Haven't you ever wondered about how our culture plays a part in our spiritual lives?.
In Luke 4 we see Jesus healing Peter's mother in law. The town wanted to hold onto Jesus, he healed the sick and silenced demons. Who wouldn't want Jesus around?
But Jesus had to tell the town that he needed to spread the news of the kingdom to other towns. v 43"I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent."
If you remember, it was Peter who in Matthew 16:21-23 rebukes Jesus as he spoke about his death and going to Jerusalem but Jesus had to say to him "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
It was Peter who God interrupts on the mount of transfiguration when he wanted the spiritual high to continue and to build booths for Moses, Elijah and Jesus. Matthew 17:3-5 "While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" I find is interesting that God says to Listen to him referring to Jesus and not to them
Peter's culture was as a fisherman; maybe his way of thinking was not to rock the philosophical, spiritual and physical boats! We can easily be blinded by our natural tendencies to conduct life in a manner that is familiar and not necessarily meet the spiritual needs of those around us.
Siobhan
Romans 13:8
-
“[Love Fulfills the Law] Let no debt remain outstanding, except the
continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled
the law.”
11 hours ago
The whole culture verses truth has weighed heavily on my mind lately. We so much want to put God in the box of our understanding and limit Him according to the way we relate to the world around us, which is what culture is. God is love and relationship. He is so much bigger then what we think He should be and if we could just let go of our cultural limitations and let Him open our hearts He can be much more free to work in our lives and the lives of others through us. Thank you Jesus for being so much more then we think you should be and not letting us limit you.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteCultural influence is such an interesting topic. We know that God's word applies to every culture, generation and people group. Yet as you say, we must becareful that we are not interpreting the Word of God by our culture and not allowing the Word of God to define our culture.
ReplyDeletePeter's zeal to please Jesus lead him astray several times. It wasn't until after Christ rose from the dead that Peter's understanding was opened, (Luke 24:25-27). It was also after the Holy Spirit was poured out on believers (John 7:39; 14:25-26). The Holy Spirit keeps us in balance just like the audible voice of God did when Jesus was on earth. That combined with the textual Word of God is our safety mechanism.
I wish this meant a guarantee of perfect understanding. Though it does not do this, it does lessen the risk.
Shirley Fay