Concerned about cities
Concerned about cities
Great numbers of people fill large and small cities. The concentration of people gives us opportunities to share Jesus with them.
I live in South Minneapolis, Minn. Contrary to well-meaning advice, I don’t own a pit bull terrier, and I don’t carry a concealed weapon. I’m here because I love the city, because I believe God loves the city, and above all because he’s called me to minister in and to the city.
Can you name a city in the Bible? Maybe your first thought would be the twin cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, destroyed by God when not even 10 righteous people could be found there. Or you thought of Babylon, the city of the captors of God’s Old Testament people. Babylon is also used throughout Scripture to stand for everything evil.
Don’t forget Nineveh, the city whose wickedness moved God to send the prophet Jonah. But sometimes our recollection of that story gets a little fuzzy. We tend to remember Jonah’s misadventures with the great fish and forget the story’s happy ending. The people listened to Jonah and repented. As the story closes, God asks, “Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (Jonah 4:11).
God was concerned about that city. I believe that he continues to be concerned about cities because he’s concerned about people. And if God is concerned about cities and the people in cities, we should be too.
Christians in the city of Antioch
The city of Antioch may not be on the tip of our tongues when we think of biblical cities, but maybe it ought to be.
Founded in about 300 B.C. and dedicated to the Greek god Zeus, Antioch was considered one of the greatest cities of its day. At its peak, perhaps 500,000 people lived there. Trade routes and a nearby harbor brought in business opportunities as well as a mix of cultures. Art and architecture flourished, and, as is often the case in busy, economically successful cities, Antioch had a reputation for immorality.
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