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What Is The Secret Of Radically Changing Culture?

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Hey friends!

This photo is me holding up a magazine that features one of my all-time heroes! Her name is Jackie Pullinger.

She went to the Walled City of Hong Kong years ago as a young inexperienced girl, believing God had called her to take the Gospel to that broken place of drugs, gangs and death. Scary but true! Read her book ‘Chasing The Dragon’ for the full and gripping story!

Jackie inspires me to believe that we truly can change culture – she transformed the Walled City from a place of darkness to a place where countless gang members accepted Christ, were set free from addiction, and became true disciples of Jesus.

What was her secret? The power of the Gospel. She didn’t have fancy coffee, or a poster campaign. She just walked into the darkness and told them the clear message of Jesus. Then she prayed for them and let the Holy Spirit prove He was alive and kicking, as their drug addictions were broken and sick bodies were healed.

There is worth in trying to be culturally relevant, and in doing so we may change culture a little. But true change comes when an eternal and heavenly culture is brought down to earth. And that happens when we tell of Christ crucified and ask His Spirit to accompany the message with the presence and power of God.

I want to be relevant to my generation, but I think rather than duplicating what they already have, we should pursue showing them the eternal culture of God’s kingdom. They don’t want a new version of what they already have on MTV – they are thirsty for something more, something real, something that lasts forever.

So with Paul, let us say that we will speak of Christ crucified. The simple message of the gospel is what will transform a nation. Lets not get side tracked in the wrapping; meetings, nice coffee at church, and fancy powerpoint are great, but ONLY if they are supporting the presentation of the Gospel message! For only that, rather than our media and technological advances, will changes lives and ultimately change culture.

Lets make sure the pure message of Jesus gets out, and lets pray that it will work as mightily in America as it did for Jackie in the Walled City of Hong Kong!

My questions for you:

"How is sharing the Gospel with others going in your life?

Do you find it easy or hard?

(And as an extra option!…) Is the clear message of the Gospel getting out in our Church meetings, or are we dumbing it down to be too "relevant" to culture?"

(Those questions are aimed at me as much as any of you guys, so I’ll answer it after you have!!)

Looking forward to your comments!

Vicky

P.s. I posted on the theme of "culture" today, as lots of Bloggers are writing about Culture and Arts today. Its part of "Watercooler Wednesday"… Read about it here:

http://randyelrod.typepad.com/ethos/2008/03/watercooler-wed.html

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 at 00:29 and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

  • I remember the first time I read "Chasing the Dragon" - absolutely shook my world, and led me to make some practical and doctrinal changes which led to my other blog...
    http://heatlight.wordpress.com/
  • "I want to be relevant to my generation, but I think rather than duplicating what they already have, we should pursue showing them the eternal culture of God's kingdom."

    What you said is spot on!

    I'm reading KINGDOM TRIANGLE by J.P. Moreland and while I'm not sure I agree 100% with what he says, he offers a critical analysis and solution to some issues facing the Western church...
  • Judah
    Thanks so much for the thought-provoking post Vicky! It's obvious from your songwriting, live concert and blog that you embody the holy boldness of a woman like Jackie so be encouraged. God will continue to use you in mighty ways.

    Here are my short-answers to your questions:

    How is sharing the Gospel with others going in your life?

    God has given me amazing opportunities recently to share the Gospel. It is always one of the most faith-building things to have open and honest discussions about Christ with those who don't know Him.

    Do you find it easy or hard?

    I really am blown away when I consider the power of the Holy Spirit when he's drawing someone. There's so much boldness and love that flows from that when watching a heart gripped by the reality of their need for a Savior and Christ's infinite love. I could say more on both of these but I'm at work...

    Is the clear message of the Gospel getting out in our Church meetings, or are we dumbing it down to be too "relevant" to culture?

    This is a hugely broad question so I'll just address a slice of the whole pie and talk about our worship songs. I think it's very important that the church be rallying around songs that proclaim the authentic glory of the Gospel. Songs that utilize effective/appropriate music to proclaim the rugged details of the Gospel are so crucial to the church having clarity on why and how we approach God.

    Certain songs that are very popular often adopt a perspective that places too much emphasis on "how I feel" about Jesus vs. what He has done at Calvary. I personally need to be reminded of the all-sufficiency of Christ when I come to worship, not how much I love Him in that moment. Many times, I don't love Him as much as I should which fuels my gratefulness for the Cross and desire to honor Christ with my life.

    The basis of the Gospel is not contingent on how we feel about Jesus for as it says in Romans 5:

    "6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

    Praise God for the Gospel! Thanks also for writing songs with music and lyrics that exalt the Gospel for the glory of God!
  • Nathan--wow much better job explaining it than I did! :) thank you for your help clarifying! Yes, most of what I was speaking of comes from Jesus Christ- "pick up your cross, follow me" and the book "The Cost of Discipleship". (which I think everyone must read!) I do not want to mislead anyone thinking that salvation is earned, but as you said "Real grace, or costly grace, is grace that will cost a man his life." Thank you for the post--great encouragement to me :)
  • Yeah, I hate it when I hit the send button and then exclaim, "argh!" :o)
  • ok... so my first line made it through unedited and it kinda contradicts my thoughts... please omit. My thoughts don't always flow in a linear fashion, requiring editing and moving for the final thought... I sometimes miss things.

    Please insert, "I don't think that Kelly was saying that salvation requires payment."
  • I don't think that Kelly was saying that salvation cannot be received without us giving up our lives. You are absolutely right Bernard, the gift of God IS free, requiring nothing but our belief and acceptance.

    I think what Kelly was saying, and which I agree, is that the Gospel has been neutered. We talk only about the grace of God and not the life changed. Or as I have heard it said, we celebrate when someone reaches the starting line, then we disappear for the race. So I guess the question is... what is the gospel message? Is the gospel message simply freedom from death through the sacrifice of Christ? Or is the gospel message a life changed by the sacrifice of Christ?

    I hope that it is the second. I think we can get so hung up on grace needing to be free that we don't then require change. I wish I had the book in hand so I could quote him and not paraphrase, but I love what Bonhoeffer says on the topic grace in "The Cost of Discipleship". He talks about the difference between "cheap" and "costly" grace. Cheap grace came from people who wanted to be saved without discipleship and change. Real grace, or costly grace, is grace that will cost a man his life. What gospel are we teaching? The problem is that the two are so closely related... like faith without works. You need BOTH. So is the same with grace. It's free, but it demands change, so it costs. it's close to paradox really. It doesn't cost anything, but it cost everything.

    The question I have... would you call someone who accepted "cheap" or free grace and continued living a life of sin truly saved? If you answer no, then your saying change must occur when grace has been received. So it costs... the true gospel is that the free grace of Christ costs. I think. I am very open to debate or disagreement though. :)

    I think to that end (teaching costly grace) we do a terrible job, speaking of the church as a whole. We so rarely move people beyond baby food and into the meat of the gospel. Me personally? I hope I'm doing better. I try hard to do better. I take seriously the call to disciple those I have been put over. I pray I'm doing the best I can.
  • This is a great discussion guys!! Keep it going!!

    : )
  • I'm having a hard time not responding to some of the individual comments, but I don't think Vicky wants a big argument to break out here :) Good stuff from a lot of you.

    I do want to say, though, that salvation is free. We cannot earn it. Promising to live for God in the future - though well intentioned - does not secure my salvation, not even temporarily. Salvation is a free gift from God. It is given to those who trust in Christ. Period. That trust results in a regeneration that causes a changed life. Regeneration and sanctification is a gift from God - it's not a thing we can do on our own. Changing my life will not result in my salvation. A changed life is a PROOF of salvation, a RESULT of salvation; it is never the CAUSE of salvation. As to "what has cost God much" not being cheap for us, my salvation cost God EVERYTHING, but it costs me NOTHING. I cannot repay it. I cannot buy it. I cannot earn it. I cannot even pay the interest on it. Do I OWE God anything for it? You bet. My life is His. I've given it to Him. BUT if salvation is only given in return for me giving Him my life, we're putting a price on salvation. Nothing I could do, nothing I could give, nothing I could ever be, could pay the price for my salvation. If it could, Christ's death would be in vain. I owe it all to Christ and His perfect atoning death.

    Obviously there are big doctrinal issues at stake in this discussion, and I'm not trying to stir rats nests. I know the Full Gospel/Free Will Baptist beliefs pretty thoroughly, and I'm not out to tangle with anyone on it. I just don't agree with it :)

    Love in Christ,
    Bernard
  • "Is the clear message of the Gospel getting out in our Church meetings, or are we dumbing it down to be too "relevant" to culture?"

    Wow, that is a great question and an extremely important one at that! I wholeheartedly believe we have gotten away from the FULL GOSPEL- death to self and a new life in Christ. We preach repentance as a verbal prayer and not as an action. As a church we have fallen victim to cheap grace and a partial gospel. Jesus time and time again says we must lay it all down, complete surrender. He not only desires to be our Savior but our LORD. I rarely here that during an alter call. We seem more concerned with leading people comfortably to Christ as Savior (making them feel comfortable and okay) rather than leading them to their death to this world. The Full Gospel message requires transformation, requires leaving it all behind and following after HIM. It is not a comfortable message but it is the message the changes the world 
    The main problem with preaching a partial Gospel (Jesus as Savior but not as Lord) - justification of sin, but not the sinner. The partial Gospel allows for a cheap salvation as it hands it out regardless if one follows after Jesus. It doesn’t matter as long as you say the prayer we proclaim! I love what one man wrote, “What has cost God much cannot be cheap for us.” Partial salvation brings one to the cross of Jesus without ever requiring them to pick up their own cross. It does not address the answer to the question, “Why are we here?”
    Jesus says that when we share the gospel we are to share the story of Mary pouring out her oil on the head and feet of Jesus. Why is this? Because it is a picture of what is required to come before Jesus—completely emptying out of ourselves on HIS head (representing HIS authority now in our life) and on HIS feet (representing that we will follow). We are to break and pour out completely our lives before Jesus as Mary did with the alabaster box.
    The full gospel is tough to preach because though like the partial gospel is it free to obtain, it costs us everything to keep!
  • Here's something Devil's advocate (or maybe not) on question two:

    Should we be focused on getting the gospel out in the church, or is that primarily a place for Christians to be getting together to worship God and to be strengthened, encouraged, etc? (I guess that could partly depend on how broadly or narrowly we paint the term "Gospel.") Maybe we shouldn't be trying to bring our friends to church so that the pastor can "get them saved." :o) Maybe we ought to be bringing new Christians to church more often than non-Christians... Don't get me wrong, I've got friends who got saved as a result of being brought to church. I'm just not certain that this should be our primary mechanism for spreading the good news. Like almost anything else, there is a balance to be found between the two extremes.
  • I think for the first time in my life, I am finding evangelism "easier". The main reason for that has been that I am trying to "breath in the breath" and worship Jesus with every breath, and when you live this 24/7 lifestyle things begin to happen.

    With these Beatles tribute shows we have done, I have been having more of a chance to have discussions and build relationships with people who aren't currently walking with Jesus. We have even had a few people COME to James Street (our church) on a regular basis, which have surprised and encouraged me.

    My feeling is, if you are living the life you have been called to live in Christ and TRULY live it, the beauty of God shines through you and people want to know more.

    The most beautiful compliment I have had recently was from a performer from the last FOR GEORGE show who on the NEXT Sunday CAME to church - and HE was the one asking to come!!!! When this performer spoke to the Senior Pastor after the service, he said, "When I met Chris I sensed something very different about him, very special". THAT is the power of God working through this imperfect vehicle. You have no idea how thankful I was for that comment...you know that feeling I 'm sure Vicky of wondering if people can truly see how God is working in you, and if Christ is relevant to others. I can get very discouraged by this, and God knows this, and it was a great word of encouragement for me.

    If we are loving God with all we are, people take notice and then it sets the framework for God to touch and to heal. When my life wasn't resonating with God, I was not a very good witness for Him. The more I love Him, the more I worship, the more I am encouraged to do things for others...God is able to use my life more easily , and I become more aware of those divine appointments/moments.

    Now to respond to your question, "Is the clear message of the Gospel getting out in our Church meetings, or are we dumbing it down to be too "relevant" to culture?". I think if the church is loving God and the church has sound teaching, and is feeling a sense of urgency to respond to God's call, then the clear message of the Gospel is getting out. If we are staying in a holy huddle and are inwardly focused, then the Gospel is not getting out. You don't need a Master's degree in Theology to be touched by God's love and to respond. Intellectualism is not the answer. "Dumbing Down" is not the answer. We worship, we surrender and we experience God's mercy. Then we have to respond. It is in our response as to whether or not the Gospel message is clearly shared with others or whether we hinder God's message.

    "Preach the Gospel at all times - if necessary use words". I love St. Francis. He summed it up for us so succinctly. :)
  • I think for the first time in my life, I am finding evangelism "easier". The main reason for that has been that I am trying to "breath in the breath" and worship Jesus with every breath, and when you live this 24/7 lifestyle things begin to happen.

    With these Beatles tribute shows we have done, I have been having more of a chance to have discussions and build relationships with people who aren't currently walking with Jesus. We have even had a few people COME to James Street (our church) on a regular basis, which have surprised and encouraged me.

    My feeling is, if you are living the life you have been called to live in Christ and TRULY live it, the beauty of God shines through you and people want to know more.

    The most beautiful compliment I have had recently was from a performer from the last FOR GEORGE show who on the NEXT Sunday CAME to church - and HE was the one asking to come!!!! When this performer spoke to the Senior Pastor after the service, he said, "When I met Chris I sensed something very different about him, very special". THAT is the power of God working through this imperfect vehicle. You have no idea how thankful I was for that comment...you know that feeling I 'm sure Vicky of wondering if people can truly see how God is working in you, and if Christ is relevant to others. I can get very discouraged by this, and God knows this, and it was a great word of encouragement for me.

    If we are loving God with all we are, people take notice and then it sets the framework for God to touch and to heal. When my life wasn't resonating with God, I was not a very good witness for Him. The more I love Him, the more I worship, the more I am encouraged to do things for others...God is able to use my life more easily , and I become more aware of those divine appointments/moments.

    Now to respond to your question, "Is the clear message of the Gospel getting out in our Church meetings, or are we dumbing it down to be too "relevant" to culture?". I think if the church is loving God and the church has sound teaching, and is feeling a sense of urgency to respond to God's call, then the clear message of the Gospel is getting out. If we are staying in a holy huddle and are inwardly focused, then the Gospel is not getting out. You don't need a Master's degree in Theology to be touched by God's love and to respond. Intellectualism is not the answer. "Dumbing Down" is not the answer. We worship, we surrender and we experience God's mercy. Then we have to respond. It is in our response as to whether or not the Gospel message is clearly shared with others or whether we hinder God's message.

    "Preach the Gospel at all times - if necessary use words". I love St. Francis. He summed it up for us so succinctly. :)
  • I've been a Christ-follower for 32 years (since age 10) and shared the Gospel, not very clearly, always apologetically, while in High School and in College maybe 2 or 3 times. Fast forward to 2005. I went on a short-term mission trip to Romania. Shared the Gospel daily with every person I met. In 2007 I went to Africa 4 times and shared the Gospel with probably hundreds of people (I'd start with 1 person then a group would gather to listen). All this to say - I've not shared the Gospel with anyone in my neighborhood, city, state, country since 1989. Part of the problem is that I work from home and don't have a huge circle of non-Christian friends. That's a problem to be addressed immediately. I want God to use me to share boldly and confidently with not just actions (old excuse for me) but with words of love and truth along with actions of kindness and mercy. I need to interact with my neighbors, meet more of the parents at my kids' schools, join a gym, hang out at a coffee shop. I'm resolved to living more intentionally in the coming days and weeks and see what opportunities God provides for me to share His story. I am convicted and convinced that worship must be transformational not only for myself, by thru me reaching out to others as an act of worship. As far as in the church overall, yes, I do believe we are dumbing down the Gospel for the sake of "seekers." Seekers aren't stupid. They are curious. They are seeking deep truths to fill a deep void. The Gospel is rich and overflowing with transformational truth - no apology or dumbing down is necessary. The Word of God is a two-edged sword. Its message is alive and active. The Holy Spirit draws people to God. What are we worried about? Why are we attempting to make God's job easier? He doesn't need our assistance. He allows us to do His work with Him and blesses us for our faithfulness. But there's nothing we can do to change people or to convince people. We can present the truth. We can use our finest apologetic techniques. We can have the entire Bible memorized in Greek and Hebrew. But ultimately, we can't save anyone. We aren't the savior - Christ is. God's power and plan can't be stopped or enhanced by our presentation or lack of presentation of the Gospel.
  • Meghan
    Well, I guess if you wanted a short answer you would have asked a different question, so here goes.
    I have always been very shy, not an excuse, and have tended to just agree with whatever anyone was saying. I have been trying to overcome this. I love to debate, but am not very good at expressing my thoughts on the spot. I am definitely a take notes, check for mistakes, write it out again, kind of person. It doesn't really work well with witnessinng. I mean can you imagine.."Yes, um I would like to talk to you about Jesus, would you be kind enough to let me write somethings down? Give me about 5 minutes, if you have any questions let me know now because I will need to make sure I have the answers all lined up. I know that in these situations I need to step back and let the Holy Spirit step up, but I don't always do it. I am doing better, and I will contiue to press on, and let God.
    Q#2 I think it is being dumbed down big time. Without going into too much detail, I came to a place two Easters ago where I was sitting in Church listening to an Easter message grasping my bible and litterally screaming in my head "More, God, I need more, I want to tear into your word."
    Well, ask and ye shall recieve. Not long after that He called me to lead a bible study and led me to Beth Moores study on the tabernacle. OH MY GOODNESS! I have never encountered God's word that way before, and none of the ladies in the bible study had either. And none of us knew there was so much of Jesus in the Tabernacle. Our question is, why is this stuff not being taught? Why are the children in sunday school not being taught indepth bible lessons? I think we underestimate people. My 4 year old daughter sits in on my bible studies, and goes to all of my husbands gigs with us. She may not understand completely, but she is absorbing this stuff to an amaizing degree. The other day we were in a coffee shop where my husband was singing, I looked over at my daughter and she had both hands in the air and was looking up. I asked her what she was doing, and she said she was hugging Jesus up in heaven, and someday He was going to come and get her. I do not say this to be a bragging mother, I say this to point out that our children, and teens can handle the intense stuff. I went through sunday school and confirmation, and never truely understood a lot of things, because they would just scratch the surface. It doesn't cut it. We need to be deeper, and more real. These kids are smart, and they want more, if we bore them int the church they will go someplace else. Why aren't the churches giving it to them? And where does it say in the Bible that if telling the truth about God's word makes someone uncomfortable, stop doing it?
    I am sure there are churches out there doing a great job with the kids, but I think in general, the kids are being underestimated.
  • Oh, one more thing about the extra credit question... Striving for balance in this area is something I think we should keep in mind personally and corporately. It wouldn't hurt to consider every now and then how our actions, speech, services, etc. look to the unchurched. This awareness can help us communicate more effectively. Certainly there is going to be some of "the wisdom of God is foolishness to the world." On the other hand, if we're more intentional about avoiding "Christianese" (which is mostly a bunch of cliche's anyway that obscure our meaning to ourselves and others) I think that would be good.
  • We talked about this at small group tonight; it started with some guys requesting prayer for boldness to witness.

    I think that when we start thinking of witnessing, it's too easy to focus on self. We tend to think about how we feel nervous, that we can't find the right words, etc. As with many things in life, it tends to go better when we focus on the other person rather than ourselves. Also, we shouldn't try to do the work of the Holy Spirit. Our responsibility is obedience, and we should focus on this rather than the outcome. I've told one of my good friends (who's not a Christian - at least not yet) that some Christians have a lot of great things to offer but they just happen to be terrible salesmen... It's too bad.

    All of that said, I don't know that it's going all that well for me. People at work know that I'm a Christian - even though I've never said anything about it. However, among my unchurched friends, I've shared love, but sometimes I don't feel like I'm making great progress. I know they pay attention to my actions, but it's difficult to know what to say and when, when to be silent and when to speak. I hope I never mind any kind of persecution for the sake of Christ. On the other hand, I don't want to bring anything negative against His name simply because of my own stupidity!

    One of my roommates is not a Christian, and we've had a number of discussions over the past few months. He's certainly more open than he was when we first moved in together, and that's encouraging at least.

    Regarding the extra credit question, I think that's certainly a danger to be on the lookout for, but there are churches that are doing a decent job of finding some balance there. :o)
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