ENGAGING THE CURRENT TO PRESERVE THE FUTURE (Part 1)

ENGAGING THE CURRENT TO PRESERVE THE FUTURE The church is not a defensive institution but an offensive one. Mt 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. It is involved in a cosmic battle for the control of the soul. Mt 11:12 "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

ENGAGING THE CURRENT TO PRESERVE THE FUTURE Isa 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD'S house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it.3 Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore. 5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD.

The position of the church What it means for the church to be on top: It shall be exalted above other hills (prominence) All nations shall flow to it (centre of attraction) Many people shall say “come let us go to the mountain of the Lord and he will teach us His ways” People shall obey His teachings It shall be a source of law and governance It shall be a source of peace The kingdom of God needs to be felt…

The domains of society

The role of the church To infiltrate and impose the kingdom (rulership) of God This is made possible by being relevant – “…this is when we are practical and socially applicable. In other words, it is about being practical to a community’s culture.” Cultural relevance (way of life, values and norms) is key to what God called us to do Cultural relevance is established by understanding culture and speaking its language. Jesus understood the culture of His time and used it to illustrate spiritual truths in His parables.

Cultural Relevance Reggie JoinerReggie Joiner of the reThink Group says,reThink Group “Relevance is simply using what is cultural to say what is timeless. In other words, the best skill that you can develop in your ministry is understanding how to become a student, how to manipulate, how to use the culture that is around you so that you can say what is timeless.”

Cultural Relevance Paul shares his pursuit of cultural relevance in 1 Corinthians 9:20-23 (CEV) “When I am with the Jews, I live like a Jew to win Jews. They are ruled by the Law of Moses, and I am not. But I live by the Law to win them. And when I am with people who are not ruled by the Law, I forget about the Law to win them. Of course, I never really forget about the law of God. In fact, I am ruled by the law of Christ. When I am with people whose faith is weak, I live as they do to win them. I do everything I can to win everyone I possibly can. I do all this for the good news, because I want to share in its blessings.”

Cultural Relevance In cultural relevance, the whose culture determines the how. What are you trying to do or say? (What is your calling?) Who are you trying to reach? (What is their culture?) How can you best reach them? The better you understand someone’s culture, the better you will know how to effectively reach them. The best way to improve your cultural relevance is to become a student of culture – engage current affairs The church has a nature and character that enables it to change the course of society: - salt and light

Salt and Light Mt 5:13 You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men.14 You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under the grain-measure, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who are in the house.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

Salt and Light 1.Salt - infiltrate Salt has 2 main functions: To preserve food from rotting – this is usually used to preserve fish and meat when it is in its dried form. To bring out flavour and taste of food Mt 5:13 You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is no longer good for anything, but to be thrown out and to be trodden underfoot by men. Col 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Salt and Light 2. Light - imposition Light plays a crucial role – it illuminates the way, it provides clarity to ones path. Light exposes the mistakes Light creates comfort Matt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. Isaiah 2:5 O house of Jacob, come and let us walk In the light of the LORD.

Salt and Light 2. Light - imposition Light is irresistible and penetrates every crack available John 1: 4-5 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome.

Salt and Light 2. Light - imposition Each one of us has a light (gift, ability, calling) apportioned Isa 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen on you.2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples; but the LORD shall rise on you, and His glory shall be seen on you.3 And the nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning.

Salt and Light 2. Light - imposition The intensity of your light is determined by how much of the light of God you carry (relationship). In order to make sense of the current issues, we need to interpret them via the lenses of the word of God. Lu 6:39 And He spoke a parable to them: Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?40 The disciple is not above his master, but everyone who is perfect shall be like his master.