I have recently stumbled upon a rather startling discovery. What I have been finding is that our culture is constantly trying to brainwash me. This brainwashing can and does occur through any number of platforms including TV, internet, billboards, magazines, social networking sites and the list goes on and on and on. The world is constantly telling me how I should live, look, act, think, believe and, again, the list goes on and on and on. Admittedly this is no surprise especially to those of us who follow Jesus, however there is often a breakdown that happens in the hearts of those who are so "aware" of this cultural brainwashing. We think that since we have put our faith in Jesus we are immune to this cultural brainwashing and therefore continue going to the same movies, listening to the same music and watching the same shows. This is far from the truth. I have recently been trying to pay attention to the thoughts that just pop into my mind and have been shocked to find how many of them, if not most, are more aligned with the culture than the Kingdom. I was further shocked because I have significantly done away with my secular media intake for this very reason and yet the brainwashing continues. What I have slowly began to realize is that Jesus followers are not simply called to live counter culturally but rather, to affect, change, and revolutionize the culture. The Kingdom was never meant to be a good idea that sits on the margins of society as the American cultural influence dwarfs it. No, the Kingdom is meant to transform and impact the culture we live in with radical love, service, and purity. The world is longing for the people of God to arise and be who they are called to be and they don't even know it. Day after day the broken hearts and shattered lives of people are crying out for an encounter with Jesus. Will you give it to them? What it boils down to is are we sowing to the Spirit or sowing to the flesh? Whether or not we would like to admit it, we are doing one or the other all the time and we can never affect the culture we live in if we look just like it...
