When culture becomes king

This is not a new subject. It plays out like this, same song second verse it's not getting better and it will probably get worse. Why? Because culture invades and continues to influence the church and it should be the church that is influencing the culture. The culture has said you need to be more like us if you want us to attend. And so we in the church give them media driven, entertainment driven and consumer driven worship. It called "conference" church or "buffet" church, pick out what you like and consume.

Forget teaching on the holiness of God, or the wrath of God, or the sovereignty of God because someone might get offended and leave. Instead no one is convicted and they stay and that is worse. The culture demands a love affair with self and it endorses and pays homage to TV shows like American Idol. We so relate to American Idol at the large cultural level because it is how most Americans think and feel on the individual level. I want to be the center of attention and all applause, have lots of money and live my life, under my terms, my way!

The real Christian life means that nothing here on planet earth is as valuable to you as the Lord Jesus. This is the "it's not about me" and all about Him life! Plain and simple you demand nothing and yet receive everything in order that Christ might be demonstrated as great. It's the most valuable prize a person can obtain and yet they can't purchase it but can only receive it. The culture doesn't want it and those who love the Lord can't get enough of it. It is a knowing, loving God and serving others in such a way that when others see you, they see Christ. It is being what you have already become, righteous in Christ. But when the culture becomes king of the heart instead of the Lord Jesus then we start to get more and more of the things we serve. And pretty soon we start to think, speak and act so much like the culture that we can no longer be distinguished from it. We spend our money on the same things, our eyes watch and read the same things, when you hear us talk we basically talk about the same things.

Have you been culture saturated to the point that you are lukewarm for the things of God?

Is your passion growing for the word of God in your own private devotions?

Is your prayer life invigorated with God honoring, Christ exalting and Holy Spirit empowered supplications?

Are you part of a community of intimate fellowship that is growing out of an affection for the Lord Jesus?

Is is possible that you are being lulled to sleep by the disease of mediocrity when it comes to your spiritual life?

May I urge you to wake up, be alert and place the Lord Jesus back on the throne of your heart where He belongs. And may we as the church start experiencing real joy, which is the flag that flies over the castle of the heart when the "real" King is in residence!