Father Cristóvão Ferreira stayed in Japan when the authorities began hunting down Christians, and for twenty years he secretly led an underground church. After he was captured, he endured torture for five hours, then renounced his faith and spent the rest of his life vanished as someone else. This story opens the sermon on Daniel and his friends in Babylon (Daniel 1), where the empire tried to erase their identity not with a sword, but with comfort and the king’s table. Daniel accepted a great deal, but he decided ahead of time where his line was. Listen if you want to find out where your line is and what you are really building your identity on.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- What did Babylon do to the young Judeans (education, food, new names), and why did it want to change them this way?
- Daniel accepted the education and the new name, but refused the king's food. According to the sermon, why did he draw the line here?
- What does it mean that Daniel resolved in his heart before the test came? Why is that so important?
- What "seats at the king's table" does culture offer you today, and what do you pay for them?
- How does the story of Jesus in the wilderness help you stand firm when you feel pressure to compromise?
- What line can you draw this week, before temptation shows up?
