Culture and Church (Step by Step)

We have been talking about how we can make a difference and change the climate or culture in our communities. I have been encouraged by this study and have found myself being drawn to really make this happen. We have to realize that this is not a one time push or a week long battle but it is about living your whole life prepared to permeate the culture, in other words it is little by little, step by step.

The reason I began thinking about this concept was that the Lord took me to Joshua Chapter 18 yesterday. As I read that chapter I was amazed. When I think about the Promised Land that the Lord gave to the Children of Israel I think about how they went into the Land and the Lord caused the hearts of the men of those nations to be afraid. Josh 5:11 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. (NIV) The hearts melted because of a supernatural event (more on that in another post).

I always assumed that this was a one-time deal, or at the very least it was an on-going deal that the land was theirs and that they took over after Jericho. Shows you how much I don't know. Anyhow in Chapter 18 I read this yesterday:

Josh 18:1-41 The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the Tent of Meeting there. The country was brought under their control,2 but there were still seven Israelite tribes who had not yet received their inheritance.3 So Joshua said to the Israelites: "How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you?4 Appoint three men from each tribe. I will send them out to make a survey of the land and to write a description of it, according to the inheritance of each. Then they will return to me.(NIV)

This passage intrigued me because these seven tribes had not taken possesion of the land that was allotted them. The significant thing that I thought about was that in taking the promised land this was not just a sweeping campaign, but rather a daily, step by step living out their life in order to take control of the Land that the Lord gave them. According to this scripture some did it faster than others, some needed more instruction, some were afraid and others needed more land. You can read chapter17 and 18 and you will see that. Joshua is a picture of how the church ought to permeate the land, little by little, step by step. Until Later.

~SO~

Culture and Church (Honesty)

We have been discussing ways in which we can infiltrate and influence the culture we live in. As i studied i became fascinated with the idea of influencing our communities by the way we live our lives. I think that you could say that God is developing a passion within me to bring change. Another way to bring about change is honesty.

Webster defines honesty as fair and truthful, and being free from deceit. Basically, that describes a person who will not lie, cheat or steal. This includes manipulation or misleading statements with the intent to deceive. Honesty is not just truth but truthfulness, which includes the intent of that truth. That is why Webster says honesty is genuine, frank and open; open meaning transparent.

Honesty is the core value of character, that is why it is multifaceted. Honesty deals with motives and intents, it is the voice inside us that suggests a truth before we lie. Honesty is probably greatest of all human values. If we want to make a difference in our communities then we will be living our lives with honesty.

In order to permeate society, and to build an honest culture and community it must start at home. We must teach our children to be honest and to respect the law and authority. They must see and experience the value of honesty for themselves and they will carry it into our communities.

One of the things that I see in many Christian is there lack of respect for authority. If we say that we are Christian and that we are honest then we should have a respect for authority. If we want to make a difference, then this area of our lives will come into play as well. Honesty can and is not a sometimes attribute but rather a way of life. We must be honest in every situation and in every area of our lives.

Decide today that you are going to live a life of honesty. In there is a promise for those who are honest: Deut 25:1515 You must have accurate and honest weights and measures, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.(NIV) Isn't that a great promise if your dealings are honest then you will live long in the land. Now i do not know what long meant here but the ring that i hear coming through is that it will be worthwhile if you are honest. The Command is have accurate weights and measures (which means that your life must be lived in honesty) and then you will live long in the land. Sounds like a great promise to me. Lets live it out. Until Later.

~SO~

Culture and Church (Giving)

We have been talking about (or at least I have) transforming our culture. It is important to remember that what we are talking about is living out our faith in order to transform our culture and communities. It is about taking an active role in God's work among us. It is not just sitting back but rather it is about being aggressive in bringing about change, there is another way that we can bring about transformation, giving.

Just like worship, giving sends a clear message that God is our source and we rely on Him for everything. Just today I was having a conversation with a friend and we were talking about what drives the American economy. In our discussion (we have all the answers by the way) we decided that construction drives the American economy. When people are building new houses then things are good and everybody has something to do. But when building slacks off then down goes the economy and everyone begins to get worried. So why do we get worried of God is the source and not the gross national profit?

Our economy is not God's. We need to remember that. Think about how we align ourselves with God when we are giving. He is a giving God. After all He gave His Son as a sacrifice for us. He gave us life when we deserved death, He gave us a soul and breathed life into us. Wow! What an awesome God we serve.

Giving also tests the sincerity of our love. 2 Cor 8:7-8 says "But just as you excel in everything-- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-- see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others."(NIV) Those two verses really put it into perspective don't they. Excel in everything, even in giving. Paul expected the church to infiltrate society with excellence even in the area of giving. Most of the time we want to give our second best, or our used stuff or even ten percent of we have enough left over at the end of the week. We are however called to excellence. At the end of chapter 8 Paul's says 2 Cor 8:24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. (NIV) He wanted the churches to see how they gave in excellence. Giving permeates the culture and Paul wanted people to see how these people gave, why? So that the God who gave all good gifts would be glorified and the community and culture would be permeated with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Until later.

~SO~

Culture and Church (Worship)

What I have been sharing with you is how we can effectively impact the culture of our communities. So far we have discussed the need for transformation of our cultures and communities and then we began to share how this takes place. The thing that we need to realize is that it takes a deliberate effort on our part to change the culture. We have to say yes we want to do this. Having said that I want to share with you another way we permeate culture, worship.

Worship sends a signal. It allows us access to God and allows us to respond to His greatness but worship is more than that. Worship sends a signal into the spiritual realm. In his book "Power Shifters" Michael Pitts says "Worship is our response to the Holy Spirit by exalting God above every other principality or power in heaven or in earth." (Page 66) Worship sends a signal into the heavenlies and principalities and powers must take note. The really cool thing about this is that it takes power away from the enemy. Our praise brings defeat to his doorstep.

A very tangible image of this is found in Acts 16:25-34 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-- you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God-- he and his whole family.(NIV) This is a great example of how worship altered the culture and people were drawn to the light. Wow! I can hardly contain the joy that comes from reading an account like this.

If your world is in conflict and you are hard pressed on every side, begin to praise and worship and watch what happens. Glorify God at every opportunity. People will begin to take note that your attitude does not change from day to day and circumstance to circumstance if you choose to worship every day no matter what. And when they see God at work in your life you can begin to influence there lives for the kingdom therefore changing the culture in your sphere of influence. Praise HIM today, worship HIM today, the culture will change around you. Until later.

~SO~

Culture and Church (Fellowship)

One of the ways that we can begin to influence our culture and our communities is to fellowship. When we fellowship together as the Body of Christ, we come together agreeing as one people with one heart and mind. As people each of us is unique, we come from a variety of backgrounds, we have different thoughts, our experiences are different, we also have very different gifting and talents, and different interests. When we fellowship together it should be done around, common vision, purpose and goals. Paul said in Hebrews10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as you see the Day approaching.(NIV)

In order to permeate our society we must rally around common purposes, goals and vision. Paul encourages us to not give up on meeting together. Which would indicate that some of the people back then were getting disgusted with their fellow servants and had decided to not meet anymore. Which is interesting because, that is the way we often think. It is easier to not meet than to put up with other people. But this is how we infiltrate our society. It is more than just meeting together around a common vision though it is about encouraging each other.

Encouragement is a great way to permeate our culture with Jesus Christ. Jesus said John 13:34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."(NIV) We must love each other in such a way that all men will know that you are my disciples. When we love and encourage people they will want what we have. They will want to be a part of what we are doing, they will recognize that we are different. Show me a place or an organization where people are loved and encouraged and you will see that organization making inroads into society.

Remember, Fellowship together, love and encourage each other as we begin to spread the Jesus culture around us. Until later.

~SO~

Culture and the Church (a call to arms)

Are you tired of the culture around us influencing us. By culture I mean the prevailing thoughts and ways of life in our area. We try so hard to do what God wants us to and we get swayed by the voices that surround us. We give into the prevailing spirits because that is what we have been taught to do. It is time to rise above that. This is a call to arms, a call to go beyond what the prevailing culture of our area says that we can go. It is indeed a call to live the way God wants us to live and not the way our culture tells us to live.

So how does that happen? I am glad that you asked! Here is a truth.

2 Cor 5:17-2117 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.(NIV)

This is the truth that we must own and speak to our day and our generation. This truth can change the image and has the power to transform the culture we live in. This is the truth that will shift power from the forces of darkness to the people of God and the cause of righteousness. (this little statement on truth was taken from the book "Power Shifters" by Michael Pitts)

Our lives do not have to be the norm. We have the power and authority in Jesus Christ to change our culture and to rise above the complacent culture we live in. We do not have to sit back and just take it. We have authority and power in Jesus name to storm the very gates of hell and push back the darkness that pervades our culture. We must take a stand, we must prepare for battle. We do not have to let the enemy hassle us and control us. We are Christ's ambassadors, God is making his appeal through is. We need to tell the world be reconciled to God.

It is not enough to preach the gospel though, we must permeate the culture with who we are in Jesus Christ. Our lives must reflect the authority and supremacy of Christ's rule in our lives. We are to go into all the world and change it for HIM! In my Next several blogs i hope to share how this happens.

~SO~

Longing for desperation

I am sitting here listening to a song that talks about being desperate for God and I wonder when we sing that song do we realize what we are singing. What does desperation for God really look like? Why is desperation important? Or is it even important? Often desperation comes from diffacult circumstances and we become desperat to be delivered from the circumstance but that doesn't necisarily mean that we are desperate for God. It is more like we are desperate for deliverance from what is wrong rather than a simple desperation for God. In fact David said:Ps 142:66 Listen to my cry, for I am in desperate need; rescue me from those who pursue me, for they are too strong for me.(NIV) so David's desperation was for deliverence from his enemies. But I think that the key in being desperate for God is found here:Ps 79:99 Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name's sake.(NIV) Our attitude in desperation must be for His name and for His glory. It is indeed all about HIM!

~SO~