Posted on by Caleb Monaghan

Living Counterculture in a Self-Driven World

We live in a world where it seems as if everyone is easily offended. It has become so much so that at times, I find myself questioning everything I say because I don’t want to offend someone. However, as a Christian, if I stand for Biblical truth, then I will offend someone. 

“For when we truly believe the gospel, we begin to realize that the gospel not only compels Christians to confront social issues in the culture around us. The gospel actually creates confrontation with the culture around-and within-us.” -David Platt from Counter Culture

It is far too easy to slide into the shadows of having an Americanized worldview, than it is to stand firm on the truth of Scripture, especially when the truth calls out our culture for sinful actions. We see individuals and family constantly put something, anything, before God.

Health, wealth, and self pleasure are all at the forefront of what our world seeks.  While that sounds great and the appeal of it is strong, we as Christ followers are called to be counterculture.  When the world focuses on self, we are called to serve our neighbor.

Multiple times the Bible encourages us to turn our eyes from pleasure of the world to the Kingdom of Heaven.

1 John 2:15 says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (ESV)

This passage essentially warns us of being consumed with the pleasures of the world. And as Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount, we cannot serve two masters. In other words, we cannot be consumed with the world and the Father.

John 15:19 says, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (ESV)

This idea is counterculture, in that when we are of the Father, we cannot be the same as the world.

Perhaps the best way to understand how to live counterculture in a self-driven world is to consider how the Gospel has changed your life.  If we truly believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we should be different. We should be counterculture. 

To borrow David Platt’s words again, “my hope is that we would believe the gospel of Christ and that our belief would move us to engage our culture.” We should engage our culture with love, engage with Jesus.

Finally, I am reminded of a song from my teenage years by the David Crowder Band…

“The flowers of the field are crying to be heard

The trees of the forest are singing

And all of the mountains with one voice

Are joining the chorus of this world

And I will not be silent, no

And I will not be quiet

Anymore

Oh, I will not be silent, no

I will not be quiet

Anymore”

If we are going to be counterculture, we must be prepared to share the truth of God’s love through the Gospel of Jesus. We can’t remain silent in a world that is hurting and needing the love that only God can provide. 

Share Christ’s love with the people around you!

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