Seek God...all else will follow

It's a very hard thing to find the balance between being in the world and not of it...I feel like we as Christians spend (and even waste) a lot of time arguing and analyzing about how we are to live and act in a world that isn't our own. It's ok to struggle and wrestle with issues of our faith--it's important that we do, but I'm afraid we spend very little time seeking and studying what Scripture tells us. I think this is because we've lost sight of the purpose in ministering to the surounding culture--to proclaim the glory of God. I am just as guilty of this as anyone, that's why I'm writing. God has shown me some really neat verses that I believe are key in this issue of how to engage the culture around us.

1 Thessalonians 4:3
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God..."

The Church has become far too occupied with the nitty gritty to be of much use to the Kingdom. I have found that I worry a lot about all kinds of "do's" and "don'ts" when my time would be much better spent on God's work that is eternal...the proclamation and living out of His glory so the world will see a living testimony of His love. God's WILL is our sanctification. Let us align our will with His...all else will follow.

Mark 7:14, 15
"And He called the people to Him again and said to them, 'Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him."

Matthew 15:16-20
"And He said, 'Are you without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled? but what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone."

It seems there is a never ending stream of conversation and argument about what, as Christians, is ok to watch (listen to) and what isn't. I recognize that it is important to struggle with, wrestle with, and determine boundaries in such areas--hugely important. However, I found these verses incredibly insightful and encouraging because they brought everything together for me. Watching a movie with crude language and crass humor won't defile me. However, it will soon begin to affect me inside. How it affects my heart, mind, and soul, will be seen in the way I live my life--in my beliefs and actions. What comes out of a man is what defiles him.

I have seen friends "engage the culture" and as a result I can no longer tell who or what they are living for. In my opinion, this is not a good sign. Whether that "one movie" or that "one song" is "bad" or not doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that Christ is no longer being glorified or magnified...and that's the whole point of engaging and identifying with the culture.

I believe that when, and only when, the Church decides to live solely for the sake of the Gospel, and Christians align their will with the will of God (that is, seeking their sanctification), will we see success in the "engaging of the culture."

Christ said that the greatest of all commands is to love God and love others...there's a reason the rest will follow. Perhaps we should be less focused on whether or not that one movie is "ok" to watch, and more focused on God's glory and the work He desires to do in us and through us. I have a feeling the rest will follow...