Into the Fire

Evangelism, or sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, or witnessing as to the reality of Jesus Christ, or whatever you decide to call it is always culturally relevant, just as it is always relevant. Each generation seems to need a new label for older terms to somehow make them more valuable or tantalizing or awesome or . . . culturally relevant?

Solomon told us, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Indeed. There are just new ways to do and say the same things. Amplifications of the best and the worst of man’s abilities to imagine. Digital images of sinful things. Yet the same old perversions carrying on as they have for thousands of years. Dirty, filthy, ugly sin: binding, addicting, enticing, alluring, and appealing to the flesh of mankind.

You think healthcare for the multitudes will stop sin? You think agreeing to the Kyoto Accord will stop sin? You think pouring money into third world countries will stop sin? You think embryonic stem cells will stop sin? Think again.

Is it culturally relevant to call sin “sin”? Who cares? It doesn’t matter what you call it—we all do it. We all fail at conducting our lives without it. Only One who wore the human flesh remained pure and perfect because not one drop of human blood ran through his veins. Jesus Christ, Lord of all Creation. Savior of the world. Of you. Of me.

You can bring the message of Jesus’ death and resurrection in rap music or in hymns played by an organ, but it doesn’t change the message. The message is pure, strong, everlasting, and effective. If you think you have to water it down when you bring it—you’re wrong. The message is real, relevant, and isn’t limited by culture. It’s simple and powerful and plays to all audiences.

When a writer writes, he must consider his audience. If he’s writing for his own pleasure or as a hobby, it doesn’t matter what kind of poetry or prose he uses. In fact, he doesn’t even have to spell the words right as long as he can read it. When a writer for God writes, he must learn to bring the stories that will first of all please the Lord, and secondly he must design the telling of the story to fit the chosen audience God has selected for those books. Although he might not know exactly who will end up reading his work, he can probably figure that if God gives him a mystery, the prairie romance people most likely won’t be picking up a copy of his book. In other words a mystery is relevant to those who enjoy intrigue over romance.

The fascinating part about God is He is always relevant. To anyone and everyone. Considering the magnitude and multitude of ways He has chosen to meet people, to limit and define His creativity to certain presentations of His salvation message is to say He can’t work outside the traditions of men.

God used an old painting of a head shot of the crucified Christ hidden away in a closet of a house we rented to remind me of God. Then He used the testimony of a young professional football player to get me to realize in order to truly know Him, I needed to establish a relationship with His Son Jesus Christ. Two years later, He gave my husband a dramatic and terrifying Saul to Paul experience to bring him to salvation. God has a vivid imagination, and He doesn’t need man to tell Him how He needs to present Himself, or how He now suddenly needs to be “culturally relevant”. Man can be so arrogant. The message has never changed, and just because the methods of delivering it are varied and expansive, the important thing is the message—not who brings it and how it’s brought. God has that all figured out. That’s why He left us with His Holy Spirit, so He could direct us in supplying the answer to a lost and dying world. If we would be more attentive to the Spirit of Truth, we would understand that the message is, was, and always will be relevant in any culture.

Father, thank you for the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your unique ways of drawing people to your Son. Thank you that creativity begins with you. Thank you for saving me. Please, Lord, may my writing tell about you however you want it to do so. Your ways are all that matter, Lord. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.