Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – Jesus neither hid from culture nor was seduced by it. As we follow Him, we must receive His spiritual discernment if we want to influence culture in His way and His time. True influence will look like the cross: costly personal self-giving. But as Jesus showed us on Easter morning, it can change the world forever.
Christians are called to be salt and light in the world, which means having an influence on the culture around us. But if we are not careful, that culture shapes us instead. This article shares how to influence culture like Jesus: in the world but not seduced by it. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
Our culture is sick, and only those with the immune system of Christ can be part of the cure.
Last August I sat across from Genevieve, a member of my church and an up-and-coming artist in Chicago. She had a burden to share over our meal. “I feel torn between my art and my faith,” she confessed. “The more opportunities open up for me in the art community, the more doubts I feel about following Jesus.” She said her friends and mentors in the art world were suspicious of her devotion and interpreted her faith as a threat to her art.
“So what is your greatest hope?” I asked. She sighed. “I want my faith to influence the art community positively. But there is a pull drawing me away from Christian faithfulness. How do I stay engaged here without getting stuck in it?”
As a pastor of a young church in the city, I have this conversation almost weekly. The members of my church don’t want to form a separate religious enclave in the city. They want their faith in Jesus to shape culture: in art, politics, business and academia. But they face enormous pressure to be completely assimilated into the environment they are trying to influence. So how can Genevieve, and all of us, influence culture without being seduced by it?
The city churches of first-century Asia Minor faced the same question. A generation after Jesus rose from the dead, each church mentioned in Revelation 2–3 faced great pressure to compromise its commitment to the Christian faith. In those cities, every citizen was expected to affirm Caesar’s lordship and join drunken sexual feasts honoring local gods. Those who refused were considered unpatriotic and pushed to the margins of influence and commerce.
That is why Jesus Christ Himself encourages the churches in Revelation 2–3, teaching believers how to engage culturally without being threatened by the spirit of the age.
A helpful test case is the church in Thyatira (Revelation 2:18–29). Thyatira was a growing, energetic church whose vitality showed in public action (“your latest deeds exceed your first” – 2:19). In Thyatira, cultural seduction began with one person (Jezebel), who introduced a practice (sexual immorality) that caused spiritual sickness. Jezebel was a self-appointed “prophetess” and irresponsible leader in the church. She taught believers to join local idol feasts and sexual banquets (2:20). Jezebel was hard to resist: she was an influential bridge-builder, well connected among the city’s elite.
And let’s be honest. Jezebel’s life was probably a lot of fun. At the temple feasts you could have the best meal of your life, drink as much wine as you liked, have sex without commitment, meet new business partners and feel good about yourself for being part of it all. Talk about a seductive pull!
With Jezebel, you were no longer on the margins of culture but right at its center: well placed, well paid and ultimately hooked. Instead of becoming influencers, Jezebel’s followers became her servants. She left them pampered and spiritually distorted, more influenced than influencing.
Sicker Than We Know
That may look tragic from our perspective, but it probably seemed perfectly reasonable to them. All assimilation happens gradually and is hard to discern in the moment. What are the temptations for Christians in America? For newer believers, we may be eager to erase the sins of our past. We are embarrassed by the prudishness of conservative Christian parents, so we loosen every personal standard for entertainment. We are bothered by the church’s reputation for being hateful, so in the name of love we abandon our distinctive orthodoxy. Maybe we grew up with a rigid “quiet time” routine, so in the name of freedom we neglect our prayer life and stop spending time in God’s Word.
Jesus’ warning to Thyatira still rings today: “Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds” (Revelation 2:22). Jesus is warning these Christians that every action has consequences; sin in every form eventually brings its own death. Jezebel and her followers were seriously sick. So were the Christians who softened their faith to fit in. Many had assimilated so far that some even abandoned their loyalty to Jesus.
So what is the alternative for Thyatira and for us?
Spiritual Immunity
Revelation 2–3 teaches that sharing in Jesus’ influence means receiving His immune system. That is, Jesus’ program of cultural renewal cannot happen without training in spiritual discernment. An immune system removes the toxins that make us sick, allowing meaningful engagement with the outside world. Without an immune system, we would have to withdraw from the world into a narrow private space.
What was Jesus’ “immune system,” and how did it free Him to engage with people at the margins and at the center of culture? Jesus received His identity, integrity and mission from the Father. That made Him strong enough to engage the world, the flesh and the devil without inhaling their toxins. His spiritual immunity could block any threat to His calling. When one of His disciples told Him not to go to the cross, He rebuked him, “Get behind Me, Satan!” rather than absorbing it (Mark 8:33). All this kept Jesus connected yet distinct.
For the Christians in Thyatira, a functioning immune system would have kept them spiritually healthy by rejecting Jezebel’s toxic teaching. It would also have led to cultural influence, as Jesus promises in Revelation 2:25–26: “To the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end, I will give authority over the nations.”
As we become learners at Jesus’ feet, He gives us training that strengthens our “immune system” and prepares us for this influence. We become people able to bring Jesus’ healing to those around us, even those with deep losses. That is why we need to keep our spiritual discernment sharp, to bring hope and healing to others. If we cannot say no to Jezebel’s seduction, we are probably not ready for spiritual leadership and greater authority.
We may be tempted to resist Jezebel on our own by gathering our strength and trying hard to live well. That is a lonely, exhausting experience! On our own we are spiritually vulnerable. Jesus calls us to live connected in union with Him through the Holy Spirit. “I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Friendship with Jesus is the strongest immune system you need. He passes on the Father’s strength and spiritual discernment that enabled Him to resist the temptations and powers of His age. In other words, spiritual discernment begins with a person (Jesus), who gives us training (spiritual practices rooted in the kingdom of heaven) that makes us flourish in society. We become an irresistible light for those disillusioned by culture. And in the process, we become people who can influence culture without becoming infatuated with ourselves or abusing the privilege of power.
Restoring Health
Here are a few practical ways to share in Jesus’ influence and strengthen our spiritual immunity:
Consider a rest, or a fast, from passive entertainment. I am talking especially about entertainment choices that encourage “Jezebel’s feast.” Stop watching Netflix for a few weeks and practice quiet time alone with Jesus instead. You will find companionship with Jesus deeply encouraging, and the pull of the world will lose its power over you.
Take an honest inventory of the people who occupy your time and imagination. Who fills your calendar, your bookshelf and your feeds? The people we connect with and admire are the people we will become. Seduction often begins with someone we love, whose judgment we fear and whose affirmation we crave. Who are they? Are they operating from Jesus’ immune system? If not, consider spending less time with them and more time with mentors who can train you in the way of Jesus.
Throw the best party. Let your home become a “third space” where people in your circles can interact. Create an environment where people inside and outside the church can create beauty together over good food and drink. This is one way you can extend your cultural influence through hospitality.
Jesus neither hid from culture nor was seduced by it. As we follow Him, we must receive His spiritual discernment if we want to influence culture in His way and His time. Joining what the “Jezebels” around us are doing looks like a wonderful shortcut, but in the end it leads to death. True influence will look like the cross: costly personal self-giving. But as Jesus showed us on Easter morning, it can change the world forever.
Influencing Culture God’s Way
To influence culture positively, we first need to be shaped by God’s Word every day. What we watch, hear and read shapes how we think. Choose carefully and let Scripture be the standard.
Cultural influence doesn’t require big things. An honest life at work, a loving family and a kind word on social media are all ways we are salt and light.
You may also like: 10 Signs of a Worldly Church and 6 Bad Habits Christians Should Drop.
Prayer
Lord, help us live in the world without belonging to the world. Use our lives to influence the culture around us, as salt and light for Your name. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Nhật Tân
Adapted from: Boundless.org
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