Today's message at church kicked off our "This Is My Father's World" and it has us consider our approach to culture.
I think the church (as a whole in America) has gotten itself to the place where it often seems angry and outraged. How often do we rail against, lament about the decay of our culture? Now I'm not saying that there isn't decay or that decay isn't bad, but our reaction often leaves a lot to be desired. Didn't God warn us that we would have trouble in this world? This isn't home. Our message that people consistently hear from us should be more about the love and saving grace of Jesus, then about how bad the world is. Now I don't mean that we shouldn't point out what sin is. Jesus had no trouble naming sin, but He focused on repentance.
So while we are standing up for Biblical values and being salt and light, let's make sure that the primary message that people hear is not how angry or upset we are, but how blessed and thankful we are for the love of Christ who died in our place so that we might be forgiven and be called children of God.
