God has planted in each nation sounds and colors and celebration that He longs to have released to bring glory to Him. These cultural expressions, when in alignment with the Word of God, allow people to express their love for Jesus from the core of their being. From the yoiking of the Scandinavian Sami, to the haka of the Polynesian Maori, to the arias of Italian opera, to the hip-hop of young Latinos, to the drums of the Africans, to the fan dances of Korea, and the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s Messiah. When the aim is to bring glory to Jesus, the joy is contagious. The celebrations of different cultures help all of us to worship God more freely!
Culture
David Platt
What if Christ’s call in our lives is not to find comfort in our culture? What if Christ in us actually compels us to counter our culture?
Christine Colby
To have a Biblical Christian worldview is to have God’s perspective on His world and our lives. We all come from different cultures. Even when we become believers, we don’t instantly have God’s view – we still carry our own cultural views. God encourages us in the Bible to meditate on His Word day and night to change our way of thinking. He instructs us to do this because He knows that we need to have our worldview transformed to align with His.
David Joel Hamilton
Consider Peter’s situation. Seven years after Jesus’ instructions to preach the gospel to every person (Mar 16:15), he still was only moving in familiar, culturally-comfortable circles. How about us? Are there changes God wants to make in the way we think and live like he did in Peter’s life? Are we moving beyond the known and the familiar to reach those who are culturally different from us? Are we sharing good news with those who were born elsewhere and speak a different language? Are we communicating redemption to those who are outside our day-to-day activities? Take time to consider how you can move beyond your relational circles to share the gospel with those who are different from you.
Sean Smith
Daniel the prophet, who was abruptly dropped off in Babylon, consented to learn the language and culture of Babylon. He refused to drink the wine of the culture, demonstrating the balance needed to be a reformer. Daniel spoke the language of Babylon, but didn’t sip of the spirit (or wine) of Babylon. Having a command of the culture and sensitivity to the new wine (the Holy Spirit) allows one to interpret the dreams of the culture.
Ed Stetzer
We stand at the water’s edge of society, yelling at the objects of our Kingdom mission to clean themselves before we can come any closer. This is not Christian love, and as such it is neither winsome nor effective. Sadly, Christians who engage in this deficient love are often puzzled as to why their witness, which is defined by avoidance and contempt, is proving insufficient.