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~