Impact Without Compromise

Years ago, I arrived home during one of California’s rolling blackouts. All the power was gone. The Internet was down. Even the streetlights were off. There was no light anywhere.

However, I did have my cell phone, which had a low battery. Still, there was a little light emanating from it, and I was able to use it to find my way around. And I discovered that a little light goes a long way.

We live in a very dark time culturally, and a little light will go a long way. We have an entire generation of young people who seem to be adrift morally and spiritually. That is why the world so desperately needs the gospel.

The Bible clearly teaches that our culture will grow darker. It isn’t going to get better; it’s going to get worse. Even though humanity has increased in scientific, medical, historical, educational, psychological, and technological knowledge to an astounding degree, we have not changed our basic nature.

Our confidence has increased, but our peace of mind has diminished. Our accomplishments have increased, but our sense of purpose and meaning have all but disappeared. Instead of improving the moral and spiritual quality of our lives, our discoveries and accomplishments have simply provided new ways to show ourselves for what we really are: depraved, sinful, and wicked.

The spiral is downward, not upward.

As Christians, we might be tempted to withdraw to our own subculture. But that is not what we’re supposed to do. The objective of believers is not to isolate but to infiltrate. It is not to evade but to invade.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14 NLT). We need to impact our culture without being compromised by it.

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