CULTURAL OBLIGATION

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I Was Just Thinking About – CULTURAL OBLIGATION.

A question that confronts all of us: Can any one individual influence or impact the culture? Does one’s life have any value as illumination in the midst of darkness? Can you and/or I make a difference?

In Romans 1:14-16 NKJV), Paul stated, “I am under obligation…I am ready…I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ.” It is this sense of personal commitment and obligation to which each of us should subscribe. Near the end of his life, Paul wrote – II Timothy 2:1-3, “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure^[a]hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”

A dear friend posted a Glenn Sunshine post on the subject of Culture. He wrote: "One of the signs of a great society is the diligence with which it passes culture from one generation to the next. This culture is the embodiment of everything the people of that society hold dear: its religious faith, it's heroes…when one generation no longer esteems its own heritage and fails to pass the torch to its children, it is saying in essence that the very foundational principles and experiences that make the society what it is are no longer valid. This leaves that generation without any sense of definition or direction, making them the fulfillment of Karl Marx's dictum, A people without a heritage are easily persuaded. What is required when this happens and the society has lost its way, is for leaders to arise who have not forgotten the discarded legacy and who loves it with all their hearts. They can then become the voice of that lost generation, wooing an errant generation back to the faith of their fathers, back to the ancient foundations and bedrock values." - Winston Churchill from "Never Give In", Page 190.

The sentence that captured my attention was: “One of the signs of a great society is the diligence with which it passes culture from one generation to the next. This culture is the embodiment of everything the people of that society hold dear: its religious faith, it's heroes…when one generation no longer esteems its own heritage and fails to pass the torch to its children, it is saying in essence that the very foundational principles and experiences that make the society what it is are no longer valid.”

What heritage, legacy and cultural values are we passing on to our generation? Our children’s generation? Our Grandchildren’s generation? There is a Worship Chorus, written by Eleanor Murray – based upon Acts 1:8, that expresses the concern that each follower of Jesus Christ should embrace.

Ye are My witnesses, 'Tis the Lord's command. 

Ye are My witnesses; I have no other plan. 

How shall they hear? How shall they believe? 

Until the gospel they receive? 

For Christ said Ye are My witnesses, 

I have no other plan.

While Proof Reading a book epilogue, the following was stated: “Harry Reeder published a book on Church Revitalization, titled From Embers To A Flame. He wrote against this statistical background: “About 90 percent of all churches in North America average 100 people or less at worship. Over 80 percent of established American Churches are either on a plateau or decline. Every year 3,000 – 4,000 churches die in this country. An average of fifty to 60 congregation of American Congregations choose to dissolve every week. If these statistics are accurate (and they are verifiable from several sources), do we believe we have any responsibility and obligation in this area? Do we believe Jesus Christ has a solution for this religious epidemic that prevails in 2018?

Read Revelation 2:4-7, (J. B. Phillips New Testament): Jesus Christ is speaking: “I hold this against you, that you do not love Me as you did at first. Remember then how far you have fallen. Repent and live as you lived at first. Otherwise, if your heart remains unchanged, I shall come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Let every listener hear what the Spirit says to the Churches: To the victorious I will give the right to eat from the tree of life which grows in the paradise of God.”

Prayerfully – consider these things with me.