Conformers Not Conformed

Us being pro.

Hello. 

I think this post applies to both our Kenya blog and this one so i posted it on both. I hope that's alright. 

This week we’ve been conferencing. Pro’s. We’re at a conference called ‘Building Just Communities’, which is all about how justice can be brought to urban slum areas in Nairobi such as Kibera. Its been good, mainly! 

Yesterday a Bishop of somewhere spoke about how the church is influenced by the world rather than the world being influenced by the church. This is something i’ve been thinking about for a little while so i found it quite interesting. 

He gave a number of examples such as abortion and homosexuality. However, there are many, many more than this. I think that we are so influenced by the media in the west in a way that Kenya isn’t, although Kenya’s are influenced by other things in different ways. We accept the things we are told without even questioning them. We accept them because we doubt God’s power. 

I’m not deliberately trying to write something really controversial but i just think we ignore and accept these things so often. One of the issues the bishop talked about was homosexuality. The media, the law, our human rights all teach us that homosexuality is okay and simply an unchangeable way for people are. Many Christians accept this or simply never think to question it. The Bible says something very different from our society and i believe that as the bishop was saying - the church has been influenced by the world rather than the world being influenced by the church.

We hear about gay rights groups taking people to court in the news constantly. This in itself is not wrong, all people should be treated equally. However, i think that many of us have been influenced by our societies message that homosexuality for example is okay. This is not a biblical perspective. If you look in the Old Testament you find Leviticus 18:22 which says ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.’ This verse is the first verse we often think of in relation to this issue. However, it only tells half of the story. There is one verse in 1 Corinthians which i think is so so vital concerning this issue.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11...

‘Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.’

As in all areas of our lives Jesus makes the difference. We can be renewed. Change is possible. Homosexuality is an easy example to give but this teaching can be applied to so many other areas.

Finally, Romans 12:2 is hugly important and relevant to changing from the church being influnced by the world to the Church influencing the world. 

‘Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.’

To not hope for change in areas where we are influenced by the world is to doubt and degrade God’s limitless power.