Too Cultural to be Christian

Read Ephesisans 4 “So I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind” (Eph. 4:17, NASB). We live in a world today that calls for everyone to speak “politically correct” language. No one is to offend anyone by what they say about others. Everyone is to be sensitive to the feelings of others. Can Christians be politically correct and at the same time is a witness for Jesus Christ? Do we limit our preaching and teaching to subject matters that will not hurt the feelings of others? Have we Christians begun to live our lives according to the standards and values of the culture in which we live, or do we hold to the teachings of Jesus? Have we become too cultural to be Christian? In order to answer this question I believe that it is necessary for us to review the scriptures to find out what we are to be teaching and living. As Jesus walks in the earth, He is followed by many disciples. A disciple is a person who follows after a leader, observes their way of life and listens to their teaching. As Jesus teaches many of those following Him are offended by His teachings, and they stop following Him. John records these words, “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Jesus anymore” (John 6:66, NASB). As Jesus walks the earth He chooses twelve of the disciples to be with Him, and He sends them out into the world to do ministry. Those that Jesus sends out are called apostles. The synoptic gospels record their names (Matt. 10:1-2; Mk. 3:13-19; Lk. 6:12-16). When Jesus is nearing the end of His ministry He sends the twelve into the world to preach the Gospel of salvation from sin and to teach those who believe in Jesus how they ought to live. “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mk. 16:15, NASB). “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ‘Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age’” (Matt. 28:18-20, NASB). Now, the commission that Jesus gives to the apostles in Mark tells them the gospel is to be preached in every geographical location. The commission as recorded in Matthew tells them to include all nations. The word nation is translated from the Greek word ethne which means ethnic groups. Jesus wants those who believe the gospel to make His teachings the standard by which they are to live. This calls for a radical change in the way we think and how we live. Many of the things that are taught in our culture are contrary to the teachings of Jesus. The standards for living in the culture are often vastly different from the way of life that Jesus commands us to live. The command to observe the teachings of Jesus is recorded in the gospel of Matthew; written to a Jewish church. In the Old Testament God gives the Law through Moses to the Israelites, but the Jews fails to keep the Law. In the New Testament the Jewish leaders often misinterpret the Law, and they use the Law to maintain power and control over the people. Jesus’ teachings make plain the Law, and He rightly interprets the Law. So, let us look at what is taking place in Ephesians 4 and see how it applies to our lives as Christians today. In the church at Ephesus there are both Jews and Gentiles. The lifestyle of the Jews is very different from that of the Gentiles. Basically, we learn that Jews lived according to the Law that they had received from God through Moses. The Gentiles lived according to the desires of the flesh. This difference prevented the Jews and the Gentiles from living in harmony with each other. We can imagine how the sanctimonious Jews made the Gentiles feel by the things that they said about them, particularly the words that they used to describe them, and how they shunned them. At the same time we can imagine how the Jews feel as they observe the lifestyle of the Gentiles. Added to this we learn from Paul’s letter to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:1-5) that false teachers are leading both Jews and Gentiles to live in ways that fall short of the teachings of Jesus. It seems that the culture is beginning to have a greater influence on the church than the teachings of Jesus. I believe that the same is true today for many Christians in their daily walk in the world, and many Christian churches are accepting teachings from the world. Are we too cultural to be Christians? If so, how does this happen. First, we become too cultural to be Christian when we make the teachings of the culture more important than the teachings of Jesus. The scriptures are clear. The ways of the world are different from the ways of Jesus. Christ did not die on the cross to save us from our sins and at the same time give us permission to continue to live in our sins. Do we think that Jesus walked the earth teaching a way of life different from the world so that we could continue to live the same way? When we read Ephesians 4-5, we notice that Paul list specifically the charter and behavioral traits of the Gentiles. Paul’s words are not meant to condemn anyone. Rather, they are informative of Christian goals and expectations for living. The aim of Paul is to encourage the believers to walk by the Spirit of Christ. The scriptures are clear that the mind of the world comes from our disobedience to God’s commands for our lives. The world thinks the way it thinks because sin keeps us separated from God. Jesus teaches us that we cannot live faithfully by the teachings of the world and the teachings of Jesus at the same time. There is to coming together; no compromise. The Sermon on the Mountain (Matt. 5-7) records significant teachings of Jesus that tells us that we must choose to obey Jesus or obey the teachings of the culture in which we live. He says, ‘“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth’” (Matt. 6:24, NASB). We become too cultural to be Christian when we emphasize certain hot button topics such as abortion, same sex marriage, the LBGT lifestyle while at the same time refuse to address issues such as domestic violence, rape and other forms of sexual abuse, and social injustices such as police violence against citizens, poverty, and lack of adequate health care for the poor and underemployed. What does the church say about Christians lying, cheating, stealing, refuse to work and support ones children? I have talked to many Christian who have no idea of what the scriptures teach parents about their responsibility to raise their children; training them in the teachings of God. We become too cultural to be Christian when we neglect our relationship to Jesus. When we put the interest of our own cultural group above the interest of the kingdom of God we are too cultural to be Christian. This is true because of two reasons. Christians are to make the kingdom of God their priority. Jesus says, ‘“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you’” (Matt. 6:33, NASB). We become too cultural to be Christian when we fail to witness to the truth of God. God calls us out of the world to teach us His ways. He empowers us by the Holy Spirit to live according to His ways. God calls us to witness to His truth by what we teach and how we live in the world. Christians are called to be salt and light in the world (Matt. 5:13-14) so that they can effect a change in the world and testifying to the truth and will of God. If you are a Christian do not become too cultural to be Christian. We can live according to the teachings of Jesus without using language that is not politically correct. Christians are not called to judge and condemn people. Christians are to live together in community demonstrating through their lifestyle that the ways of Jesus offers a better life for all who obey Him. We are to demonstrate God’s love and tell others of the need and the availability of the Savior. Finally, in the USA we have a separation of church and state. This means that the state does what the people believe is best for them. In many cases the laws give permission, but Christians are not required by law to do what the law permits. For example, the law permits abortion, but Christians are not required to get one. Christians are most effective when they live by the teachings of Jesus. Otherwise, they become too cultural to be Christian.