How does the church confront culture? I think we can look at Acts 19, Paul's ministry in Ephesus and see how. Luke tells us about those who practiced magic turning away from that practice and how the idol souvenir business was threatened by people who turned to Christ, eventually causing a riot in the city.
What did Paul do to confront culture? Simply, he preached the Gospel, allowed God's Word to do its work, and then transformed lives transformed culture. As I studied the chapter recently I particularly liked what Darrel Bock had to say:
Transformation of individuals affects the culture at large, making it so nervous that it reacts to stop the progress. Luke does not speak of a campaign against others but of the presence of effective internal reform. What affects the commerce of idolatry in Ephesus is apparently not a program to stamp out magic but the change of lifestyle among believers, which entails separating themselves from such practices.
The church too often goes about this in the wrong way. God does expect His church to confront culture. It must do so, not through organized protests against sin, but through the organized preaching of the Gospel. When lives change through repentance and faith, the culture will change for the glory of God.
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