Pastor's Devotion • Acts 17
How Do Christians Engage Culture Without Becoming Like It?
We are not called to isolate from the culture or assimilate into it. We are called to engage it while remembering who we are.
Christians seem to be constantly pulled toward two extremes when it comes to the culture around us.
We can isolate from it.
Or we can assimilate into it.
We can pull away, build our Christian bubbles, surround ourselves with people who think like us, and try to keep the world outside.
Or we can go the opposite direction. We can slowly adjust what we believe, soften what Scripture says, and become so much like the culture that eventually nobody can tell the difference.
But Scripture gives us another way.
We don't assimilate.
We engage.
Acts 17 gives us one of the clearest pictures of what that actually looks like.
Paul walks into Athens, one of the cultural and intellectual centers of the ancient world. He sees the art. He understands their philosophy. He knows their poets. He observes their religion.
“Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.”
Acts 17:16Paul wasn't seduced by Athens.
But he didn't run from Athens either.
He engaged it.
Recognize the Idols Around You
Athens had idols everywhere.
We may not have temples filled with statues, but we certainly still have idols.
Success. Money. Sex. Comfort. Politics. Popularity. Achievement. Our kids. Sports.
The idols change, but the human heart doesn't.
So before we can engage our culture, we have to learn to recognize what our culture worships.
Look Beneath the Surface
- What are people living for?
- What are they terrified of losing?
- Where are they looking for identity?
- What do they believe will finally make them happy?
But here's the harder question:
Has that idol found its way into me?
It's easy to point at the idols of culture while worshiping them ourselves.
Paul could recognize the idols of Athens because he hadn't been seduced by them. If we're going to engage our culture, we need that same discernment.
Go Where People Are
“So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.”
Acts 17:17I love that.
Paul went where the people were.
Inviting people to church matters. Keep doing it. But getting people into a church building isn't our ultimate goal.
We need to take the church to where people already are.
For us, the marketplace is the office, classroom, neighborhood, gym, ball field, coffee shop, restaurant, Rotary meeting, and the bleachers on Friday night.
This is where Jeremiah 29 helps us.
God's people were living in Babylon—a culture that didn't share their beliefs or values. Yet God didn't tell them to run away from Babylon. He didn't tell them to become Babylonian either.
“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.”
Jeremiah 29:5“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf.”
Jeremiah 29:7God told them to live faithfully right where He had placed them.
What Does That Look Like?
- Know your neighbors.
- Talk to the parents at the ball field.
- Eat lunch with your coworkers.
- Serve in your community.
- Coach the team.
- Volunteer at the school.
- Show up when somebody is hurting.
You cannot engage people you're never around.
Notice People and Ask Questions
One of my favorite things about Paul's interaction in Athens is how observant he was.
When he stands before the people at the Areopagus, he says:
“Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.”
Acts 17:22Paul had been paying attention.
He noticed their idols. He noticed their beliefs. He even knew their poets.
And instead of beginning by insulting them, Paul began a conversation.
Good evangelism doesn't always begin with having the right answer. Sometimes it begins with asking the right question.
The guy you work with is obsessed with his career. Why?
That mom has her children involved in absolutely everything. Why?
Your neighbor seems to live at the gym. Why?
Your coworker can't stop talking about politics. Why?
Don't assume.
Ask. Listen. Get to know people well enough to understand what matters to them.
You might be surprised how quickly a normal conversation can become a spiritual conversation when you actually listen.
Try Something Simple
This week, instead of trying to force a spiritual conversation, genuinely notice someone. Ask them a question about something that matters to them, and then actually listen to their answer.
People will often tell you where they're searching for hope if you give them enough room to talk.
Love People Without Losing Your Convictions
This may be the hardest part.
Paul's spirit was provoked by what he saw in Athens.
But his posture toward the Athenians was still compassionate.
He didn't stand up and call them idiots. He didn't mock them for worshiping idols. Paul was deeply convicted about their idolatry, but conviction didn't make him cruel.
His spirit was provoked, but his posture was compassionate.
That's a combination we desperately need.
We've somehow convinced ourselves that we have to choose between truth and love.
We don't.
Faithful Engagement Means
- You can have strong convictions and still be kind.
- You can disagree with someone and still genuinely love them.
- You can listen without affirming everything you hear.
- You can enter someone's world without allowing their world to redefine yours.
Daniel gives us a great picture of this.
Daniel learned the Babylonian language. He received a Babylonian education. He was given a Babylonian name. He served Babylonian kings with excellence.
Daniel wasn't hiding from Babylon.
But when Babylon asked him to cross a line God had drawn, Daniel wouldn't do it.
He could serve the king.
He would not worship the king.
That's the balance.
Be an incredible employee. Be a great neighbor. Love the parents on your kid's team. Serve your community. Be someone people trust.
But remember who you are.
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Philippians 3:20It's possible to live in Babylon and still keep your heavenly identity.
Talk About Jesus and Leave the Results to God
Eventually, Paul gets to Jesus.
That's important.
Cultural engagement isn't simply being nice.
It's not just serving our communities, building relationships, or being good neighbors. Those things matter tremendously.
But eventually, people need Jesus.
“He was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.”
Acts 17:18And when Paul preached Jesus, there were different responses.
Some mocked him.
Some wanted to hear more.
Some believed.
That's still what happens.
Some people aren't going to like what we believe. Some won't care. Some may think we're crazy.
But some will believe.
Our job isn't to control the response.
Our job is to be faithful.
Keep It Simple
- Tell people what Jesus has done in your life.
- Tell them why you have hope.
- Tell them why you believe the resurrection changes everything.
- Then trust God with what happens next.
The Bottom Line
Don't Isolate.
Don't Assimilate.
Engage.
Our culture doesn't need Christians who disappear from it.
And it certainly doesn't need Christians who become indistinguishable from it.
It needs Christians who will faithfully live in it.
People who will recognize the idols without being seduced by them. People who will enter the marketplace. People who will listen. People who will love. People who will serve. People who will speak truth. People who will talk about Jesus.
Jeremiah told God's people to build houses in Babylon, plant gardens, raise families, pray for their city, and seek its good.
Paul walked straight into Athens and preached Jesus.
That's our calling too.
Live here. Love here. Serve here. Pray here. Share Jesus here.
Your house may be here, but your home isn't.
Don't run from the culture. Don't become like the culture.
Engage the culture while remembering who you are.