Shift the Culture

When we look around at our culture, we can see that something is not okay. We see the pain, brokenness and sin that is consuming our culture. One quick look at local news channels or Facebook feeds will make you feel helpless and overwhelmed.

So, what do we do? How can God actually use us to Shift the Culture?

Let’s look at Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

If you’re not familiar with this passage, it’s commonly referred to as the “Great Commission”. Before Jesus ascended to Heaven after the Resurrection, He left the disciples with a command.

It was simple: share the Gospel and make disciples.

This sharing and making does something to our culture. Ultimately, this is what God uses to shift it.

WALK IN OBEDIENCE

The world around us is broken. Sin entered into the world and chaos quickly followed. As Christians, we understand that regardless of the political climate, financial instability, or injustice around us, our only hope is Jesus.

That’s where the importance of Mathew 28:18-20 comes into play. The world around us begins to change when the people around us begin to change. We must take the command of Jesus seriously, and in turn, it will begin to shape the way we live our lives.

When our hearts begin to break at the brokenness we see, it will lead us to invest in the lives of people in need around us. We must dedicate our time, skills and resources to actually practice the commands from the Great Commission. We must walk in obedience as an outpouring of the love we have Jesus.

If you have experienced the deep love, redemption, joy, peace, rest and satisfaction found in Jesus, why would you not want to share that with others?

It is the proclamation of the Gospel that God uses to Shift the Culture.

JESUS DOES THE CHANGING

It is through Jesus that hearts are changed.

Yes, we walk in obedience by spreading the message of hope, but it’s God who does the hard part. We are not called to bring salvation; we are called to share the message of salvation. D.T. Niles said it best, “Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread.”

How true is that? We are not the source of hope, but we know Who is! We live in a world of starving people and we know Who to point to for fulfillment (John 6:35).

It is the redemption of sinners that God uses to Shift the Culture.

PEOPLE DESIRE MORE

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that something is wrong with our world. Depending on who you ask, you’ll get different answers. If we only had ________ or if only ________ was President, then all would be right in the world.

Wrong.

We all long for something more, something deeper. This exists because we were created to have complete fulfillment in God. We were designed to be in a perfect relationship with God, but sin ruined that. However, the very thing that sin ruined, Jesus made a way for. Because of the Gospel, we now have a way to be in relationship with God again. Jesus provided a solution to our problem.

The longing we feel is completed in Jesus. When our hearts are made new (2 Cor. 5:17), we no longer experience longing and emptiness. Instead, we can have satisfaction and peace.

The things that the world desires like love, peace, unity and justice cannot be accomplished without Jesus.

Is is the fulfillment found in Christ that God uses to Shift the Culture.

LET’S SHIFT THE CULTURE

Imagine with me for a second that you were standing in a house. Suddenly, the house catches on fire and starts to crumble around you.

What do you do?

Do you begin yelling at your family to get out? Do you start dragging people to safety?

OR

Do you straighten up the throw pillows on the couch? Do you make sure all of the picture frames are straight? Do you make sure all of the shoes are stacked nicely by the door?

As Christians, we can’t watch the world around us burn while we worry about things that don’t matter. Yes, we have been given the message of salvation and we have to share it. If we really want God to Shift the Culture, our focus has to stay fixed on that simple command: proclaiming the Gospel and making disciples wherever we go.

by Emily LaGrone