Counterculture vs. Subculture Part II

The early church was counterculture. Today, much of the church is a subculture. What is the difference? A counterculture is a group of people whose lifestyle rejects or opposes the dominant values and behavioral patterns of society. A completely different set of guidelines governs their lives. The early church depicted this. Peter said to the first converts, "Be saved from this perverse generation" (Acts 2:40) The Message heightens the meaning by quoting Peter as saying "Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!"

A subculture, on the other hand, is a distinctive group of people that is still part of the overall existing culture. Though some trait about people in the group distinguishes them, they are connected with society overall. The church today fits this description. We have labels of "born again" and "saved". We affiliate with groups or circles: evangelical, Full Gospel, charismatic, denominational, and so on. But we are very much tied in with society.

Our society encompasses people with vastly different lifestyles. On one end are extreme liberals and on the other end, conservatives, with many variations between the two ends. On the extreme end you may find people living exceptionally abnormal lives, performing lewd acts both privately and publicly. They may live perverted lifestyles, etc. We consider them an extreme segment of society that most of the church would never seek to emulate.

On the other end, we find the conservative Americans. These men and women live what many call normal lives. Although this segment of society sees itself as "good", it is linked with the overall culture living under the influence of the prince of the power of the air. Sometimes "good" is the greatest enemy of God. Remember, Eve's choice of what seemed good was very much against God's ways.

Instead of believers living totally separate lives today based on the governing authority of the kingdom of God, many of us live our lives no differently from conservative unbelievers. We say we are not of this world, but for many of us this is a theory instead of reality. Because we are connected, as the boundary lines of society shift, we shift with them.

The Word of God tells us to avoid every form of evil (1Thess 5:22) and says that it is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do so why do we line up or subscribe and pay money to see attitudes, mannerisms and patterns that have been shaped by the perverted generation we live in? I can just hear the Lord asking, "why do My people entertain themselves with the very things that drove the nails through My hands?"

Why do we rely on the ratings of the industry instead of the discernment of the Holy Spirit? Has God changed in the past twenty years to accommodate the trends of this generation? Absolutely NOT! If God's standards have not changed, why have the average American believer's standards changed? This pattern is evident in all areas of life - clothing, views of politics, the way we handle money and business and more. Why do we want to feed off of what the world feeds off of?

The early church was hungry and desired to know their Redeemer more than they desired comfort or pleasure. The enticements of their culture had no power over the majority of them because of their passion for the Lord. The cost of forsaking all was nothing compared to the reward of knowing HIM.

A truly changed heart will produce a Godly lifestyle. Outward mannerisms are useless if they don't reveal what has happened within the heart of a person. We need to arouse a zeal for the presence of God in our lives. We have a responsibility to separate from the world. Let us not allow the desire for the good life to be stronger in us than passion for God. We must remember the promise of His presence awaiting those who separate themselves and draw near.

Counterculter or Subculture Part I

In their hearts, the children of Israel had not separated themselves from Egypt; they had not forsaken their desire for it's ways. But when "God" was offered in a package similar to the mannerisms and patterns of Egypt, it was wonderful, they thought, because they could have God and their true desire - Egypt. They could remain conformed to Egypt and have God too!

Numerous patterns and mannerisms of lifestyles are shaped by the spirit of the world. If we choose not to forsake them for the reward of drawing near God's presence, we will constantly gravitate back toward the influences of the spirit that runs the world. But God commands, "Do not act like the people in Egypt, where you USED TO LIVE......you must not imitate their way of life. Leviticus 18:3

We are not to imitate the world's patterns or mannerisms or to act like the people of this world. Paul reinforces this point: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". (Romans 12:2)

The kingdom of God and the course of this world are running in two opposite directions. There is no harmony between the two, as Jesus indicates, "When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don't. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you" (John 15:18-19)

Jesus chose us to come out of the world's pattern of living, and He explains, that's why it hates us. But does it really hate us? It is almost as if the church has spent the past few decades trying to prove Jesus' words to be inaccurate. We have tried our best to fit in. We have consciously believed we could have the world's approval and Jesus' approval too. But Jesus said the world will love us only if we belong to it. So why have we strived to belong where we shouldn't fit in?

The most outstanding characteristic between the early church and the church today was their separated lifestyle. No one could find the mannerisms, methods and ways of the world in them. They were completely different from their surrounding society because they lived under a totally different set of principles and values. The Word of God truly shaped their lives.

The reports of these early believers were that they dwelt in their communities as sojourners and that even though the lived IN the flesh, they did not live AFTER the flesh. They had little interest in respectable pleasures, public sporting events and amusements. They were persecuted, dishonored and hated. And those who hated them were unable to give any reason for their hatred.

Presently, those who hate us don't have to search too hard to give valid reasons for their dislike. This report of the early church could only apply to a small segment of today's church. We have numerous scandals at all levels of ministry. These tragic incidents have occurred because of our self-seeking desires. Not only leaders but many in the church live materialistic lives in the pursuit of pleasure and treasures of this world. We think nothing of lining up for the same movies, entertainment and amusements that the world pursues.

The early Christians believed that this world and the next were enemiesand that you cannot be the friends of both. James bluntly states, "You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you cannot be friend of God". (James 4:4)

Why does he call believers adulterers who seek to enjoy the world? An adulterer has a covenant with one but seeks a relationship with another. We as believers have covenant with God, so why should we desire to pursue the patterns, mannerisms, and ways of the world? Could it be that we are no different from Israel of old, who would not give up the desires of Egypt for the privilege of coming to God?

(to be continued)

A Different Focus

The previous post ended by saying that the Israelites focus was their own lives, not God's heart. Moses was quite different. After becoming GREAT in Egypt, he CHOSE to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the benefits of Egypt. The children of Israel did not have to CHOOSE their hardships, but Moses had been presented with the finest of everything the world could offer and he refused it all. (Hebrews 11:26) Having quickly forgotten it's oppression, the people of Israel wanted to return to Egypt (the world). They remembered only that they had feasted on the things they lacked in the wilderness of God's testing. Moses, on the other hand, chose hardship "because he was looking ahead to his reward."

What was that reward? The answer is found in Exodus 33:1-2. The offer of the promise they had awaited was before them. After four hundred years in a foreign land, the offer of a bountiful land was being laid before the leader. But there was a catch. v. 33 - God told Moses to take the people to the land He had promised them, that he would give them the escort of an angel, although He would not accompany them. Moses quickly responded, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." (Ex. 33:15) Moses did not hesitate or bargain in his answer. He would without a second thought remain the arid desert, the place that brought much discomfort with God's presence, rather than go to the land of vineyards, streams and beautiful houses without God's presence.

It's a good thing that the option of entering the promised land without God was not placed before the Israelites. They continually complained in difficult times with threats to return to Egypt, and if they would have taken Egypt without God, they would have gladly taken their own good land with an angel. Their reward was whatever benefited them the most. (This is what the world lives for too - "What is best for me?")

To Moses, the promise was nothing without God's presence. He refused God's offer because even though it would have resulted in a much more comfortable life, it was void of what his heart beat for. He desired above all else to know God. He did not ask for land, wealth, honor, or any other tangible asset. He had it all in Egypt and realized that it did not bring true satisfaction. Immediately after he refused the offer of the promised land void of God's presence, his heart cry was, "please, show me Your glory." (Ex. 33:18)

Moses made a firm decision. He pursued the reward of knowing God. Shunning the world was no price at all in comparison with the reward of God's glory. Because he decided to forsake the rewards of the world's system, he was able to draw near to the God on the mountain. The people, however, couldn't draw near to the God of holiness. Egypt's desires were still in them. They had not separated themselves in their hearts from the world, which resulted in their inability to separate what was of the world and what was of God.

If you desire both the world and the intimate knowledge of God, the image of God becomes distorted. You do not truly know Him; you know a different Jesus. The children of Israel wanted God's deliverance, but desired what Egypt had as well. That was why they never would "give up the prostitution they began in Egypt." They were conformed to the world, Egypt's desires were shaped within them, and even though God's strong power delivered them out of Egypt, they did not make the decision to get Egypt out of them.

The Desire of the World

The following post is the second in a series taken from the book "A Heart Ablaze" by John Bevere.

Of all those who were delivered from Egypt, Moses was the one who was most entangled in its ways. He was raised in Pharaoh's house, he was schooled in Egyptian wisdom, and all of his friends were Egyptian. The other Hebrew men and women were at least in their own community within Egypt. They were treated harshly by that society, yet Moses was treated well by its treasures and wisdom. They had not been as involved with its whole system to the degree that Moses had been. So if anyone could have said that it was harder to get free from the desires of Egypt, it should have been Moses. Yet he had no desire for any form of Egypt, while the children of Israel continually gravitated for it.


Why did the people of Israel, who were less intertwined with Egypt's ways than Moses was, gravitate back to it, while Moses displayed no desire to have anything to do with its ways? Why was the one who was more entangled with the world less interested in its ways?

If we examine the two, we will find the difference. We will also have a very clear picture of two distinctive groups of people that make up the church today, with Moses representing one group and the children of Israel the other. We will see why many today in the church conform to the world while others in the church, even though some have come out of great entanglements of bondage, have no desire to return the world.

For centuries the children of Israel had prayed and cried for deliverance from their Egyptian oppressors. They longed to return to the land of promise. They had been slaves all of their lives. Their fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers had been slaves. God sent their deliverer, Moses. The people experienced overwhelming joy. They saw the signs Moses performed. I can just hear them crying, shouting and exclaiming, "It has finally happened. God has come to set us free!" Can you imagine the feelings in that meeting? They had been slaves all of their lives. The promise of deliverance had been talked about for four hundred years. The people experienced overwhelming joy.


Moses left that meeting and went to Pharaoh and proclaimed the same message from the Lord. He commanded Pharaoh to "let His people go". But Pharaoh responded by increasing their hardship. No longer would straw be provided for the endless number of bricks that the Israelites were to produce each day. They would have to glean by night and labor by day. The total number of bricks would not diminish, although their straw was removed. God's word of freedom had increased their hardship and suffering.


The children of Israel's attitude starting changing. They complained and told Moses to "leave them alone and to quit preaching to Pharaoh; you are making life worse for us. " They were the same ones who had worshipped God just days earlier when Moses first brought the news.


When God finally delivered them from Egypt, Pharaoh's heart was hardened again and he pursued the Israelites into the wilderness with his finest chariots and warriors. Seeing that Egypt had rallied against them and that they were backed up to the Red Sea, the Hebrews again complained: "Didn't we tell you to leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than die in the wilderness" (Ex. 14 :12)


"It would have been better for us." In essence they were saying, "why should we do what you say God speaks when it is only making our lives more miserable? We are worse off - not better." They were quick to compare their former lifestyle with their present condition. Whenever the two did not balance, the Israelites wanted to go back. They desired whatever appealed to their best interests over the desire to fulfill God's will. Oh, how they lacked true desire for God in their love for their own lives!


God split the sea, and the children of Israel crossed on dry land and saw their oppressors drowned. They celebrated with dancing and praising before Him. They were firm believers and nothing would draw them back. They were certain they would never again doubt His goodness. But they did not know their own hearts - their intentions, yes, but their desires, no. Another test would arise and again expose their unfaithfulness. Just three days later they complained that they wanted not bitter water, but sweet. (Ex. 15:22-25) Their thoughts were already turning to what they had in Egypt that they lacked in God's desert.


A few more days passed and they complained about the lack of food. They same behavior continued. They complained whenever they encountered situations that weren't to their liking. As long as it seemed good for them, they kept God's Word and appeared to desire Him. But if obedience meant to go a direction that wasn't pleasing to their flesh, they complained. "Would it not be better for us?" - these words paint a clear picture of their hearts. "For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks." (Matt 12:34) Their core motivation for living was made evident by their behavior and words spoken under pressure - it was for themselves. Their focus was their own lives, not God's heart.

(....to be continued)

A Heart Ablaze

I'm reading a book right now by John Bevere called "A Heart Ablaze" and was struck and convicted by so many things in it. It is so rich and for the next few posts I just want to share from it. I cannot take credit for any of the following:

One of two things is going to happen in the life of a believer: either he is going to be conformed into the image of Jesus by allowing the Word of God to change him, or he is going to conform Jesus into the image of what his heart dictates. As in Exodus with the story of the Israelites, if you go to the mountain, you change. If you stay at the foot of the mountain, as Aaron did, God's image in you changes. You make Him what you want Him to be other than Who He truly is.

INTENTIONS OR DESIRES

Romans 12:2 says "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind". Strong's dictionary defines the word conform as "to fashion alike, to shape one thing like another".

Desires and intentions are two different things, although many believe they are one and the same. You can have very good or godly intentions, but they may not be your true desires. Many people say that they desire to walk away from the influences of the world and press into God, yet they don't follow through. They are out of touch with their true desires, for James declares that "each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed" (James 1:13)

A comedian once said, "the devil made me do it". The devil can't make a believer do anything. He can only entice; however, you can't be enticed by something you don't desire. If a line of cocaine or a few hits of LSD were offered to most believers, they would without hesitation refuse them, because they have no desire for them; therefore, they cannot be enticed by them.

We must bring our desires under the submission of the Cross: "Those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24). It is not something God does for us; it is something we must do. We can't do it without His grace, yet we must do it. We can be enticed by any wrong desires that we have not put under the Cross. If we have not put away our desire for the world's ways, then we can easily slip back to the world.

Our Approach To Worship

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise"; "praise God in His sanctuary" (Psalms 100:4; 150:1)

As I read these verses, I was reminded that worship is not so much about God coming into our presence as it is about our going into His presence. Furthermore, it is not that God descends to meet with us when we praise, but rather that we ascend unto Him.

If we are having a "bad" worship service, our first thought is that we need the presence of God. The fact is that God is already with us - what we need is to do something, for us to ascend unto the Lord in our hearts. Isaiah 2:3 "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord...." The problem is never with God for He is always ready; the problem is with us, every time.

It is true that God inhabits our praise, that He dwells and abides in our praise. He is made King when we praise Him for we are declaring His Kingship and Lordship to a world that does not recognize Him as Lord. Our praises testify to the saved and the unsaved.

The worship leader cannot produce God's presence. His/her job is to lead God's people UP to Mount Zion. The weight of the responsibility for a worship service is often seen to fall on the shoulders of those on the platform, and the individual in the congregation is relatively free from feeling any responsibility for the service. Not so - we are all ministers before and unto the Lord. It is my responsibility, your responsibility and the responsibility of each person to offer up an individual "sacrifice of praise" to the Lord.

Rather than see how much we can receive on a Sunday morning, let us endeavor to give unto God, to minister to Him, to bless His name. God is not trying to grow lazy leeches who know how to sponge off the pastor and the congregation. God loves givers - people who come intent upon contributing.

Wherever you attend church, go this week and express your love to the Lord in a fuller measure - yes, even with all your heart, mind, soul and strength.

Peacemakers

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God.

Jesus didn't say, "Blessed are the peace keepers". He said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." A peace keeper will compromise truth in order to have a false sense of peace. They won't speak up when they should. A peacemaker will confront if need be to have true peace. -Selah!