Tackett asks, do we prefer far away when God’s call is to those in our immediate sphere? (7:05) A vision for kingdom work, entrusting the ordinary. As the segment builds to its climate, (7:12) Tackett unveils compelling vision. God has entrusted the primary work of his kingdom (7:18) to the common everyday Christian family.

This isn’t about grand missions or institutional efforts, (7:25) but faithful engagement in one’s neighborhood. He poses a transformative what if. (7:33) Imagine if the estimated 80 million evangelical Christians in the U.S. each engaged just three (7:41) neighbors with genuine agape love.

That simple act would touch the entire population, (7:50) sparking a ripple effect of transformation. This call of engagement isn’t burdensome, (7:57) it’s empowering. By focusing on the one who lives near, believers fulfill the royal law, (8:04) embody Christ’s love, and advance the kingdom in the epoch we inhabit.

(8:10) Tackett’s teaching leaves viewers inspired to reflect. What does loving my neighbor look like (8:17) in practice? How might this shift my daily priorities? The engagement project, tour four, (8:25) part one, serves as a rallying cry for authentic, localized faith. As Tackett guides participants (8:34) through these truths, he reminds us that the king’s order is not a distant decree, (8:39) but a personal invitation to participate in God’s redemptive story, starting right next door.

(8:48) Thank you.