Asia Conference 2008: Christ In Culture

Date: 21 November 2008
Speaker: A.R. Bernard
Venue: City Harvest Church (Singapore)

Many churchs' relationship with culture has always been one of imitation (imitating the culture) and isolation (isolating themselves from culture).

Man fell from the created good. Jesus came to reconcil us not just with God, but also with the created good.

Instead of imitation, there should be insulation. Insulation is spiritual layering so that even when you are in a salty lake, the saltiness does not get to you. Insulation keeps the cold out and the heat in.

Instead of isolation, there should be penetration. Penetration is stealthily entering the culture with all the qualifications necessary, and once entering you inject the spiritual element into the culture to change and influence it.

Insulation and penetration is what being a Salt and Light of the world is all about.

You can learn all about the culture but never compromise your spiritual disciplines.

Daniel 2:20-22
Daniel answered and said:

“ Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
For wisdom and might are His.
And He changes the times and the seasons;
He removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise
And knowledge to those who have understanding.
He reveals deep and secret things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
And light dwells with Him.

The finger of God is the sign of God's work in the society, that something greater is going on or is going to happen.

Acts 1:7
And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.

Times = Chrono = The sequential order, a space or period.
Seasons = Kairos = A moment in history where there is a collective sense of deeply meaningful change in the air.
Metanoia = A radical change in mindset and consciousness.


Ways God works in human affairs:
- Through natural order (established principles)
- Through conscience (sense of what is right and wrong)
- Through miracles (miracles supercede all other laws, miracles are divine intervention to prayers and cries)
- Through providence (when God breaks into the normal sequential way, something that would not have happened normally, happens)