Uh-Oh! A "Catchy" Culture!

Yesterday's sermon was recorded and is available here!  It was striking to see the affect of yesterday's message on all of us.  I had many messages from people saying "Oh no!!  I feel so awkward getting on Facebook and Pinterest now.  I feel so convicted by today's teaching!"

Not only that, but I too, on my drive home yesterday, had that moment of panic:  "Oh no!  I'm convicted too. Life on Facebook might look quite different for me now as well!"  But it's amazing how quickly the world of popular culture regains our allegiance no matter how hard we try to make changes.  Ultimately, as I finally got back on Facebook last night, it was pretty challenging to adopt new attitudes and approaches mentioned in yesterday's message:

Who's the Greatest - Part 1 (08-11-13)
Who's the Greatest - Part 2 (08-11-13)

What I know about culture is it is a fascinating and complex thing.  It's as difficult as faith to understand and navigate.  It's as influential as salvation is on the course and actions of our lives.  It's as present as God and God's Spirit in our world and daily lives.  So what do we do with it??  How do we live beyond it?

I've been to Africa twice for extended periods of time.  Each time I returned, I felt as though I was coming back to a former world with a brand new bag of fond practices and attitudes I picked up in Africa that I hoped to keep alive in my life back in the states.

But each time I returned, no matter how hard I tried to maintain aspects of my African life in the U.S., those practices slowly drained away--especially the ones most counter-cultural or in opposition to the rest of the world's ways.  Culture is strong, and doesn't really appreciate rebellion.

So here we are as faithful people, working to live lives that are different from the ways of the world, working to be more like Jesus than the pharisees and scribes.  Here we are trying to make the world a better place through faith and help set the world free through Christ.

But it's difficult, because we don't realize how strong our competitor is.  Culture seems gentle and anonymous, but the truth is it is more powerful than we imagine.

Paul invites us to "be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong" (1 Cor 16:13).  In the midst of such strong influences in our lives, let our prayer be today that the Spirit will give us the strength we need to stand strong!  Let us find ways to cling to God and celebrate the ways our lives are being changed, elevated, and made to reflect God's light and love.

More to come!


Jason <><