When Culture Is Against Christ

Has culture somehow tamed your life for Christ?

This is not a new issue. Culture often seeks to tame or control our lives for Christ. Culture’s impact is reflected in this observation:

In the beginning, the church was a fellowship of men and women

centering on the living Christ.

Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy.

Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution.

Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture.

And, finally, it moved to America, where it became an enterprise.[1]

In every age, there is a danger that we allow culture to curb and control (if not silence) our lives for Jesus Christ.

Before we look at an early attempt at this silencing and five ways to respond, I encourage you to take a moment to read Acts 3-4.

 

An Inciting Incident (3:1-10)

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon (Acts 3:1).

It started as a typical day in Jerusalem. A man crippled from birth was begging at his usual place at the gate called Beautiful. He asked Peter and John for money. Then things changed as Peter responded:

Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.

A crowd quickly gathered in the temple courts as the crippled man began “walking and jumping, and praising God” (3:8).

At that point, Peter spoke to the question on everyone’s mind.

 

A Clear Explanation (3:11-26)

Peter proclaimed a message that resonated with the attentive audience. He drew on their common heritage, announcing that,

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.

He then related well-known recent events. Peter began with their complicity in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus:

You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, ...

Notice the four hammer blows:

• You handed him over,
• You disowned him before Pilate,
• You disowned the Holy and Righteous One,
• You killed the author of life.

Then the unexpected:

… but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses to this.

Peter then clearly attributes the cripple’s healing to this Jesus:

By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has given him this complete healing, as you can all see.

Then he calls them to action:

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

At that point, the culture police arrive.

 

A Determined Opposition (4:1-7)

Peter and John had kicked a cultural “hornet’s nest.”

The keepers of the temple culture were the Sadducees and the priests. Politically, the Sadducees had made a truce with the Roman occupiers to maintain their control of temple activities. Religiously, the Sadducees were “the ‘modernists’ of that day, denying the existence of spirits, the resurrection, and the immortality of the soul.”[2]

So, the Sadducees were “greatly disturbed,” and used the muscle of their temple guard to seize Peter and John

… and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.

Things were getting out of hand for the Sadducees, and they had to stop this.

The next morning, the high priest and his close associates interrogated Peter and John:

By what power or what name did you do this?

 

A Powerful Answer (4:8-14)

Peter, who had been a fisherman only a few years earlier, respectfully addressed these powerful men (3:8-12). Again, notice how he focuses on Jesus:

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. … Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

In addition to Peter being “full of the Spirit” and presenting the core of the good news of Jesus, the cultural power brokers noted four things (4:13):

• Peter’s courage (parrēsia), which other translations render as boldness or confidence;
• Peter and John’s lack of special or formal education in the Scriptures;
• their ordinariness or lack of training (probably) in public speaking; and
• they had been with Jesus.

There was also the undeniable evidence of “the man who had been healed standing there with them” (3:14).

In the face of the truth presented powerfully, what did these authorities do?

 

A Temple Tantrum (4:15-18) 

Despite the undeniable public healing of a cripple, the Jewish ruling council needed to suppress the truth to maintain their privileged positions and power over the people. So, they resorted to using their authority (4:18) and

commanded [Peter and John] not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.

Peter and John replied (4:19-20):

Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.

Their lives for Christ would not be silenced!

 

Summing Up

Here are five insights that we can draw from this incident to inform our lives.

1.    Culture can be positive, negative, or neutral.

In this case, it is negative—it is Culture against Christ. The culture of the temple under the Sadducees conflicted with the empowering presence of God, and it was at this very point that Peter and John engaged the Sadducees.

In some ways, the Temple in Jerusalem is equivalent to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Trafalgar Square in London, the Kremlin in Moscow, or Tiananmen Square in Beijing. We do not need to engage our cultures at their iconic centers, but you should not be reluctant to engage your culture faithfully for Christ wherever you are. 

2.    Respond to legitimate human needs humbly and generously.

The needs of your fellow humans, who are all “image of God,” are opportunities to demonstrate the heart and the power of our God. Whether it is a helping hand or giving resources for legitimate needs, do so in the name of Jesus Christ. You never know where it might lead.

3.    Prepare yourself by spending time with Jesus.

Peter and John were equipped to speak as they did because they had been with Jesus, and it showed.

Be intentional about spending time with Jesus by engaging in Scripture (2 Timothy 2:15), keeping company with God in prayer, and walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26).

4.    Refuse to be silenced about Jesus Christ.

Here is what Peter later writes (1 Peter 3:15-16):

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

5. Faithfulness leads to persecution.

Be warned that faithfulness to Christ often results in persecution from Culture.

As with the Temple officials, engaging cultures with the Kingdom of God will result in opposition and persecution. Paul writes to the young disciple Timothy in these terms (2 Timothy 3:12):

Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

It is not that we seek persecution, but it is inevitable if we live in faithfulness to Christ and relevance to Culture. 

Some Reflections

For you, faithfulness to Christ and relevance to Culture will probably not involve healing life-long cripples—but it will involve some, or all, of the five dynamics we have distilled from this incident. Here are some questions to ask yourself: 

• How am I experiencing these dynamics in my life?
• What situations am I meeting in my daily routine that are opportunities to engage my culture for the Kingdom?
• What questions are people asking that I can explain in the context of God’s story?
• How do I respond when rejected or criticized for representing the Kingdom of God in my culture? 

Do you have more to add? You can write to me using this link.

 

BACK TO The Gospel of Christ for Every Culture

Notes:

[1] Attributed to Richard Halverson (1916-1995), a former Chaplain for the United States Senate, https://www.azquotes.com/quote/534191 (accessed April 29, 2025).
[2] W. Graham Scroggie, A Guide to the Gospels (London, UK: Pickering & Inglis, 1948), 48.

Image credit: John B. MacDonald (c) 2025