The point of all of these posts has been to bring to the fore observations from working with pastors, church planters, and laymen here in the US and in seven other countries.
We tend to think that the problems we face, regardless of our cultural context, are unique. There is much literature about the need for us to be sensitive to culture in our ministries. At some level that is true. However, if Romans 12:1 – 2 (here @ Bible Gateway) and 1 John 2:15 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway) are true; if how we see the ministry of Christ impacting the Jewish culture is any indication, then it seems that two things emerge as truth.
First, people are people. By that I mean the struggles that they have, wanting their own way, fighting for what they think is right, whether it is or not, is universal or better, cross cultural. The deeds of the flesh, Galatians 5:17 – 21 (here @ Bible Gateway) are omnipresent, permeating every culture.
Which truth, leads to the second. The Bible is against all of man’s cultures, it is cross all cultures.
These have implications for those of us who are committed to put the Kingdom of God first. We are all products of the environments in which we emerged, all of which are counter to the Kingdom. We are wont to incorporate some of that from which we came into our understanding of the Word.
When we find Scripture that challenges those roots, we tend to either justify or morph the Word to fit. That has to stop. If we are going to have a significant impact; we need to be, as Romans 12:2 (here @ Bible Gateway) reminds us, transformed in our thinking.
We have to approach the Word allowing it to not only bring to light what we hold in error, but we have to be willing to release the error and allow Scripture to be true. Further we have to equip all of those to whom we are privileged to invest to study the Word with the same skill and integrity.
If we do not, if we continue to hold the study of the Word in the domain of the “professional” Christians and dole out studies and tomes in prepackaged containers of homogenized milk. We are crippling the Body and frankly committed to disobedience to the Lord’s clear commission.
Personally, I do not wish to be numbered with that lot.
First, people are people. By that I mean the struggles that they have, wanting their own way, fighting for what they think is right, whether it is or not, is universal or better, cross cultural. The deeds of the flesh, Galatians 5:17 – 21 (here @ Bible Gateway) are omnipresent, permeating every culture.
Which truth, leads to the second. The Bible is against all of man’s cultures, it is cross all cultures.
These have implications for those of us who are committed to put the Kingdom of God first. We are all products of the environments in which we emerged, all of which are counter to the Kingdom. We are wont to incorporate some of that from which we came into our understanding of the Word.
When we find Scripture that challenges those roots, we tend to either justify or morph the Word to fit. That has to stop. If we are going to have a significant impact; we need to be, as Romans 12:2 (here @ Bible Gateway) reminds us, transformed in our thinking.
We have to approach the Word allowing it to not only bring to light what we hold in error, but we have to be willing to release the error and allow Scripture to be true. Further we have to equip all of those to whom we are privileged to invest to study the Word with the same skill and integrity.
If we do not, if we continue to hold the study of the Word in the domain of the “professional” Christians and dole out studies and tomes in prepackaged containers of homogenized milk. We are crippling the Body and frankly committed to disobedience to the Lord’s clear commission.
Personally, I do not wish to be numbered with that lot.
Thanks so much. I never had a nice phone that is why I couldn't get to you now i have. We will be talking. Thank you Mic.
ReplyDeleteThat's great I look forward to it.
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