Beth Jones Ministries | Obligated to the Peeps in our Culture

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Obligated to the Peeps in our Culture

February 23, 2008

Hey ladies, I stumbled on a great verse in the New Living Bible ...

For I have a great sense of obligation to people in our culture and to people in other cultures, to the educated and uneducated alike. (Romans 1:14, NLT)

Isn't this a great verse? I have a great sense of obligation to the people in our culture. Wow!

This is the challenge ... to be a culturally relevant Christian ... and church. To reach the people living in our culture, in our city, in 2008 ... 2009 ... beyond!

What does our culture look like? Talk like? Think like? Smell like?

Here are my observations ...

they are ...

... tech-driven, cell phone-talking, Internet-living, media-loving, Starbucks-drinking, jeans-wearing, image-developing, music-listening, addictive, obsessive, compulsive ... lost ...
... martini-drinking, beer-guzzling, waxing, whitening, massaging, luxury-loving, fake-dog living, empty souls ...

YUP ... that's what I'm seeing.

Our challenge is to step out of our comfort zone to connect, to reach, to introduce them to our Jesus.

For I have a great sense of obligation to people in our culture and to people in other cultures, to the educated and uneducated alike. So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach God's Good News. For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes ... (Romans 1:14-16, NLT)

Beth

11 comments

Julie Treimer

Beth~ I am so moved~ to ponder, to smile, to act, to laugh, to pass on what I've gained~through the work of your hands and God's hands as they are joined together! You Bless Me :)

April 08, 2008, 9:10am

Chris Peterson

Beth~what a great observation. I work with everyone of those peeps. They have heard of the church, and some have even see it. But, it was not something relevant or inviting. We have so much to offer, so much that we can introduce to them to bring satisfaction and fulfillment into their 'full' and yet very empty lives. Thank you for all that you are doing to be a world changer!

March 04, 2008, 10:02pm

Tori Taylor

Thank you for sharing this verse and providing us with seeds to sow into the Kingdom of Heaven! The Holy Spirit is with us and we are reaching the lost to preach the Good News- Yes and Amen!

February 27, 2008, 6:45pm

Lynn Swope

That verse is so true.......and I find myself lacking sometimes in sharing with others. I am working on this!! Just know that this website is so very helpful to me in connecting with other gals that can lift me up....I do not have that in my work area or in most of my friendships at the present time. Thank you for this site!!

February 27, 2008, 3:41pm

Donna DeBehnke

Great Word for sure! We need to be reaching the community and seeing them the way that God sees them. There is such an amazing harvest right at our doorstep, and we need to go gettem for Jesus! It is a GREAT obligation! They need Him!

February 27, 2008, 2:47pm

Rachel Chiasson

This verse is so true! Our culture is so important to the way we share our Savior with others. My husband and I live in a village where they are the minority. We live in a French Acadian village in an English province in Canada. The people here are isolated by language, culture and past betrayal from the English. They suffer with depression, addictions and dispair. I find that the most important tool to being culturally relevant is being plugged into the Holy Spirit and doing and saying onl

February 25, 2008, 11:17am

Stephanie Wagner

That's a great verse! I asked my Bible Club kids a few weeks ago if they could take Jesus to one place where would it be? Many of them said either church or a soup kitchen. I asked if they would take Him to school. They all just looked at me like, "Are you crazy?" They commented on what their image is of Him.. beard, raggedy tunic, sandals, and they said they might be embarrassed. I asked them to consider the possibility of Jesus in a 21st century and what He would look like, and how He

February 25, 2008, 8:55am

Cindy Barber

What a verse. A challenge to take Jesus to our culture - in our lives, in our churches, in every venue. One thing I loved about New Testament Survey is that you can see that Paul, the disciples, Jesus...they were all culturally relevant! Sometimes I wonder where, as a collective church, we've missed it. How did we stop being in tune with our culture? In any event, I'm thrilled to be at VFC with a vision to reach people where they are and thrilled to see other churches that are chan

February 24, 2008, 10:16pm

Kate Cook

I find it amazing that the same gospel message of Paul's God & Savior - the LORD of the universe - is the stuff that will bring people in my lifetime into God's eternal kingdom just because I take the time to tell them who He is & what He's done for them! We believers have always had the NOW IS SALVATION message! Yay Jesus!

February 24, 2008, 6:48am

JoDee

Good stuff, Beth. I'd love some practical ideas on how we can break out of the same ol' same ol' and really do better at touching lives around us.

February 23, 2008, 11:39pm

Dawn

Man, you nailed it. Yes, we have to reach the real world where real people live...without hope and understanding. Thanks for the refocus help.

February 23, 2008, 11:29pm

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