Counter Culture

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

            “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.

John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”

            Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”

            “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.

            Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”             

He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”  Luke 3:7-14

            John’s message was really quite contrary! Contrary to the religion of the time, contrary to the culture of the time, contrary to the work ethics of the time. His challenge to the people was to live contrary lives that countered the effects of their culture. He challenged their sense of “religious entitlement” – the idea that because they belonged to the “right religion” they were entitled to God’s favor.  He challenged their lifestyle of having more than they needed while others went without. He challenged their work ethics that exploited others because they weren’t content with what God was providing them.

            John’s message was simple – don’t put on a show of holiness, live your faith. John’s challenge was no less than to live contrary to culture. It’s the same challenge we have today. To follow the Way of Christ means to live counter-culturally.  It means living a life of caring about and for others and being content with what we have.

Let’s Do Something About It

Consider the four areas of John’s message: religious entitlement, lifestyle, integrity, and contentment. Prayerfully ask God to show you how you can take steps in your life to live counter-culturally in these four areas. Journal your insights as a reminder and an encouragement for you to “produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

Hearts Prepared

And he [John the Baptizer]went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

             “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

             ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

                        make his paths straight.            

Every valley shall be filled,

                        and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

             and the crooked shall become straight,

                        and the rough places shall become level ways,            

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” Luke 3:3-6

            John’s life purpose, as prophesied in Luke 1, was to prepare the peoples’ hearts for the arrival of the Messiah. He came to reveal the crookedness of their life-paths, the emptiness in their souls, the obstacles of their lifestyle, the coarseness of their attitudes so that they could receive the Christ and the message of redemption, forgiveness, mercy and grace.

            It is true that Christ accepts us “just as I am” – but unless we truly can acknowledge and admit our need for a Savior, and our willingness to submit to a radically different way of thinking and living, we will never be able to completely embrace what He brings. Consider the bent pathways, the roadblocks, the coarse attitudes of your life today. Look deep into your soul – where does the Savior need to fill in, level out, straightened up, or smooth over? Acknowledge it, admit it, and submit to the Father’s loving, cleansing, healing, and yes purging Hand. Don’t settle for surface grace today!

Let’s Do Something About It

·      Set aside some time today to truly look at the pathway your life is on. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the valleys, the mountains, the coarseness, and/or the curving, twisting roads of your life.

·      Sincerely acknowledge the truth of the condition of your life and ask God to begin the work of filling the emptiness, leveling the obstacles, untying the knots, and smoothing the rough places in your life, your relationships, your attitudes, in every area of your being.

·      Consider jotting down the key points that God shows you as a reminder and encouragement as this process unfolds in your life.

Growing in the Wilderness

And the child [John] grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel…the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. Luke 1:80; 3:2

            John [the Baptizer] grew and became strong in spirit until…

            Sometimes the wilderness is not just where we wait for God, it is where God is preparing us for the work that will come. The wilderness may seem dry and lonely, but it can also be a place of quiet and peace, stillness and spiritual reliance. A place where we can grow in dependence on and confidence in God’s sustaining Provision and enduring Presence.

            John’s work would be hard, lonely, and controversial. He was called to be a prophet for the Most High who would go before the Lord to prepare His ways. (See Luke 1:76) He would live an austere life in the desert, be criticized by the leaders of his faith, and in the end executed. His time of preparation in the wilderness was essential if he was going to faithfully complete the work which God had planned and purposed for him.  

            We can grow impatient in the wilderness and be tempted to go off on our own power and direction, or, we can grow tranquil and strong in the wilderness, waiting for God’s Word to come to us.

Let’s Do Something About It

·      If you are in a period of stillness or waiting in your life, ask God to show you how you can appreciate this time and use it to grow attentive and strong in His Presence.

·      If you are in a season of activeness, or if your life seems out of control with busyness, ask the Lord to show you how to wait upon His Word even now in your busy time. 

Time and Place

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. Luke 3:1-2

            God works in our times. Our faith does not exist outside of the times and events in which we live. God works in and through the people, places, and current events of our lives, and asks us to counter the cultural effects that these times bring, especially upon the poor, the oppressed, the hurting, and the wayward. Sometimes when we look at the news, and consider what is happening in our world today, we are tempted to despair, but these events, as sad, disturbing, upsetting, or frustrating as they are, are exactly the events that God wants us to bring His Presence into. As we see in the story of Esther, who knows but that you are here, now for just this purpose? (See Esther 4:14).

            John heard God’s Word come to him in the wilderness. Where will you hear God’s Word come to you today? Are you listening for it?

Let’s Do Something About It

·      Take a moment to review your schedule over the last couple of days. Do you see a pattern of people/places/ or activities? How fully aware are you during those times that you may be the one to bring God’s Presence consistently into those places and to those people?

·      When you watch the news today or read the paper or news magazine consider using the headlines as your prayer list.

·      Ask God to give you a prayer list of Government, Social, and Religious leaders for whom you can be praying regularly.

In the Wilderness

Pro Growth

And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel. Luke 1:80

For John to fulfill his calling he had to grow and become strong in spirit. This took isolation and intention. John did not seek out or settle in places that promised fame, fortune, or prosperity – quite to the contrary, he stayed in the wilderness until the day– the day that God had established, the day God had determined as the right time. Until the day when John was prepared, physically as well as spiritually, and God’s plans were ready to be set in motion.

We often grow impatient with our desire to serve – or expecting others to “step up to the plate.” But God’s plans take time, and if we want to participate fully in those plans we must be intentional about growing and becoming spiritually strong. That means we must be willing to get out of the limelight and settle in the wilderness for a while.

We must also be willing to allow others to settle into their wilderness times as well. Luke tells us that John’s neighbors expected great things from him, (Luke 1:66). We can imagine their thoughts and comments as the boy grew in obscurity, and apparent “ordinariness.” But John was faithful to God’s plans for his life – and one can suppose that his parents, the ones who had been blessed by God’s very real Presence and Power, may have encouraged him to stay true to his own course.

To serve God fully we must be committed to growth. Our own growth, and the growth of others. Occasionally we must seek the wilderness.

Let's DO something about it:

Fame, fortune, and prosperity – they all sound much more enticing than “wilderness.” Yet, if we want to experience real growth, real spiritual strength, and real fulfillment of God’s call on our life, we have to decide where our focus lies.

• Consider the concepts of “growth” and “spiritual strength.” What do they mean to you? How important are they to your daily life?
• Prayerfully consider how willing you would be to give up the “limelight” of fame, fortune, or prosperity for the loneliness and anonymity of the wilderness?
• Is there someone you know who needs encouragement during their “wilderness” experience?