LIVING THE CHRISTIAN FAITH IN COUNTERCULTURE DIVERSITY WORLD

Counterculture definition and Concept: The English word ‘Culture’ is derived from the Latin term ‘cult or cultus’ meaning tilling, or cultivating or refining and worship. In sum it means cultivating and refining a thing to such an extent that its end product evokes our admiration and respect. The  culture  and lifestyle of those people, especially among the young, who reject or oppose the dominant values and behavior of society or a way of life and a set of ideas that are completely different from those accepted by most of society, or the
group of people  who live this way. Culture is a way of life. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the language you speak in and the God you worship all are aspects of culture. In very simple terms, we can say that culture is the embodiment of the way in which we think and do things. It is also the things that we have inherited as members of society. All the achievements of human beings as members of social groups can be called culture. Art, music, literature, architecture, sculpture, philosophy, religion and science can be seen as aspects of culture. However, culture also includes the customs, traditions, festivals, ways of living and one’s outlook on various issues of life.

Culture is the expression of our nature in our modes of living and thinking. It may be seen in our literature, in religious practices, in recreation and enjoyment. Culture has two distinctive components, namely, material and non-material. Material culture consists of objects that are related to the material aspect of our life such as our dress, food, and household goods. Non-material culture refers to ideas, ideals, thoughts and belief. Culture varies from place to place and country to country. Its development is based on the historical process operating in a local, regional or national context. For example, we differ in our ways of greeting others, our clothing, food habits, social and religious customs and practices from the West. In other words, the people of any country are characterized by their distinctive cultural traditions. (Culture: An Introduction Notes 2 Indian Culture and Heritage Secondary Course MODULE – I Understanding Culture)

Raymond Woodward on COUNTERCULTURE – PART 1 writes, “We live in a culture that is headed the wrong way. Paul was describing our day when he wrote to Timothy, and it’s not a pretty picture. If you really want to live for God, you can only do it by living COUNTERCULTURE. Our problem in the first part of the 21st Century is that we don’t only have to oppose SECULAR culture, but much of what is called CHRISTIAN culture! COUNTERCULTURE is a sociological term used to describe the values of a group that run counter to those of the social mainstream. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

COUNTER CULTURE describes a group whose behavior deviates from societal norms.. A Gallup poll declares that 94% of North Americans believe in God. But obviously they don’t believe in God in the BIBLICAL sense of the word! And most North American Christians don’t believe BIBLICALLY either! James 2:19-20 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? The demons believe in God enough to TREMBLE. Many so-called “Christians” believe in God but don’t FEAR Him. They want just enough God to keep them out of Hell, just enough God to get them into Heaven, but certainly not enough God to have any effect on their lives.       They have “Cafeteria Christianity” – they just pick the verses they like! They are merely CULTURAL CHRISTIANS. But wait! We have them around the Apostolic church as well. They say they believe in God, but they live as though He doesn’t exist. They can quote the right doctrine all day long, but it doesn’t affect their everyday lives. They are APOSTOLIC ATHEISTS.

David Platt on Counterculture opines, “Everywhere we turn, battle lines are being drawn—traditional marriage vs. gay marriage, pro-life vs. pro-choice, personal freedom vs. governmental protection. Seemingly overnight, culture has shifted to the point where right and wrong are no longer measured by universal truth but by popular opinion. And as difficult conversations about homosexuality, abortion, and religious liberty continue to inject themselves into our workplaces, our churches, our schools, and our homes, Christians everywhere are asking the same question: How are we supposed to respond to all this? In  Counterculture,  author David Platt shows Christians how to actively take a stand on such issues as poverty, sex trafficking, marriage, abortion, racism, and religious liberty—and challenges us to become passionate, unwavering voices for Christ. Drawing on compelling personal accounts from around the world, Platt presents an unapologetic yet winsome call for Christians to faithfully follow Christ into the cultural battlefield in ways that will prove both costly and rewarding.

Are you becoming more obedient, or more disobedient? Are you living “counterculture” or are you living “conformed to culture”? Do you LIVE the truth, or do you just BELIEVE the truth? HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE AN APOSTOLIC ATHEIST? MONEY : Many so-called Christians set their priorities as though they were saying, “I BELIEVE in God, but I TRUST in money.” They trust their money for happiness and for security. Money is their “FUNCTIONAL SAVIOR.” Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. MONEY IS THE #1 COMPETITOR AGAINST GOD FOR YOUR HEART God says, “I’m not impressed by your WORDS. I’m looking at your DEEDS.” Imagine God looking down on the LIFESTYLE of many so-called Apostolic Christians today. The way they live makes God SICK. They say they believe in God, but they live as though He doesn’t exist. They are just CULTURAL CHRISTIANS – quite literally, APOSTOLIC ATHEISTS. Jeremiah 2:32 “Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number. Are you serving God and using money? Or serving money and using God? If you really trust God, you become irrationally CONTENT.”

WHAT DOES A LUKEWARM CHRISTIAN ACT LIKE?

• They crave acceptance from PEOPLE rather than from God
• They do just enough in church to alleviate their GUILT
• They gauge their spirituality by COMPARING themselves to others
• They rarely WITNESS about the Lord to others
• They only GIVE when it doesn’t hurt their standard of living
• They want the BENEFITS of serving God but no responsibilities
• They think more about life on earth than about ETERNITY
• They only turn to God when they are in TROUBLE
• They ignore any Scriptures that affect their personal LIFESTYLE
• They are not very much different than the rest of the WORLD.

Who are these wicked people? Surely not us! But wait a minute … Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? The ONLY thing that restrains wickedness in our lives is the FEAR OF THE LORD. The fear of the Lord is not “terror,” but “reverent awe.” In other words, the better you know the Lord, the MORE you will “fear” Him. If you fear the Lord, you will serve Him without CONDITIONS.

We all know people who make striking comments just for the attention they get. They often appear countercultural, but rarely live out what they preach. It’s almost like they just want to be different. “The problem with our society is we prize knowledge more than compassion,” said one of my friends. Another claimed that “we are losing a generation of young people because we give them too many options too early in their lives.”What do these statements even mean? And how do we respond to them? When Jesus’ teachings went against the culture of His time, was He trying to be different just to gain an audience? When we read the Gospels carefully, we know that this was definitely not the case. Jesus knew who was going to follow Him, and who was not. When people flocked to Jesus (especially for the wrong reasons), Jesus would often turn them away or teach truth which He knew they could not swallow (John 6:60-66). Jesus did not come to the world just to gain a following.

DANIEL BLACKABY on Rethinking Counter-Cultural Christianity writes, “What Is Counter-Cultural? Jesus said of his disciples, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:16). A church that marches fully in step with the world isn’t following Jesus. Faithful Christians will  be counter cultural. Yet, to be counter-cultural can mean either to be “set apart and different” or “in opposition to.” The differences between Christians and the surrounding culture can be a symptom of having an alternative life mission or the differences themselves can become the focus.A New Creation; The Bible emphasizes that Christians should be radically different than the world around us. Scripture is also clear that Christians are called to follow Christ, not to rebel against culture. Christians don’t swim upstream because we’re at war with the river but because Jesus is leading us in that direction. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes that what sets Christians apart is a fundamental change in us: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2); “But God’s mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ.” (Ephesians 2); “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

When Jesus talked about the ways his followers should be different from the world, he spoke of turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, loving and praying for those who hate and persecute them (Matthew 5), and putting themselves last (Matthew 23). In other words, Christians are not to be “counter-cultural” in the sense that we stand with a cross icon on our boxing gloves, ready to start exchanging haymakers with the world. Rather, Christians should stand out because Jesus’ way is different than the world’s way. It isn’t about playing the world’s cut-throat game on Team Jesus; Christians are playing an entirely different game, with different rules, and with different metrics for success (Isaiah 55:8-9).

“God has not left you in the dark regarding what you should do. “Flee!” He says. “Stop reasoning with sexual immorality, stop rationalizing it, and run from it. Flee every form of sexual immorality as fast as you can!”; The gospel is a call for every one of us to die – to die to sin and to die to self – and to live with unshakable trust in Christ, choosing to follow His Word even when it brings us into clear confrontation with our culture.; [Jesus] has offered us a new identity – His identity. No longer separated from God, but now united with God. No longer stained by sin, but now clean from sin. No longer slaves, but now free. No longer guilty before God as Judge, but now loved by God as Father. No longer deserving eternal death, never to grasp all that God created us to be, but now having eternal life, experiencing more and more exactly who God has created us to be.; Toleration of people requires that we treat one another with equal value, honoring each other’s fundamental human freedom to express private faith in public forums. On the other hand, toleration of beliefs does not require that we accept every idea as equally valid, as if a belief is true, right, or good simply because someone expresses it. In this way, tolerance of a person’s value does not mean I must accept that person’s views.” – David Platt quotes