The Church And Culture

Christ’s Gospel and His Church

In the New Testament, Jesus calls the Church (ecclesia”- called out ones) to be His ambassadors, spreading His healing reign,1 first to the Jewish nation(Matthew 10:7-8), and then to the whole world. Jesus envisioned His people “in the world but not of it”.2 This seeming paradox, being both “set apart” and “sent into the world”, is critical for equipping Christ followers to
become both image bearers and transformational witnesses. To accomplish this, like Jesus, we must be full of grace and truth”.3

We see the early Church executing His vision,4 sharing the “complete gospel” – the reign of God that Jesus sent them into the world to establish. In our day, too often, Jesus’ gospel has been reduced to a personal plan of salvation rather than His “whole of God” redemptive mission in which He is making all things new through Christ (Creation, Fall, Redemption, RESTORATION). The mission of the Church must be more than encouraging people to “invite Jesus into your life”. It must be about inviting people into His purpose, work, and kingdom. Rather than saving people out of the world, the gospel is bringing the life of Christ into the world

Reaching Our Culture with the Complete Gospel

Jesus’ Church is His “tip of the spear” means of breaking into the world. He calls us to be an irresistible influence5 that draws our culture to Him, care-fronting it with the transformative power of the gospel. How do we bring the gospel alive to those “blinded by the enemy”6 and “dead in their sins”?7 Just as Jesus incarnated the gospel, we must embody that same life changing Spirit by answering four culturally influential questions.

  • What good can we celebrate, protect, promote, and preserve (The arts, environment, family, etc.)? We should celebrate those aspects of culture that reflect God’s character and nature.8
  • What is missing that we can contribute (sacrificial service, humility, truth, etc.)? Christians should help create culture.
  • What evil can we stop (protect the sanctity of life, pursue social justice, etc.)? Christians must at times care-front culture.
  • What brokenness can we restore (promote mental health, address drug and sexual addictions, serve the disenfranchised, etc.)? Christians should redirect culture to its God-given potential.

The Need for Gospel Ambassadors

For a spiritual community to effectively answer these questions and become “gospel ambassadors”, individual Christians need a heart of conviction and compassion. They need the conviction that the mission of the church is to live out the gospel completely in their culture and the compassion to touch the lives of the hostile and the hurting.9 What are the characteristics of a real gospel warrior? They are:

  • Present – in the culture God is calling them to reach, engaging the lost on their turf.
  • Discerning – asking, in every situation, if they should reject, receive, or redeem. They recognize that it is not always time to be a culture warrior.
  • Growing Theologically – becoming scripturally literate about cultural issues.
  • Courageous – recognizing that sharing the gospel reign of Christ will bring both favor and rejection.
  • Winsome – able to explain the gospel in words the culture can understand and receive.
  • Loving – being genuinely concerned about their warfare. They are not a project.

For the Church, both individuals and the community, to be influential in our culture, it must begin with a scriptural definition of the gospel, one that focuses on Christ followers outward and invites new believers into His purpose, work, and kingdom. In addition, we must do more than “share” the gospel, we must incarnate the gospel, engaging the culture in ways that practically reveal Christ and strive to transform it. Just as in Jesus’ time on earth, we cannot determine our cultures response in our day. Finally, being influential requires believers to have hearts that are both caring and articulate so they can powerfully share the “hope that is in us”10 – the only hope that can change people’s lives and our world.

Additional Resources:

Books:
  • Finding Common Ground by Tim Downs
  • A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet & Brett Kunkle

Fellowship Bible Resources:

Footnotes:1 Matthew4:23;2 John 17:14-16;3 John 1:14;4 Acts 8:9-13;1 Thessalonians 1:4-8;5 Matthew 5:16;6 2 Corinthians 4:3-4;7 Ephesians 2:5;8 James 1:17;9 Matthew 9:36;10 1 Peter 3:15;