John - Day 25: Navigaing the Winding Road of Culture

In John 17:13-19 Jesus is praying for His disciples and as He does He prays That they will be in the world but not of the world. In it but not of it was His mode of operation, and I believe His desire for us as parents and as a church is to train, teach and coach our kids in this next generation to be in the world but not to be of it. This means we will have to teach them how to drive through the winding road of cultural shifts and trends they will encounter at break-neck speeds. The first thing that seems important is to teach them to drive defensively. We must teach them to be aware that Satan is trying to wreck their lives by enticing them to love the things that will not last (1 John 2:15-17). Not only is it about driving defensively, but then it is important to teach them to steer into the truth. Jesus Says that we need to understand we are set apart by the truth. The most important thing we can do with our children is give them Jesus, tell them about Jesus, and cultivate their relationship with Jesus. We also must also teach them to engage their culture to make a difference. If they are going to follow Jesus they are not going to avoid their culture; they will engage their culture, but with the purpose of being God’s change agent in a culture looking for hope, joy, and forgiveness. One of the most important opportunities we have is to help our kids see them- selves as sent on mission from God. Lastly, Jesus then prays for unity among believers and that their unity would be a testimony to people who are watching.

Read John 17

Q: What are the biggest changes you have seen in culture over the last 20-30 years?

Q: What philosophy have you been exposed to:
Separatist – “Culture is bad, stay away.”
Conformist – “You are going to make mistakes anyway, just let them learn the hard way.”

Q: What do you think it means to be in the world, but not of the world?

Q: How do we help the next generation steer into… The truth of who Jesus is? The truth of where the Bible leads? The truth of how the Spirit guides?

Q: Why is it important to engage our culture?

For Further Study: Matthew 28:18-20, Ephesians 6:10-17