Page 90 - Christ and Culture Textbook

heart went out to the crowds. His compassion was not mushy sentimentalism or self-serving flattery.
Jesus’ kind of compassion confronted and corrected people in their sin as well as comforted them in
their sorrow. So our guideline is to show compassion for people according to truth and with love (Eph.
4:15; 1 John 3:18) the way Jesus did.

Paul pointed to Timothy as one who exemplified genuine concern for others and their interests (Phil.
2:19–22).

Contact unbelievers and build relationships with them but do not commit their sins. The religious
leaders criticized Jesus for being “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 11:19). They said, “This
man receives sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2). The religious leaders grumbled at Jesus’ practice
because they could not accept His physical and contact with sinners even though He maintained
spiritual and moral separation from their lifestyle (Heb. 7:26).

Jesus had social contact with Zacchaeus, “a chief tax collector” (Luke 19:2, NIV), and He brought him to
salvation (19:8–10). Jesus also allowed a sinful woman to wash His feet with her hair, and she received
forgiveness from Him through her faith.

Communicate the gospel to people by the model of your life and the message of your lips (2 Cor. 3:2–
3; 4:13). Jesus preached to the multitudes (Matt. 13:2–3), but He also witnessed to individuals such as
Nicodemus and the woman at the well. Not all Christians are gifted evangelists, yet God expects each
Christian to evangelize (Acts 1:8; 2 Tim. 4:5).

The Gospels record the attentiveness of Jesus’ audiences whether He spoke to many people (Matt.
7:28–29) or only one person (Luke 10:39). People wanted to hear what Jesus taught because they
sensed He cared for them and lived what He professed to believe. His heart went out to them. Christians
should follow Jesus’ model by having compassion for people and by communicating the gospel to them
clearly, correctly, and relevantly in the Spirit’s power (John 15:26–27).

Be the Salt and the Light of the world. “You are the salt of the earth.… You are the light of the world”
(Matthew 5:13–14). Christians must permeate culture as agents of redemption. Craig Blomberg is right
when he says, “Both metaphors of salt and light raise important questions about Christian involvement
in society regarding all forms of separatism or withdrawal. We are not called to control secular power
structures; neither are we promised that we can Christianize the legislation and values of the world. But
we must remain active preservative agents, indeed irritants, in calling the world to heed God’s
standards. We dare not form isolated Christian enclaves to which the world pays no attention.”
Walking as children of light not only entails the fruit of light being produced in our lives, it also excludes
participation in the unprofitable works of darkness. Because light and darkness are incompatible, it is
completely inappropriate to live in the light and then to adopt the lifestyle of those who are still in
darkness. This does not forbid all contact or association with them, but of believers not taking part in
their immorality.

The must be on Guard against Culture Shift
The marketplace assumptions migrate from the world of consumer to the Church setting, causing church
leaders to preach and model the gospel in diminish manner. Democratic principle nurture selfish
impulse and undermine the authority of the Bible and Church. Consider how technology presents a rival
Gospel. Visual media have made the desire to be entertained a core cultural motivation, which reduces
our value of the world and pushes our fixation on amusement into the church. Unfortunately, Culture

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