How to Remain Effective in the Culture all while being Counter-Cultural.
An oxymoron? No. What the title conveys is what John 15:19 says, “If you were in the world, they would love you. But I have chosen you out, so they will hate you.” The Believer is not per se looking for a fight, but our stance will not be well-received. Followers of Christ often times experience the conundrum of people admiring your conviction until it spotlights something they are not convicted about.
We are in the world, but not in the Culture of the World. The appetite change is an interesting phenomenon. Imagine loving chicken all your life and then you turn 40 and you do not just dislike it, the smell of it is even detestable to you. When our palate is refined to the nature of God, the cuisine becomes nourishment-seeking and more conscientious of what we intake. There is a greater emphasis on how you care for your temple.
When our intake changes, it becomes visible to those whom we once did the shared events with, in the past. They may question how you now dislike the very thing you once enjoyed together for years? It is an honest question, but it is also a loaded one. It is heavy on…”Why did you change?” I do not think we fully appreciate coming out of something to go into something better, and then being presented with the opportunity to tell others.
We go into the Witness Protection Program instead of being a Witness for Christ. The sound of the Culture continues to reverberate in many hearts long after a “Yes Lord, to your Will & Way” is said. The Sanctification Process is not an overnight process. However, the necessary pill that is swallowed goes down easier when we assess just how much we loved the World and the Culture represented within it.
Going from Culture to Counter-Culture and still remaining impactful is absolutely possible! God focuses on what is needed. There are a lot of “wants” being addressed in the Culture, but the “need” has become secondary. Can God call you to go into an environment and meet the essential needs of that community?
The ills of this world are not subsiding. As a matter of fact, they are massively increasing. Despite the “needs” of the people empirically adding up, we continue to place “wants” at the forefront. Dear Believer, your stance to do it for the “Counter-Culture” is what will be most beneficial to the people. Choosing to remain unspotted from this World will be our largest flex.
Here are some Counter-Culture Flexes:
• Choosing to participate in fruitful conversations
• Refraining from engaging in Political Debates
• Become knowledgeable about Global News
• Maintain an appreciation for tradition
• Uphold the Standard of God and wear it like a badge of honor
Divine Work & Pray:
Work: Jot down in your journal some of the current focus topics in the Culture today. How involved do you get with the World’s views on Hop Topics? Line up scripture to what the Culture has on their supportive billboards.
Pray: Heavenly Father, the times are manifesting what Your Word has spoken. Thank you for the wisdom to be a voice of Truth. Help me to remain untethered by the Cultural Pressures and forever changing Cultural Norms. Keep me mindful of not being of this World. My heart is tied to my eternal address. In Jesus Name, Amen.
