These are the questions that I have been wondering lately, and asking God about. The crazy thing is... He has started answering me.
This is always an interesting topic, as Christianity has not given ourselves a very good name in the past at defining and establishing culture, and determining what is redeemable and what isn't. Crusades, Inca's, Aztecs, and Aboriginals all bring some painful thoughts to mind, with many many others.
Regardless of the past, what is He saying today? What did He say through Jesus, through the Apostles, through the Bible?
What has he been saying since Abraham to now?
God has a plan and purpose for this world, and everyone in it. He has a desire that all people might know Him, and know the fullness of life that knowing and following Him will bring to them.
He has established a Way. The way is through Jesus and the way is Jesus, but it is also a call to more. It is a call to Holiness.
Holiness means to be set apart. This has been interpreted in the past as removing ourselves from the world, and becoming reclusive and unaware of what is happening around us.
Maybe to be set apart means to begin to live the life that He has for us, and to live it in the way that He has called us to live.
You feel the call down in your soul, in the depths of your heart is a longing for this culture, this fullness of life in Christ. We recognise that there is something wrong with the way things are in the world. That the pursuits of the flesh and of vain ambitions are empty, they sometimes tickle that call, but never release it.
We are called to greater things. Tell me that it isn't true, you cannot deny that truth that is in you, that stirs you, that births a hunger inside to more, and more and more of Him.
What does this culture look like? Please let me know, see if we can get some stuff flowing here. I will update my next post with some things that I feel this culture is defined by, in the meantime I want to hear how you define it!
Let His truth be our joy, and our freedom!
Daniel