Why Christians Must Influence Culture Instead of Being Influenced by It
I hope you love the products and resources I recommend here at Foundational. It is possible that I get a commission and collect income from the links on this page. Click here for more info.
Every generation of Christians faces the same question:
How should we live in a culture that seems increasingly opposed to biblical truth?
It’s tempting to withdraw, to keep our faith private, or to avoid difficult conversations.
But that isn’t the example Jesus gave His disciples.
Nor is it the mission He gave His Church.
In this week’s episode of Foundational U, we look at how the Church was never designed to hide from the culture. Instead, Christ calls His people to faithfully influence the world with His truth and His love.
Jesus Built His Church to Advance
When Jesus spoke to His disciples at Caesarea Philippi, He made one of the most remarkable promises recorded in Scripture:
“I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Those words are more than encouragement.
They are a declaration of victory.
Gates are defensive structures.
Jesus wasn’t describing His Church as something that merely survives attacks. He was describing a Church that advances into a broken world with the life-changing message of the Gospel.
We Are In the World—But Not of It
Christians are called to live in society without adopting its values.
Jesus never instructed His followers to isolate themselves from unbelievers.
Instead, He prayed that His disciples would remain in the world while being protected from its influence.
Our mission is not to blend into the culture.
Neither is it to withdraw from it.
Our mission is to reflect Christ wherever God has placed us.
Whether at work, in our neighborhoods, at school, or within our families, we have opportunities every day to demonstrate the love, truth, and grace of Jesus Christ.
The Church Should Shape Culture
Culture constantly seeks to shape the way people think, live, and believe.
But Scripture calls believers to something different.
Rather than allowing culture to define our values, we are called to let God’s Word transform our minds.
As Christians live faithfully, serve others, and proclaim the Gospel, they become salt and light in a world desperately in need of hope.
The Church has often had its greatest influence not when it sought political power, but when ordinary believers faithfully lived out their faith in everyday life.
Courage Is Still Required
Standing for biblical truth has never been easy.
The first-century Church faced opposition.
Believers throughout history have experienced persecution, rejection, and hardship.
Yet they continued proclaiming Christ because they understood that the Gospel is the power of God for salvation.
That same calling remains today.
We don’t respond to hostility with fear.
We respond with faithfulness.
We don’t compromise truth to gain acceptance.
We speak the truth in love.
And we trust Christ to build His Church just as He promised.
Our Mission Has Not Changed
The world around us may change.
Cultures rise and fall.
Ideas come and go.
But the mission Jesus gave His Church remains exactly the same.
We are called to make disciples.
To proclaim the Gospel.
To love our neighbors.
To stand firmly on God’s Word.
And to point people to the hope found only in Jesus Christ.
When Christians faithfully live out their faith, they become a powerful witness to a watching world.
Watch the Full Teaching
Prefer to Listen?
Take this teaching with you wherever you go.
Final Thought
The Church was never meant to hide behind closed doors.
Jesus called His followers to be salt and light, carrying the hope of the Gospel into a world that desperately needs Him.
Rather than being shaped by culture, may we be people who faithfully influence our culture by living lives that reflect the truth, grace, and love of Jesus Christ.
