Culture and the Church

Culture is a good thing. Having the variety of different tastes, musical genres and languages reflected in a diverse body of people adds interest to life. Church assemblies with congregation members of different nationalities are a great place to see the positivity of cultural heritages.  The Bible states there are ‘diversities of operations’ (1 Corinth 12:6) in churches, though the same Spirit is at work.

Here are examples of such cultural diversity in God’s servants. The differences in the style of music and expressions of joy are influenced by cultural background. Nevertheless, it is the same Holy Ghost urging them to worship and the same one God receiving the sweet savour that the hearts of these people are offering through their diverse expressions of praise.

The first video is beautiful a song in service from an Apostolic Church in Palmilla, Mexico. The second video is of a unique 'offering march' routine taking place in an Apostolic church in Canada, with people of mainly black Caribbean descent. The third clip shows a different style of music and another wonderful voice at a mainly Anglo-American church in Maryville, Tennessee.

…However, through ignorance and pride, culture can be lauded and become a negative. Church assemblies must be wary that man-made traditions developed through cultural heritage do not negatively affect the Church. In the early Christian Church that we see in Acts of the Apostles there were saved Jews, Greeks and other Gentiles learning to fellowship and serve God together. However, racial division seemed to emerge, as the Apostle Peter allowed some people to influence him and he stopped eating with non-Jews. The Apostle Paul had to rebuke him for this (Galatians 2:11) Peter did declare that ‘God is no respecter of persons’ (Acts 10:34) and neither should we be.

In this world, race will always be a huge and divisive matter. However, in God’s kingdom, there is ONE family under ONE name (Eph 3:15), one heavenly language, ONE Spirit. There is no skin in the spiritual realm. No factions in Christ.

I believe in celebrating culture, I love my own. Yet I do not allow it to cut me off from others in Christ.

Shalom x

We Have the Message!

The work of Christian missionaries over the centuries has been far spread and impressive. They have dispersed the gospel into far flung corners of the world. They have impacted and changed cultures of whole areas. However –awe inspiring as it may be to venture out into wildernesses far afield with all good intentions, if you are not bringing the right message to people you leave a lack.

There are two types of messengers –those sent by God, and those who, though they may be full of zeal, do not carry the whole true message. These two types are akin to two runners mentioned in the scriptures named Cushi and Ahimaaz. Let me remind you who they were (2 Samuel chapter 18)…

It was a turbulent time in King David’s dominion. His once estranged third son, Absalom, had been plotting and manipulatively working to gain favour with the subjects of his father’s kingdom. It all escalated into an outright attempt to take over the kingdom completely. King David had to take the drastic action of fleeing the capital, taking the Ark of the Covenant with him for safekeeping (carried by the Levites).

A fierce battle ensued between Absalom and his warriors, and those who remained faithful to King David. In the midst of a large and bloody war, Absalom had a terrible accident as the mule he was riding on caused him to get his head stuck in an oak tree. Absalom hung there helpless. Joab, a former ally of David and later a bitter former captain for Absalom caused the young man to be killed. He then sent a messenger called Cushi to run to King David to report the news of the battle.

An over eager secondary messenger named Ahimaaz asked Joab if he could run too. Joab asked him why he wanted to run when he had no message at all to give. Nevertheless Joab humoured him and pointlessly commissioned him to run too. Zealous Ahimaaz ran speedily and overtook Cushi. He reached the destination and an anxious Kind David, who was yearning to hear if his son Absalom was well. Although this son of his had caused him much trouble over his lifetime, David still loved him dearly. Yet all Ahimaaz could say about the happenings was, ‘erm, I saw a great tumult, but I don’t know what it was about’!

Finally Cushi arrived, the true messenger who could report to Kind David the whole story. He told David how the battle had gone and gave David the news he had been aching to know. Was his son well? Cushi could affirm that no, his son Absalom was slain along with others of David’s ‘enemies’.

So…. likewise today, there are many eager messengers who may impress with how far they reach and they may get to minister to people before those with the whole truth manage to. Yet, it is all in vain if they are not telling people the whole, true Gospel. Not a watered down version with the key elements (repentance, correct baptism, eschewing sin etc) missed out or altered.

If you have the TRUE message –run with it!