Pop culture

The Bible tells us that God does not change. But when we look at how God interacted with people in the Bible, we find He adopted different ways of dealing with His people as the situation they were in changed. We live in an ever-changing world, with different ways of dressing, living and communicating.

Followers of Jesus are called to tell people about Him, to encourage more followers and share the good news of His life, death and resurrection. And we need to do this in ways people can understand.

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, “Though I am free and belong to no-one I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews . . . to the weak I became weak to win the weak.

I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do this for the sake of the Gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (TNIV).

Paul was able to change the way he spoke and interacted with people in order to better share with them the good news of Jesus Christ. His words challenge us to speak in ways people can understand.

To try to understand the people and the society around us, we need to remember the world we live in is not fixed and still. Everything changes. And the rapid change in society can be scary or unnerving if we get caught up in it. When things around us change so much, it can be hard to know what to trust, what to make our number-one priority.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:28-34, “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.”

According to Jesus, the thing to be most interested in is the kingdom of God and the way it works. Everything else comes second. Although our world might seem shaky and everything around us changes, God does not. Through all the changes, His love for us remains constant.