Don't get me wrong, I strongly believe we need to engage our culture and get out of the box. I am always trying to be around unbelievers and people outside of the church. I love to hang out with the lost and hurting. But I know that I will never make a difference, if there is not a difference in my life as follower of Jesus Christ and the life of an unbeliever.
When Joshua became the leaders of the Israelites he had to change the culture in oder to accomplish the purpose of God. He makes a bold, opposite of culture declaration in Joshua 24:17. "Throw away the gods our forefathers worshipped...in Egypt and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served...or the gods of the Amorites in whose land your are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
You have to make that same kind of clear-cut, no-compromise choice. You just can't run your life by two different standards. Jesus said, "No man can serve two masters." Your culture says divorce is OK. Your God says, "I hate divorce" (Malachi 2:16). The world around you says you have to accumulate more and more for security...Jesus says security comes from letting go of what you have and trusting Him to take care of you. You lose your life by hanging onto it; you find your life by giving it away.
The culture says something that portrays things that breaks God's heart is "must see" TV or a "must see" movie. God says, "Guard your heart; it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23). Conventional wisdom tells you that you can't be totally honest and succeed. God says, "Put off falsehood and speak truthfully" (Ephesians 4:25) that He will only bless total integrity. Our tolerant culture says, "There are many ways to God." Your Savior says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father except by Me" (John 14:6). Those can't both be true. You have to choose one and stake everything on it.
It's that way with all the choices I mentioned and so many more that you're faced with each day. You can't keep going back and forth between what the world around you says is right and what your Lord says is right. You can't just go God's way when it's convenient, when it's easy, and when it doesn't cost you much. In God's words, you have to "choose this day whom you will serve." When you do, life is a whole lot less confusing.
We need to choose God's Way even if it is the Opposite Way of our culture. Yes lets be engaged in our world, but let's not compromise Biblical Standards to try and fit in!
Leeland has a great song on there new album called "Opposite Way" Check it out
Peace
Josh
