Are you swimming upstream?

Swimming upstream against culture

What is culture?
Merriam-Webster defines culture as the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.
Culture can be defined as all the ways of life including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation to generation. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As such, it includes codes of manners, dress, language, religion, rituals, art. - Boston University

Culture includes what we do and why we do it. Church culture. Surrounding society culture.
Culture changes over time. 

What is our relationship with culture?
We live in it. We practice it. We think about it (or don’t).
We learn from it. Or are trained by it depending on how you think about it. Brain-washed would bot be far off.
GRITers – movie time vs bible time – which shapes you the most?

How does culture relate to our relationship with other people?
Culture determines how people relate to each other. There are ways that people interact that are determined by the culture they live in.
We learn from our family, church, bible, movies, music, books, friends. Which has the most influence on your life?

What does a healthy marriage look like? Do you find examples in movies, tv, books, etc?
What about parenting?
You learn all these things from somewhere and it is often the culture you are immersed in.

Why does it matter how we think about culture?
You can choose to be immersed in a culture without thinking or consider what is wrong in culture and choose not to follow it. That makes you different. You stand out if you don’t live in lockstep with the surrounding culture.

The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.

Culture changes over time. God’s standards don’t change over time. He is consistent.
If you don’t think about the culture, you will be overrun by it and never realize it. The classic frog in hot water.

How do you stand up against culture when it is against God?
Swim upstream. Be a revolutionary. 
How do you know how to live if you don’t get your information from culture? Seek wisdom while it may be found! Read God’s Word, think about what is important to God, talk to His family, spend time praying about your life and your choices.

Live with eternity in view and you are automatically different than the world around you. Choose Life. Choose Hope. Choose to Intentionally Follow Jesus.