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Culture, Media & Compromise
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.-Romans 12:2
I’ve been preaching this for years now, and quite frankly, it’s good to know someone out there is in agreement. – JT
Paul Washer:
You must be renewing your mind.
If someone tells me I have to have media in my church because culture needs media, it still will not be in my church, I am not called to conform to culture. If you can’t read then when you get saved I will teach you to read, if you can’t sit for 25, 35, 40, an hour and a half to hear a good sermon, I will teach you how to do it.
You have got to learn! You are the first generation, young people, who think that in order to reach your age, you’ve got to become like your culture to be relevant in your culture. You’re the first Christian generation to believe that!
All other Christians said this, “To be effective in my culture, I’ve got to be completely different than my culture. Biblical, Godly! Holiness. Simplicity. That is why all your noise is so useless. Everything about you was taught you by someone you should not have been listening to.
For many years I had a lot of hope, the last ten years, looking at all the young men, they were studying good theology and reading good books and going back to the old stuff. I had a lot of hope.
That hope has been dashed against the rocks, because I’ve realized, it’s gone to the head – but they’re still cool. They’re still worldly. They’re basically saying, “Look, I can be worldly and theologically correct at the same time.”
You can’t be worldly and Godly at the same time.
Don’t go to culture to find out what culture wants in order for you to be able to reach them. Go to Scripture and say “Jesus, how do you want me to be? How do you want me to talk? How do you want me to walk? How do you want me to dress? What do you want my relationships like? Jesus, I submit to you, my goal is to be pleasing to you.” To Him! To the wind with all …your…stuff. Every part of you belongs to Him.
From the 2011 Fear of the Lord Conference. Listen to the entire message here.
I too watch the compromise of the Church. JT thank you for your writings
Oh, HOW to be IN the World, but NOT OF the World!
Do we branch out and engage the culture or remain in the “Christian ghettoes” we’ve constructed from decades of separatism?
One of the great dilemmas for 21st century Christians…
Many thanks for posting this. We are hosting a family for a few weeks that attend our former church, which is more of the world than of the Word. I will hand this to him.
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One of the more dangerous distortions of scripture is the assumption that Jesus ever taught that we were to be “in the world, but not of it,” from a cultural perspective (and I’m not saying that you were implying this, 2pc). He was praying to the Father that we not be removed from the “world” (kosmos – earth), as in brought prematurely out, but that we should be kept from the evil that is contained therein while we were here. He wasn’t implying that we were to “fit in” to some small degree, like some group of covert special agent disciples disguised in skinny jeans and ear stretchers…
Evan,
I agree with you whole-heartedly.You are absolutely right, brother.
I just feel that at some point we must come to an understanding of what true worldliness is. I think most Christians concept of worldliness is very very shallow and limited. Its more, much more than someone dressing hip, using street slang to relate to kids or non-hymnal music styles. Its much more nuanced than that. This limited understanding of worldliness, 9 times out of 10 leads to legalism. A check of church history will prove that.
2pc,
Agreed….the external (hip dress, slang and what-not), in my experience, is generally more indicative of someone who is younger in the faith. Few Christians begin their walk as Spirit-led disciples. Denouncing these things in your mind before Jesus has negated them in your spirit/heart will 100% of the time lead to legalism and bondage. Not to mention the pride you’ll feel when you compare your outward “obedience” to that of others. In time, most disciples will simply cease to “believe” in those trends/concepts which lead to external, wordly dress, etc. and they will fall by the wayside. This was my experience….a Spirit-induced change in the desires of my heart.
To your point, the principalities and powers aren’t declaring victory each time a new believer opts to incorporate a secular song into their Saturday evening playlist. On the other hand, when a well-intentioned pastor (facilitator) subtly and inadvertently uses dialectic praxis/linguistics to deceive his entire congregation into placing more value on their feelings, thoughts, intuitions (psychology) than the authority and truth of God’s word….THAT is worldliness at its best!
This is good and all but if we change to Bible only, what on earth will my church to do with our dancing bears, spot lights, clown shoes, and fog machines? Come on, JT… that stuff cost alot of seed money…
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