25-0917wc - Detailed Summary

The session begins with an overview of Tour Three in the Engagement Project, titled "Redemption, The Heart of God." This third epoch in God’s meta-narrative centers on redemption, which is the core of the biblical story. It reveals God’s profound plan to restore humanity through His sacrificial love. The discussion opens with a reflective question to encourage participants to engage deeply with the themes.

Participants are prompted with the question, "What did you see?" to delve into the themes and imagery of redemption as presented in Scripture. The narrative traces back to the Garden of Eden, described as a pivotal crime scene where humanity’s rebellion against God occurred. Rather than destroying creation and starting over, God chooses to respond with a promise of redemption, infusing hope into a fallen world.

This pivotal moment initiates a cosmic conflict between the seed line of Satan and the seed line of the Messiah. The proto-evangel in Genesis 3:15 is presented as the first gospel proclamation, promising that the seed of the woman will crush the head of Satan’s seed. This sets the foundation for God’s redemptive plan, a continuous thread through history, preserved across generations until fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah.

The session stresses the essential role of love in the redemptive story, highlighting John 3:16 as the crown jewel of God’s heart. This verse represents the greatest act of sending in history, where God offers His only Son for the world’s salvation, encapsulating the depth of divine love.

The profound scale of this sacrificial act illustrates God’s immense love, but the discussion notes a modern issue: the word "love" has diminished in significance. In contemporary usage, it is often trivialized to express temporary emotions, personal wants, or superficial bonds, stripping it of its original weight.

This dilution of "love" is part of a larger cultural struggle over words, where meanings are manipulated to fit self-centered narratives. The session contrasts God’s words, which generate life, with Satan’s distortions, which bring death. This linguistic conflict is portrayed as significant and far from insignificant.

Scripture confirms the immense power of words in shaping truth and reality. A crucial point is the indivisibility of truth and love; separating them destroys both. Pursuing love without truth leads to hollow sentimentality, while truth without love turns into harsh judgmentalism. The session explores these outcomes in detail.

Biblical love is rooted in "agape," described as a sacrificial zeal that pursues the true good and shalom of others. Agape is selfless, refusing to withhold truth for comfort, and demands sacrifice and bravery. It contrasts sharply with false love, such as Judas’s betrayal disguised as affection.

The session debunks views of love as weak or overly emotional, referencing Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, where John appears effeminate, clashing with the strong, sacrificial essence of agape. The scene is set at a triclinium, a three-sided ancient dining table, underscoring the intimacy and seriousness of Jesus’s last meal with His disciples.

Agape love is emphasized as demanding and not for the weak, with Jesus as the supreme model, giving His life for redemption. This sacrificial theme is illustrated by James and John, called the "sons of thunder" for their intense zeal, highlighting the strength required.

John, despite his fiery nature, extensively addresses truth and love in his epistles, showing love as a central, transformative biblical force that requires commitment. Participants are urged to reject cultural stereotypes and adopt the scriptural agape, which promotes others' flourishing at personal expense.

The redemption narrative portrays God’s unyielding chase of humanity, from the Garden promise to Christ’s fulfillment. God’s love is active, deliberate, and constant, with the proto-evangel initiating a historical war where God safeguards the Messiah’s seed line amid human shortcomings.

Referencing John 8:44, where Jesus identifies religious leaders as of the devil’s lineage for their alignment with rebellion and lies, the session affirms Satan’s seed line. Yet God’s promise endures, realized in Jesus, who perfectly unites truth and love. It also critiques society’s self-interested redefinitions of love.

This twisting of love is ancient, mirroring Satan’s tactic to corrupt God’s life-affirming words into confusion and death. By restoring agape’s true meaning, participants are encouraged to view love as a radical, sacrificial reflection of God’s heart.

John 3:16 is reiterated as the greatest sending, with the cross as the pinnacle of God’s love—a love that maintains truth amid suffering. In wrapping up Part One of Tour Three, redemption is vividly shown as God’s story’s core, pushing beyond shallow love to embrace agape’s demanding nature.

Through the proto-evangel, Messiah’s lineage preservation, and Jesus’s example, the session unveils God’s dedication to restoration. Scriptural love is a potent, sacrificial power needing truth and bravery, not mere emotion. This prepares for deeper insight into God’s plan, calling participants to conform their lives to His heart.