Wrestling Part 2

In my last post I wrote about Cultural Relevance and the New thing God is wanting to do. I will continue that thought today.

One of the mistakes churches make in my opinion is trying to act too much like the world. Copying the Culture instead of crafting the culture. When Jesus came to this earth over 2000 years ago, he didn't fit in with the culture. As a matter of fact, he turned the religious culture on its head.

I believe that God is wanting to do the same today. Listen to this verse from Romans 12:2, "Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to it's level of immaturity, God brings out the best in you, develops well formed maturity in you."

As followers of Christ, we need to set the culture not reflect it. The difference between a thermometer and a thermostat is the perfect example. The thermostat's job, role and function is to set the temperature for the atmosphere around it. It defines how warm, cool, hot, cold, humid, dry the air or atmosphere will be around it. It has the power to change those things. The thermometer on the other hand, only reflects the temperature around it. It has no power to change anything and can only reflect what is already there.

For too long the church has acted like the thermometer when it has the power available to be a thermostat. We should set the culture around us, change it if it needs changed and define the culture according to God's Word. When all we do is reflect the atmosphere around us we are not using the power available to us.

My question for you today: Do you act more like a thermometer or a thermostat in your surroundings? What do you need to do to change the culture around you?