April 23, 2025 • 11 mins
Christians are called to be different. Most people don't like that idea because we all want to fit in. But today, I'm talking about how to live against the grain in a world that tries to pull us away from God
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hi Thearon. Welcome back to Words of Truth to podcast,
where we explore how to live deeply rooted in Christ
in a world that often pulls us in every direction.
But him I'm mark in today's episode is one that
I believe that we all need to hear against the grain,
living counter culturally as a Christian. If you've ever felt
(00:26):
like following Jesus puts you out of sync with the
world around you, well you're not wrong. And guess what
that tension Isn't just normal, It's biblical. Let's dive into that.
As followers of Christ, we're called to be different. Now,
most people don't like that idea because at some level
(00:48):
we all want to feel like, well we fit in.
But let's talk about what the Bible says about living
in this world as a Christian. Let's start with Romans,
chapter twelve, verse two. It's one of those cornerstone verses.
This is what it says, do not conform to the
pattern of this world, but be tramformed by the renewing
(01:10):
of her mind. Now that phrase do not conform, well,
that's a powerful phrase. The original Greek implies being molded
or shaped by external pressures. Think of culture like a
mold trying to press you into a shape, its values,
its priorities, it's worldview. And that means that anything outside
(01:35):
the teaching of the Bible is of this world. Anything
that speaks about human behavior or sexual identity, self fulfillment, marriage,
and even how to act as an employee, it's all
in the Bible. And anything that contradicts biblical truth is
of the world. But as followers of Jesus, we're called
(01:59):
to read is this the mold and instead be transformed
from the inside out. And it all starts with our
mind and what we allow our mind to be influenced by.
Will we let it be influenced by the ideas of
the sinful and broken world or by God? You see,
(02:20):
the Christian life isn't just a slightly cleaner version of
the world's life. It's a whole new way of being,
a new identity, a new kingdom, a new king In fact,
the Bible says that when we're in Christ, we become
a new creation. Well, let's talk about where culture and
(02:43):
God's kingdom collide. Let's talk about where this gets real.
Let me give you some examples of this real world collision.
For example, culture says follow your heart, Jesus says, deny yourself,
take up your cross, and follow me. In Luke nine
(03:03):
twenty three, culture says you do you, Jesus says, not
my will, but yours be done. In Luke twenty two
forty two, culture says, make a name for yourself. Jesus says,
make my name known. Culture says, cancel them. Jesus says,
(03:25):
forgive them. Love your enemies. You see, the world is
all about self self expression, self promotion, self protection, self exaltation.
But the way of Jesus is about surrender. And that's
why living for Christ will often look well, very strange.
(03:48):
You might be misunderstood, you might even be rejected, but
that doesn't mean that you're doing something wrong. It might
actually mean that you're doing something very right. Did you
know that Jesus was the ultimate counter cultural leader. That's right,
he was. Let's not forget Jesus himself was profoundly counter cultural.
(04:13):
He touched lepers when no one else would. He welcomed
women and children and outcasts when everyone else rejected them
and cast them aside. He flipped tables in the temple,
called out religious hypocrisy, and yet forgave those society the
mean deemed unforgivable. He lived in a perfect truth and
(04:37):
perfect grace, something that our world struggles to hold intention.
And here's the wild part. He didn't just call us
to admire his life. He called us to imitate it.
The apostle Paul said in Chris Corinthians, chapter eleven, verse one,
be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. And
(05:00):
he wrote in Ephesians five, verses one and two, Therefore,
be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in
love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for
us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. And so
if we're following Jesus, it should be no surprise when
(05:20):
we find ourselves walking a different path, one that's often narrower, lonelier,
and harder. When the first century Christians began following Christ,
they were banned from the marketplaces, they couldn't sit on
the city council, they were shunned by society because they
(05:41):
wouldn't worship the false gods. But they must have had
a good reason for sticking with it, and it's because
following Christ is a richer, deeper, and far more meaningful life.
So what does it mean to be in the world
but not of it. Well, let's talk about balance for
(06:03):
a second. Jesus prayed in John chapter seventeen that his
followers would not be taken out of this world, but
protected while in it. And so we're not called to
run from culture, but we're called to live distinctly within culture.
Jesus called us to be salt in light, preserving truth,
(06:28):
adding flavor, bringing clarity in the darkness. He said in
Matthew chapter five and verse thirteen, you are salved of
the earth. But if salt has lost its taste, how
shall it salting us be restored? It is no longer
good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled
under people's feet. And that means that you can be
(06:49):
in the business world and not worship money. It means
you can enjoy social media but not find your identity
in it. It means you can be in poly but
still place your hope in a heavenly kingdom. It means
you can love people deeply without compromising biblical truth. It's
not always easy, no, but we're not alone in it.
(07:14):
Jesus promised to be with us every step of the way,
giving us strength to walk in him. Now, practically speaking,
how do we live counter culturally. Well, let me leave
you with just a few practical ways to walk this out.
First of all, renew your mind daily. This world bombards
(07:37):
us with messages about who we are, what success looks like,
what we should chase. If we're not anchored in scripture,
well we're going to drift. So spend time in God's
word every day. Let it rewire your thinking and reshape
your values. Don't make this a casual thing, but make
(08:00):
a time every day to be in the Word of God,
the same way you make time to eat and bathe
each day. Secondly, surround yourself with the community of Jesus followers.
You can't walk counter culturally alone. You need people who
are swimming upstream with you, encouraging you, challenging you, praying
(08:23):
with you. Even Jesus had his twelve who walked alongside
of him. Hebrews Chapter ten, verse twenty five says, not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another. And all the more as you
see the day drawing near, find a church, join a
(08:44):
small group, get real with some friends. Thirdly, live with
an eternal perspective. You see, this life isn't all there is.
The applause of people is temporary. The rewards of this
world are going to fade. But living for Christ that
(09:07):
echoes into eternity. Let your decisions reflect that truth. Hebrews
Chapter twelve, verses one and two puts it this way. Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance
(09:29):
the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the pioneer and perfector of faith, for the joy set
before him. He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let me close with some encouragement for the road. If
(09:51):
you're tired from standing firm, if you've lost friends, been misunderstood,
or felled out a place because of your faith, I
want you to hear this. You're not alone, you're not crazy,
and my friend, it's worth it, Jesus said, blessed are
(10:12):
you When people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say
all kinds of evil against you, because of me. Rejoice
and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.
Matthew Chapter five, Verses eleven and twelve. Keep going, keep shining,
keep choosing the narrow road. You're not just going against
(10:33):
the current, You're following the King. Well, that's it for today.
It's if this has encouraged you, would you take a
moment to share, share it with a friend or leave
a review helps more people define this message and remember,
don't just blend in. You were made to stand out
(10:53):
for him. Until next time, stay anchored in the words
of truth. The
Hi Thearon. Welcome back to Words of Truth to podcast,
where we explore how to live deeply rooted in Christ
in a world that often pulls us in every direction.
But him I'm mark in today's episode is one that
I believe that we all need to hear against the grain,
living counter culturally as a Christian. If you've ever felt
(00:26):
like following Jesus puts you out of sync with the
world around you, well you're not wrong. And guess what
that tension Isn't just normal, It's biblical. Let's dive into that.
As followers of Christ, we're called to be different. Now,
most people don't like that idea because at some level
(00:48):
we all want to feel like, well we fit in.
But let's talk about what the Bible says about living
in this world as a Christian. Let's start with Romans,
chapter twelve, verse two. It's one of those cornerstone verses.
This is what it says, do not conform to the
pattern of this world, but be tramformed by the renewing
(01:10):
of her mind. Now that phrase do not conform, well,
that's a powerful phrase. The original Greek implies being molded
or shaped by external pressures. Think of culture like a
mold trying to press you into a shape, its values,
its priorities, it's worldview. And that means that anything outside
(01:35):
the teaching of the Bible is of this world. Anything
that speaks about human behavior or sexual identity, self fulfillment, marriage,
and even how to act as an employee, it's all
in the Bible. And anything that contradicts biblical truth is
of the world. But as followers of Jesus, we're called
(01:59):
to read is this the mold and instead be transformed
from the inside out. And it all starts with our
mind and what we allow our mind to be influenced by.
Will we let it be influenced by the ideas of
the sinful and broken world or by God? You see,
(02:20):
the Christian life isn't just a slightly cleaner version of
the world's life. It's a whole new way of being,
a new identity, a new kingdom, a new king In fact,
the Bible says that when we're in Christ, we become
a new creation. Well, let's talk about where culture and
(02:43):
God's kingdom collide. Let's talk about where this gets real.
Let me give you some examples of this real world collision.
For example, culture says follow your heart, Jesus says, deny yourself,
take up your cross, and follow me. In Luke nine
(03:03):
twenty three, culture says you do you, Jesus says, not
my will, but yours be done. In Luke twenty two
forty two, culture says, make a name for yourself. Jesus says,
make my name known. Culture says, cancel them. Jesus says,
(03:25):
forgive them. Love your enemies. You see, the world is
all about self self expression, self promotion, self protection, self exaltation.
But the way of Jesus is about surrender. And that's
why living for Christ will often look well, very strange.
(03:48):
You might be misunderstood, you might even be rejected, but
that doesn't mean that you're doing something wrong. It might
actually mean that you're doing something very right. Did you
know that Jesus was the ultimate counter cultural leader. That's right,
he was. Let's not forget Jesus himself was profoundly counter cultural.
(04:13):
He touched lepers when no one else would. He welcomed
women and children and outcasts when everyone else rejected them
and cast them aside. He flipped tables in the temple,
called out religious hypocrisy, and yet forgave those society the
mean deemed unforgivable. He lived in a perfect truth and
(04:37):
perfect grace, something that our world struggles to hold intention.
And here's the wild part. He didn't just call us
to admire his life. He called us to imitate it.
The apostle Paul said in Chris Corinthians, chapter eleven, verse one,
be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. And
(05:00):
he wrote in Ephesians five, verses one and two, Therefore,
be imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in
love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for
us a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. And so
if we're following Jesus, it should be no surprise when
(05:20):
we find ourselves walking a different path, one that's often narrower, lonelier,
and harder. When the first century Christians began following Christ,
they were banned from the marketplaces, they couldn't sit on
the city council, they were shunned by society because they
(05:41):
wouldn't worship the false gods. But they must have had
a good reason for sticking with it, and it's because
following Christ is a richer, deeper, and far more meaningful life.
So what does it mean to be in the world
but not of it. Well, let's talk about balance for
(06:03):
a second. Jesus prayed in John chapter seventeen that his
followers would not be taken out of this world, but
protected while in it. And so we're not called to
run from culture, but we're called to live distinctly within culture.
Jesus called us to be salt in light, preserving truth,
(06:28):
adding flavor, bringing clarity in the darkness. He said in
Matthew chapter five and verse thirteen, you are salved of
the earth. But if salt has lost its taste, how
shall it salting us be restored? It is no longer
good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled
under people's feet. And that means that you can be
(06:49):
in the business world and not worship money. It means
you can enjoy social media but not find your identity
in it. It means you can be in poly but
still place your hope in a heavenly kingdom. It means
you can love people deeply without compromising biblical truth. It's
not always easy, no, but we're not alone in it.
(07:14):
Jesus promised to be with us every step of the way,
giving us strength to walk in him. Now, practically speaking,
how do we live counter culturally. Well, let me leave
you with just a few practical ways to walk this out.
First of all, renew your mind daily. This world bombards
(07:37):
us with messages about who we are, what success looks like,
what we should chase. If we're not anchored in scripture,
well we're going to drift. So spend time in God's
word every day. Let it rewire your thinking and reshape
your values. Don't make this a casual thing, but make
(08:00):
a time every day to be in the Word of God,
the same way you make time to eat and bathe
each day. Secondly, surround yourself with the community of Jesus followers.
You can't walk counter culturally alone. You need people who
are swimming upstream with you, encouraging you, challenging you, praying
(08:23):
with you. Even Jesus had his twelve who walked alongside
of him. Hebrews Chapter ten, verse twenty five says, not
neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,
but encouraging one another. And all the more as you
see the day drawing near, find a church, join a
(08:44):
small group, get real with some friends. Thirdly, live with
an eternal perspective. You see, this life isn't all there is.
The applause of people is temporary. The rewards of this
world are going to fade. But living for Christ that
(09:07):
echoes into eternity. Let your decisions reflect that truth. Hebrews
Chapter twelve, verses one and two puts it this way. Therefore,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses,
let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin
that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance
(09:29):
the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the pioneer and perfector of faith, for the joy set
before him. He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and
set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let me close with some encouragement for the road. If
(09:51):
you're tired from standing firm, if you've lost friends, been misunderstood,
or felled out a place because of your faith, I
want you to hear this. You're not alone, you're not crazy,
and my friend, it's worth it, Jesus said, blessed are
(10:12):
you When people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say
all kinds of evil against you, because of me. Rejoice
and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.
Matthew Chapter five, Verses eleven and twelve. Keep going, keep shining,
keep choosing the narrow road. You're not just going against
(10:33):
the current, You're following the King. Well, that's it for today.
It's if this has encouraged you, would you take a
moment to share, share it with a friend or leave
a review helps more people define this message and remember,
don't just blend in. You were made to stand out
(10:53):
for him. Until next time, stay anchored in the words
of truth. The
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