God's Truth & Culture Is Not Oil & Water

Well friends, I am back to Acts after a month-long furlough for no particular reason.... Once again, I believe the Lord is revealing His Truth through The Word and culture - this never fails to amaze me, truly! I began reading Acts because I believed it would reveal to me how I should be responding to our current culture as a Christian. My Lord has not failed me! I love this Truth:

"For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. Nothing in all creation can hide from him. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes. This is the God to whom we must explain all that we have done" (Hebrews 4:12-13, NLT).

I had a troubling experience this week.... Someone called me a "Sunday School Christian." After I gained some distance and perspective from the comment, I realized that this person does not know me well, is not an "up close and personal" friend, and does not respect me, as an individual. While still feeling quite disturbed, though, I started reading again in Acts, because I believe the differences between me and my friend are culturally relevant. It is now "PC" to disrespect conservatives and Christians without even knowing whether or not they are critical thinkers. If there is one thing I know for certain about myself - weaknesses and all - it is that I am not a "Sunday School Christian." No one who knows me well at this stage of my life, whether or not they agree with my belief system, has accused me of such superficial thinking.

Acts 17:11 describes open-mindedness: Open-mindedness is eager listening followed by diligent searching.

"The people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth" (Acts 17:11, NLT).

This describes precisely what I have been called to do: I eagerly listen to multiple sides of culturally relevant issues and search the Scriptures to make sense of these issues. As a graduate student at a secular university, I never use Scriptural references as they are not considered scholarly; however, I have never even felt the need to because good science, the use of the scientific method, supports God's Truth. I may address this further in another posting....

Later in Acts 17, responses to Paul's message are described:

"Some laughed, but others said, 'We want to hear more about this later.' That ended Paul's discussion with them, but some joined him and became believers" (Acts 17: 32-33, NLT).

Based on these verses and others found in Matthew 13:11-17 and Isaiah 6:9-10, I believe:

• Some will hear God's Truth, but will be unaffected;


• Some will receive knowledge and refute it using intellectual prowess without Spiritual power from God;


• Some will embrace knowledge - with a spiritual power, but not The Spiritual power. They will either refute God's Truth and/or create confusion among those who are not seeking God's Truth;
  


• Some will embrace God's Truth with a heart and mind empowered by a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - which is the only way to fully know, comprehend, apply, analyze, and deeply relate to God's Truth.

To all options, I respond with Acts 5:38-39:

"My advice is: Leave these men alone. If they are teaching and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if is of God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God" (Acts 5:38-39, NLT).

My next post will be about Apollos, a scholar, orator, and debater known for his persuasive preaching. He, too, is teaching me some powerful Truths about engaging in contemporary culture as a Christian.