Cultural Engagement in the Public Sphere

One of the most pressing issues for Christians in the West is the understanding of how we are to engage with culture.

Are we to fight against it? Are we to accept and embrace it?

Or are called to do both, depending on the elements in question.

Accepting what is good; disregarding what is wicked.

However, as moral and ethical issues arise

not as isolated scenarios, but a bombardment.

Where is the Church?

Where is the Christian voice speaking into this?

But a few — overwhelming lacking.

The Church has a mission to speak prophetically,

Declaring the whole counsel of God.

We believe Scripture to be both inspired and profitable, and we must preach it in its entirety.

Yet the Church is absent in so many of these opportunities.

All Scripture is inspired, and all of it is profitable (). We must preach it in its entirety and allow the Holy Spirit to use His sword as He sees fit (). Paul did not share half-truths or only parts of the gospel; rather, he shared all of what God has revealed. We must do the same.

And when I say the Church, I am not referring to officers of the church (the pastors and leaders) but all of us who comprise the church.

I believe a majority of this are two due to two outworkings: namely, the rise of the destructive and counter-intuitive ideaology of individualism, and the reality that we’re comparmentalised our lives two cleanly between the Sacred and Secular.

Both of these however stem from one chief reason — Christians have forgotten who they are and what they’re meant to be.

Three Points: Who We Are; Where We Are; What We Are To Do.

Who We Are

In the text before us, Jesus speaks to the crowd, specifically to those will follow him and states:

“You Are” the Salt of the Eath

“You are” the light of the World.

Focusing on the latter, we understand that as we are individuals redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

By the death of Christ on our behalf, who was the light of the world ().

We were purchased by Christ to live for Christ through the represention of Christ.

We are to reflect the light of Christ — as Jesus states here: “You are the light of the World”.

He delegates Christians to continue reflecting Him after his both his humilitation and exalutation.

We understand that our loyalty belongs to Him as our LORD and Saviour.

Knowing that whilst we have a temporal, and lesser, loyalty to our nation and home, that our true citizenship belongs to His kingdom.

We are then sojourners in this life, but we must not make a critical mistake.

We must not only look to the future, new creation, only and treat where are now flippantly.

We need to realise that Christ’s Kingdom, through the Now-Not-Yet paradigm, is already Here!

Christ is already the exalted King at the right hand of the father.

Recognising this, we are servants of the king whose kingdom is now — not just the one that is coming.

Lord’s Prayer

As such, we are to live for Him pointing others to Him where we are Now.

Where We Are

But where are we?

We are still in that period between the first and second coming — eargerly looking forward to His appearance, but living in the age which is apathetic and atgonistic to God.

We all know Romans.

The world rejects God and hates God.

Surpressing the truth, they became fools.

Preferring to worshipping the creation than the creator.

Yet Christ here in v14, states that we are a “City situation on a hill”.

That is, the world is enloped in darkness, and the only visibile light in the world is that by Christ’s representatives — Christians comprising the Church.

Not only that, Christians are situation on a high vantage point so that the world can look and see the light visibily.

The difference should be, pardon the pun, Day and Night.

It should be evident what the Christians believe because they unashamedly don’t hold back from pointing to God and Christ in all areas.

Calvin in the Institutes: Main Point of the Church, of the gathering of the invisible church, is to be visible to the world around it.

Yes, the gospel is proclaimed, b

Yet, how does this happen?

What We Are To Do

Firstly, by understanding that we are to verbally proclaim the gospel to all we are to come across.

We are to be ambassadors for Christ () — Whilst not all of us are gifted in evangelism, or are called especially as evangelists, we are all called to be witnesses — to be that light.

However, more than that we proclaim the totality of God’s Word, because we recognise God’s Word is for the prosperity of all.

What God says is good is good for all; likewise what is wicked.

This has been the very case since Genesis — Mankind was meant to serve as vicegerents.

Adam to Eve.

Stewarding creation on behalf of God — acting in the role of a prophet.

This is something that we are still called to do.

In many respects, whilst the world has changed, man has become fallen, by the church speaking prophetically.

It is acting in a way which is gospel-related.

It speaks what is good and calls the world to repentance.

One the realities of what God is spoken, it speaks in a way where the Holy Spirit convicts.

One of the issues with modern day Western Christians, is that they’ve personalised the appearance of the proclaimation to one on one discussions and shy away from discussing things in the Public Sphere.

Yet, Scripture — especially in Acts testifies to the corporate approach of this proclamation.

Peter speaks to the Crowd in ; Stephen proclaims to the Sandhedrin, Paul speaks to the Aeropagus.

All of them call on them to repent by pointing to what God has spoken and their obligation to their creator.

These all testify to a corporate approach to engaging with the public sphere — with the world around us.

And this is the reality that we too must do as Christians.

We do not shy away — but we understand that this World is God’s — that Christ is King — and we point people to this fact.

Exhorting them to submit and obey their creator.

We understand that we are

Rather than quest for Cultural Relevancy — we speak Christ and God to the Culture.

We speak for those things which are good, and we speak against those things that are wicked.

Let me turn your attention to the next bit — in verses 15-16:

No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

See if you are a Christian, you are called to good works.

We know this is not for our salvation but as a result of our salvation. ()

And this is a common theme.

That by living in a way reflecting Christ’s light into the world through the totality of our lives.

The light is visibly seen — it cannot be hidden.

Time and time again, Paul, Peter and John all inform us that we are to live in a way that the world will see our good works.

Peter echoing this in “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”

And what a Good life?

A Life that is dedicated to the supremacy of goodness, that is God, is filled with good works.

IT is not simply individually walking as a Christian privately — Jesus is quite clear here — it is not someone hiding their belief under a basket, but rather putting it on a lamp-stand for all to see.

Rather, living a Good life is where reflect Christ is the every fibre of our being.

It is our being.

Speaking/Proclaiming the whole counsel of life, and living it out — being a consistent Christian.

If we believe rightly that we are to glorify God in all that we do and for all time.

Then we must understand that God deserves glory in every sphere.

Not just on some things but on all things.

Good Works / Good Deeds / Good Lives

And if he deserves to be glorified in every sphere then He is to be acknowledged in every sphere.

If God deserves glory in every sphere, then He is to be acknowledged in every sphere. Such a truth has great implications for prayer from a Christian at the opening of a football game or council meeting. Further, if God deserves glory in every sphere, then He is to be influential in every sphere. Of course God has influence in those spheres in which His people are engaged: hence the need for cultural engagement.

And If God deserves glory in every sphere, then He is to be influential in every sphere.

And Scripture is quite clear — we are the clay vessels that God, through his sovereign will, fitted for the task.

The church, each and every one of us, is called to this task

Brothers, whenever wicknedness occurs or is being proclaim,

We prophetically speak God’s truth to the issue

Not on some issues, but on all issues.

Abortion, the Mistreatment of Refugees, and so forth.

Let us be committed to this task at hand and exhort our Christian brethren to likewise.

Let us exhort people to repentance and ensure that they understand the wickedness they commit.

Knowing that whilst the poor will be with us always this side of new creation, that people will not. Unregenerate society will not.

Understanding that our lives are not to be compartmentalised but entirely under the LORDShip of Christ.

Calvin: Main Point of the Church, of the gathering of the invisible church, is to be visible to the world around it.

Lordship of Christ; not compartmentalised.

Quest for Cultural Relevancy

Not a Postmillenial

• An exaggerated distinction between laity and church officers (e.g., evangelism is the responsibility of elders and pastors not of the regular church members)

• An unwillingness to boldly call Christians to work for positive change in their communities and believe that some change is possible

Perhaps there is a–I can’t believe I’m going to say it–a middle ground. I say, let’s not lose the heart of the gospel, divine self-satisfaction through self-substitution. And let’s not apologize for challenging Christians to show this same kind of dying love to others. Let’s not be embarrassed by the doctrine of hell and the necessity of repentance and regeneration. And let’s not be afraid to do good to all people, especially to the household of faith. Let’s work against the injustices and suffering in our day, and let’s be realistic that the poor, as Jesus said, will always be among us.