The Culture of God's Kingdom

The Culture of God’s Kingdom

by David Scott

This subject covers so many facets of life that a web page is insufficient to describe it in detail. However, I hope to get into some aspects of it that will give you a good overview so you can study it for yourself. The main reason we need to understand the culture of God’s kingdom is because so many of us enter His kingdom with mixture in our lives, which causes division due to the way our various cultures continue to influence us.

Our pastor in 1988 referred to this problem as “culture clash.” Pastor Fenton addressed this issue at that time because some members of our church failed to allow God to deal with the way their African and Caribbean cultures did not reflect the culture of God’s kingdom. At first, those saints became quite angry with the pastor for mentioning it. But God bore witness to the truth by bringing a sense of His presence, which produced the humility and repentance necessary for Him to clean their lives up. As a result, their lives today reflect kingdom culture instead of African and Caribbean culture.

This principle is also applicable to every culture upon earth. It is true whether one is born in Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Pacific islands, etc. Since going on the mission field to New Zealand two years ago, I recognize the urgency of this truth more now than when I first heard it in 1988. When we first arrived here, I observed culture clash between European and Maori Christians due to the way they try to mix their native cultures into God’s kingdom.

I saw culture clash once again when I read a book about revival in New Guinea, which told how so many Christians look to witchdoctors when they get sick instead of the Lord Jesus, Who saved them from their sins. The missionaries, who tried to correct them, received much opposition when they pointed out the need to repent of all paganism. It is wrong to add Jesus Christ to the list of pagan gods as though He is equal to them. Either He is Lord of all, or He isn’t Lord at all.

Missionaries have the same problem when they preach the gospel in India. The polytheistic mindset among Hindus makes them think Jesus Christ is only one among many gods. As a result, the gospel has no affect upon them until they repent and acknowledge that no one can come to God apart from the Lord Jesus. When they turn away from their imposter gods and embrace Jesus Christ as the only Savior, the grace of God then begins a work in them, which makes them beautiful people.

The problem of culture clash was brought to my attention again yesterday when I spoke to a missionary, who spent several years in Vanuatu. The people there were quick to believe the gospel when they first heard it. However, they only allowed God to deal with certain areas of their lives. Tradition became as much of a stumbling block to them as it was to the Jewish leaders, who crucified the Messiah. Thus, the saints in Vanuatu need to hear as much about the culture of God’s kingdom as they did about the King. They need to let God renew their minds so they won’t be conformed to the world. They not only need to change their hearts toward the King, but also change their lifestyles to reflect the culture of His kingdom.

As an American, I need to be careful myself not to promote American culture, but only the culture of God’s kingdom. God’s word is true no matter what country you live in. But we must not interpret His word according to human perspectives. We must allow the scriptures to change our perspectives everywhere it is necessary.

It also helps to have a tender heart toward the Lord so He can fill it with His love. My own life is an example of this. When the Lord Jesus made His saving grace real to me in 1966, one of the main problems in the USA was civil rights. Racial problems between white and black Americans were escalating, and some people thought the answer could be found through political activism. However, that only made race relations worse because certain seditious groups exploited the situation.

On the day I was born again, God put His love into my heart in an amazing way! I felt so much love toward everyone that I was inspired to ask God to team me up with a black, Christian brother as a testimony that His love is the only answer to racial problems. A good example based upon God’s love is much better than in-your-face political activism. God answered my prayer within just a few days when I met a black brother from Mississippi named Emmet. We were best friends for the next two years until I went to Bible school in New York and he got married and returned south.

That same love can solve the racial problems between white Europeans and the Maori of New Zealand. It can also dissolve the tribal animosity in Africa. It can unite the white Australians with the Aborigines. God’s love can bring harmony between the Fiji islanders and the Japanese immigrants. Thus, love is one of the primary characteristics of God’s kingdom. Whenever we fail to apply God’s love to a situation, we are promoting another culture. The only result will be culture clash.

So what is culture? How can we define it so we can understand how to recognize it in God’s word and properly apply it to our lives? To keep it as simple as possible, I would say culture is a term, which collectively refers to every aspect of a nation that distinguishes it from the others. The most obvious distinction among the nations is language. I find it fascinating how God used language in the book of Genesis to separate the nations so He could control the evil tendencies in their lives. Then God used language in the book of Acts to unite the nations through His Son, Jesus Christ. Thus, to control sin, it is best to separate the nations. But once sin is dealt with, we can be united once again.

Another distinction among the nations is their music styles and the instruments used to play it. Some nations are known for the way they use certain musical instruments instead of or more than others. India is famous for its sitars and Scotland for its bagpipes. Israel is famous for its shofars and Italy for its mandolins. The USA is famous for its banjos and Spain for its guitars. Some countries are famous for their bands, but others for their orchestras. Israelis use a beat that differs from the Celts, who are different from the Africans, etc.

There is something about music, however, which requires us to be very careful how we employ it in the culture of God’s kingdom. Jazz has its roots in African paganism. Rock-and-roll does too. Because there is a spirit behind some forms of music, which is at enmity with God, those music forms should not be used in the church. The music of God’s kingdom has a style of its own. Anyone, who is sensitive to the Holy Spirit, can feel the difference, but it is difficult to express in words.

Before my conversion to Jesus Christ, I was a rock-and-roll fanatic. I was able to get high on the music without taking drugs. The moment I was born again, whatever responded to rock music died within me. Something also changed when I played my guitar. A new style of strumming quickly developed, which changed my beat. Sometimes it is fast and joyful, but it is different from rock music. Other times it is slower, but it is different from country music. It has similarities to country music at times, but it is not melancholy.

As I sit here writing about this, I’m listening to some Irish Christians from Belfast, who have a Celtic style to their music. I feel God’s blessing on their music, so I realize there is a major difference between the Celtic style and African voodoo. Even though the Celts were influenced by other forms of paganism centuries ago, the church in Belfast is not tainted by it. Thus, some styles of music do not clash with the culture of God’s kingdom.

My life has also been enriched by the style of music used by Messianic Jews. Though it differs from the Celtic saints, it is blessed by God’s presence in ways that I’m unable to verbally express. Unfortunately, I’ve also seen some Messianic Jews make the transition from the style God blesses back into worldly styles. Many Christian musicians get a good start with God’s blessing upon them, but gradually slip back into worldliness for some reason. They would all be wise to study Watchman Nee’s book, Love Not The World.

Cultural differences are also influenced by political and economic philosophies. That is why the oldest European nations had monarchies ruled by kings or queens, but the newer American system is a republic. Tribal societies had chiefs or shoguns. Some families lived communally, but others individually. Each of these systems has certain advantages and disadvantages. The greatest disadvantage is the way so many political systems disintegrate into dictatorships, whether they be Nazi, Communist, Fascist, or Muslim.

The system God established in Israel under the O.T. and the church in the N.T. is a theocracy. Making the transition from the world system into God’s theocracy is a delicate situation. It should be voluntary and not done by force. Because God loves us, He does not force His will upon us. Thus, we should relate to other people the same way. Yet we need to change in such a way that while we live in the world, we are not of the world. Just because someone lives in a nation, which makes deceit and theft a way of life, does not mean he can continue living that way himself. Just because some countries make provision for lazy people to live on the dole like parasites, does not mean Christians have an excuse not to work. One of the characteristics of God’s kingdom is productivity. God meant it when He inspired Paul to write, “If a man does not work, he should not eat.”

Other things, which combine to make up culture, are art forms, literature styles, sports, and family structures. For example, families in Vanuatu live communally, but families in New Zealand live apart from one another. The sport of rugby is a favorite in Europe, S. Africa, and Down Under, but football is more popular in the USA. Soccer is more popular in S. America than N. America. There is a growing trend in literature to promote various forms of devil worship in every country of the world. The most popular literature advocating this evil is the Harry Potter series. Thus, it is at odds with the culture of God's kingdom.

One of the keys to understanding God’s word is to know something about the manners and customs of the Middle East. Western customs are often the opposite of the East. For example, a wedding is paid for by the groom’s parents in the East, but the bride’s parents pay for it in the West. Easterners wear their wedding ring on their right hand, but Westerners wear it on their left hand. Adoption in the East is not the same as the West. This subject is explained on another page at this site. I highly advise any student of the scriptures to also study the manners and customs of Israel. Many Bible verses will make more sense in this light. It will also help us understand the culture of God’s kingdom so we can apply it to our lives properly.

The main point I desire to make in this essay is that we need to make a commitment to God that we will obey His word. If we are to call Jesus Christ our Lord, then we must obey the scriptures. The truth not only sets men free, but also keeps them free. We should find unity in the truth, but we’ll have problems with division as long as there is culture clash. The culture of God’s kingdom is based upon the truth.