The past three Sundays, we have been looking at aspects of righteousness and justice as fulfilled in Jesus Christ and his church.

The first Sunday of the series we saw that if the church is to lead the way in justice, we must start with God and the gospel. In the gospel we find the perfect expression of God’s righteousness and justice.

Next, we saw in the prophet Isaiah that when Jesus brings his kingdom to earth he will execute perfect justice for the poor and oppressed. He will bring healing and the nations will stream to Jerusalem.

Last Sunday, we heard that Jesus is using his followers today not only to reach the lost and build the church, but also to do righteousness and justice for the vulnerable in our society.

This Sunday, we will be reflecting on practical steps that we can take such that God’s righteousness and justice may shine in and through the lives of his people to a watching world around us. And we will be looking at how we can pray for our brothers and sisters around the world who are facing persecution and oppression, using the Apostle Paul’s exhortations and admonitions to the oppressed church in Rome as our model.