Growing up in the church, it's interesting to see the importance that "good", church-going people place on certain things. Most churches believe that it is important that they teach their kids about modesty, to stay away from drugs, to not have sex until they're married, to honor and respect their parents, to give to the poor, yada yada yada... But it seems to me that many people have forgotten the reason churches exist in the first place.
When it boils down to it, the only reason that the Church is here is to honor and worship Jesus, and to teach others to do the same. Next to Jesus, everything else fades in comparison. Jesus is the only story that will stand the test of time. Cultural issues, norms, and values will change and shift with the passing years.
But Jesus never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The story of Jesus is eternal, and it is really the only news worth hearing. It's not that all of those things mentioned above aren't important. But the longer you live inside the most important story of all - God's story - the less influence things of this world have over you. The longer you marinate in the flavor of Christ, the more He becomes who you are. The fluctuating culture that you find yourself surrounded by will matter to you less and less, as Jesus becomes your All in all. So find yourself in the more enduring story of Jesus Christ - and, in time, you will have the impact on your culture that He wants you to have.
1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
When it boils down to it, the only reason that the Church is here is to honor and worship Jesus, and to teach others to do the same. Next to Jesus, everything else fades in comparison. Jesus is the only story that will stand the test of time. Cultural issues, norms, and values will change and shift with the passing years.
But Jesus never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The story of Jesus is eternal, and it is really the only news worth hearing. It's not that all of those things mentioned above aren't important. But the longer you live inside the most important story of all - God's story - the less influence things of this world have over you. The longer you marinate in the flavor of Christ, the more He becomes who you are. The fluctuating culture that you find yourself surrounded by will matter to you less and less, as Jesus becomes your All in all. So find yourself in the more enduring story of Jesus Christ - and, in time, you will have the impact on your culture that He wants you to have.
1 Corinthians 2:1-5
1 And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.
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