Worldly Culture                                                   Stuart L. Brogden                 13 Oct 07

 

A marketing executive from a Fortune 50 company was presenting his firm’s plan for success in the world’s market place.  He laid out three key points that he lifted from various sources that are essential to his plan:

 

Corporate marketing says:

 

#1        "To reach the wallet, hit the heart."  How many commercials for expensive items aim for one’s emotional center (prestige, self-worth, happiness), making no effort to justify their product on its merits?  Where’s your heart supposed to be?

 

#2        "Family is the target & kids are the key."  Politicians and marketing people all know most Americans worship their children – or at least feel guilty because they don’t and end up letting children lead the family.  Too many parents surrender decisions to cultural experts or their selfish kids, who learn very quickly how to manipulate mom & dad.  What’s the proper role of children?

 

#3        "Top 4 influences in culture are sports, music, film, & fashion."  This is the one that made me take notice and write down all three points.  Who – or what – is your god?

 

Work with the group at your table for 10 minutes and find out what the Bible says about these 3 points. 

 

#1        Where’s your heart supposed to be?

 

Matthew 6:19 – 21  “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

 

            Proverbs 15:6 “In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble.”

 

            Isaiah 33:5 – 6 “The LORD is exalted; for he dwelleth on high: he hath filled Zion with judgment and righteousness.  And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.”

 

            Luke 12:16 – 21 “And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

 

            Luke 18:22 – 24 “Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.  And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.  And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!”

 

            James 5:1 – 3 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.”

 

#2        What’s the proper role of children?

 

Exodus 20:12 “Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.”

 

            Exodus 21:15 & 17 “And he that smiteth his father, or his mother, shall be surely put to death. … And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death.”

 

            Proverbs 10:1  “A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.”

 

            Proverbs 23:22 “Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.”

 

            Matthew 15:4 – 9  “For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

 

            Ephesians 6:2 – 4  “Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;  That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.  And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

 

#3        Who – or what – is your god?

 

            1 Corinthians 8:1 – 6  “Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.  And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.  But if any man love God, the same is known of him.  As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.  For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,)  But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”

 

            Matthew 13:22  “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”

 

            John 17:14 – 16  “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”

 

            James 4:4  “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

 

            1 John 2:15 – 16  “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

 

 

Be known as a child of the King, be not mistaken for a worldling.  1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” 

 

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