Know The Culture

In 2012, before I traveled to Australia to minister to the Journey Church in Pacific Pines, I was told a bit about the culture there so that I would better understand the people and not say or do something that would offend them. It was not just somebody being bossy and wanting to tell me what to do. There was no test administered to see if I would remember the set of “rules.” It was simply a kind and thoughtful deed to make my time there as profitable and enjoyable as it could be. I never mastered the really cool accent… except I can pull off a pretty amazing “G’day, Mate!”…but, I was able to live among the people and respect them and love them better because I understood their culture.

As followers of Jesus, we are given a great description of what His culture looks like so that we can better imitate Him. This helps us understand why we are sometimes miserable and why sometimes we are full of joy. It isn’t just a coincidence or a hormonal swing, but often it is our behavior. We were created in the image of God and when we decide to follow Him, we have chosen to live in a different culture. For that to be a pleasant experience, there are things we have to know.

First and foremost is that we are to love God and secondly, love each other. Well, there are about a gazillion different notions about what love looks like and how it behaves, so Jesus tells us what it looks like in His culture. That is His gift of love to us, that we may live an enjoyable and profitable life, rich in love and goodness. When we choose to slip out of that culture of love, it is uncomfortable and in time it turns all our focus inward and we begin to worry about how we are being treated by others rather than focusing outward and loving even those who do not treat us lovingly.

What did Jesus say about being mistreated? “Turn the other cheek.”  When we start to keep score or keep a record of wrongs and demand justice rather than turn the other cheek, something rises up in us that creates stress. It is toxic to us because it does not fit into the culture we have entered when we came to follow Jesus. How did Jesus feel about leadership and authority? He stooped to wash Peter’s dirty feet. He taught us that the way to lead effectively is to serve.

If the culture in your home or in your own heart is creating a battlefield, perhaps it is because you are not listening to Jesus as He tries to teach you to live appropriately and effectively in His culture; the culture of the follower (a.k.a disciple) of Christ Jesus. The culture of love.