How to Engage the Culture
Acts 17:16–23
IN THE WORLD, NOT OF THE WORLD
2,000 years ago, Jesus said to be in the world but not of the world. And ever since then, people have been trying to figure out what that looks like.
Where does the church belong? Where do Christians belong?
Can you be a Christian and be in politics?
Can you be a Christian and be in education? Science?
Can a Christian be an actor? Definitely not… J
Culture
Nature is what God makes. Culture is what humans do with it.
It can be both good and bad!
One of my favorite definitions of culture is:
“This is the way things are done around here”
TWO ERRORS TO AVOID
01. ISOLATION
Removing your influence
Remove themselves from culture.
Live off the grid on a farm in a converted Sprinter van.
Make your own bread and jam.
But how can you be, as Jesus said, the salt and light of the world when you avoid it?
02. ASSIMILATION
Losing your influence
Living with little or no distinction at all whatsoever.
Their faith is so private that if it were ever revealed, co-workers would be shocked!
Question:
If you are a Christian, which error are you most prone to make?
GOSPEL PARTICIPATION
The passage before us today shows us that we should neither:
Remove our influence through isolation
Lose our influence through assimilation
But:
Bring our influence through gospel participation.
What does this look like?
ATHENS
The Book of Acts records the earliest history of the church and what the kingdom of God looks like in the lives of men and women.
Through its pages, we see leaders committed to advancing the gospel from the Jewish center of Jerusalem and further out toward the rest of the world, even leading all the way to Athens!
Everyone knew about Athens!
Athens had an unrivaled reputation for being the Roman Empire’s center of thought!
What would be our Athens today?
DC
New York
LA
San Francisco
Phoenix
Today, with our digitally connected lives, we always have the opportunity to engage with culture.
So the question is:
How do we do it?
1. WE ENGAGE CULTURE WITH LOVE
Acts 17:16
Paul has gone preaching the gospel to the prisoners of Rome’s cold cells all the way to the philosophers of Rome’s cultural capital.
Paul is waiting for his team in Athens as he had travelled ahead of them in their church planting mission.
But as he waits, we find our first lesson.
When Paul walks the busy streets of Athens, he does not do so as a tourist, but a man who cares deeply about the souls in this city.
Acts 17:16
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.”
How did he become provoked, moved?
The word in the original language means sharpened, or stirred, which would be a righteous frustration and a deep compassion.
How did this happen?
He looked, and he listened…
And when he did, he saw the idols of the city.
Usually, images that reflected who or what they valued most.
What is an idol?
Anything other than God that you believe gives you ultimate meaning, value and worth.
It could be anything!
Idol promises salvation and satisfaction but will never deliver.
It could even be a good thing, but made into a GOD thing.
BUT WHAT DOES HE DO?
The text doesn't say:
“Paul was provoked because he wanted to show them they were wrong.”
The text doesn't say:
“Paul was greatly moved because he wanted to be proven right.”
Nor does the text say:
“He was greatly moved and so he bailed”
Nor:
“He was greatly concerned so he started a commune outside of Athens”
He didn't lash out and he didn't peace out!
No, he was greatly moved because he wanted them to know God, and this led him to engage with them.
LOOK. LISTEN. BE MOVED.
We look and we listen.
We pay attention to our:
Neighbors
Co-workers
We listen to their:
Hopes and fears
Longing and desires
Complaints and disagreements
For as we do, we will discover what may be blinding them to their need for God.
Whatever these idols are, and every city and county has them, they act like “OFF” switches to their need for God.
The lie that humanity believes is that we think we can get what we really need from anything except God.
What are people searching for in Phoenix?
If it's anything other than God, our hearts should break.
BEFORE PAUL PREACHED TO THE CULTURE, HE WAS MOVED FOR THE CULTURE.
Paul’s burden for the people of Athens led him to engage with the people of Athens!
And do we not see this in Jesus himself?
Luke 19:41
“And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it,”
While many of us may be quite ready to make bold statements on social media about our culture, do our hearts break for the culture?
You must look, listen well, and be moved with compassion!
And also, if you listen well, you will speak well!
We can't be cultural hermits and bury our heads in the sand.
Paul’s looking, listening and caring enabled him to rightly apply his preaching to his hearers.
2. WE ENGAGE CULTURE WITH TRUTH
Acts 17:17–23
If one error is to isolate from the culture, then the challenge is for us to love.
But what if we are prone to lose our distinction?
Some of us might not be tempted to lash out or peace out, but maybe we cop out?
Just say we love the culture without acknowledging the idols?
We must engage with love AND we must engage with truth.
And that is what Paul did in Athens.
PAUL ENGAGES THE CULTURE
Acts 17:19–21
They took him and brought him to the Areopagus.
“May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?”
“For you bring some strange things to our ears.”
The Athenians and foreigners would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
PAUL DID NOT COMPROMISE — HE TOLD THE TRUTH.
His engagement did not lead to compromise, but truth-telling!
Having looked at what the culture was after, knowing the culture, he exposed the idols.
Acts 17:22–23
“Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.”
“For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’”
“What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.”
Paul challenges their worldview.
But note how!
His loving, listening posture enabled him to know how to bring truth.
LISTENING INFORMED HIS ENGAGEMENT.
If he was preaching to the Jews, he would not need to start farther back.
He knew the Jews believe in God.
But these philosophers did not share that view!
So, his listening informed his engagement.
He needed to start farther back.
PEOPLE ARE DEPENDENT ON GOD
Acts 17:24–30
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth...
He is the creator of everything!
He is not a colleague, a vending machine or a peer.
He does not need us, we need Him.
And the things you enjoy in life come from him!
And that is where we get good things in culture.
PEOPLE ARE ACCOUNTABLE TO GOD
If we are made by him, then we must answer to him!
And now with that framework, he tells the bad news.
PEOPLE ARE ALIENATED FROM GOD
We have turned from God.
This is what sin is.
And it is what taints God's good creation.
It's why culture is such a mixed bag of beauty and brokenness.
But notice he didn't just make a banner that said:
“Repent sinner”
and leave it there!
He took the time to listen to where they were at and did the work of explaining what they needed to hear in order for the problem of sin to make sense.
But this problem does need to be addressed.
People must hear the truth about God and the truth about our spiritual state.
TELLING THE TRUTH IS LOVING
For those of you who struggle with truth-telling, you must understand that telling the truth about our situation is one of the most loving things you can do.
To put it another way:
If you only affirm the culture, but not challenge its brokenness, then you are not actually loving others!
It's unloving not to tell the truth!
“But I love them too much.”
Actually, we love ourselves.
BUT WE CAN'T STOP THERE.
If we stop there, with only a Christian framework and the truth about sin, we have not fully engaged as we ought!
The Kingdom of God is not just about the church giving people a Christian worldview or hoping that people embrace Christian values.
It is not enough for people to agree with the morals and ethics of Christianity!
Some people think this:
“I argued the case for the Christian sex ethic; therefore, my job is done!”
Or:
“I made the case for why we should have religious freedom, so, job done!”
These things are true and flow from Scripture and can even help give context for Biblical teaching and context.
They are not the same thing as actually sharing about what Jesus did!
So, what ensures that we are both loving and truthful?
What brings transformation?
3. WE ENGAGE CULTURE WITH THE GOSPEL
This is where it all leads for Paul.
It all points to Jesus.
Acts 17:31
“Because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
IN JESUS, WE SEE TRUTH AND LOVE TOGETHER.
In love he looked into our hearts and saw it was full of idols!
And in love he came and revealed the truth about sin.
He does not hide this from us.
He does not pretend that it does not matter.
He does not want you to live in an illusion or believe a lie that would lead to your destruction!
Jesus is full of truth.
AND at the same time:
He is absolutely and unconditionally committed to your good!
More than Paul ever could, Jesus not only engaged with our world but sacrificed his life for our world!
In truth he reveals the reality of our sin…
And in love pays the price for our sin.
This is what is happening on the cross.
In Jesus is found the truth and love that transforms us and sends us out into the lives of others.
John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
TRUTH AND LOVE
It's the good news of Jesus that keeps you from being removed from the culture.
What if Jesus never came to us?
It is also the good news of Jesus that keeps you from becoming just like the culture.
What if Jesus never said the hard truths?
We wouldn't see our need!
We'd be lost!
TRUTH AND LOVE
We all want to see the kingdom come into our lives and into our culture.
And the way that happens is the truth and love of the gospel.
Not the truth OR love, but truth AND Love!
Maybe you have not been speaking the truth…
Confess that and ask God for courage!
Maybe you have not been showing love…
Ask God to melt your heart!
God says:
“the harshness, indifference, is toxic! For you and others. And it does not reflect the love I have shown to you.”
IT COMES FROM TREASURING HIM.
You don't create this power to bring truth and love together.
You receive it…
And reflect it to others.
Jesus says:
“I see you… I love you”
And as you experience this in your heart, it sends you out to others.
You hear Christ's voice say:
“I see the people in this culture, and I love them.”
It is a deep experience of his grace that will enable you to show truth and love together, all flowing from and pointing towards his incredible love that pursues you!