When Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble” (see John 16:33), He was referring to the fallen world, or what we might call the secular world. It’s that part of the world in rebellion against God’s protection, provision, and favor.

The fallen world is not your friend. Harsh and dominated by sin, it will beat you down and break your heart.

Perhaps that’s why many men are convinced they are going to heaven but are content to let the world go to hell.

But there’s more to the story.

Dr. Francis Schaeffer, the prominent 20th-century theologian who, with his wife Edith, founded L’Abri in Switzerland as a safe place for young seekers, reminds us that there is “leftover beauty” in the world.

In the screen adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Two Towers,” Samwise says to Frodo, “There’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”

Exactly how does God want us to relate to this leftover beauty that’s worth fighting for?

Four Ways Men Respond to the World

A lot of men don’t understand their relationship with the secular world and the culture around them. You and I can take one of four stances toward this world:

1. We can withdraw. (Like the Essenes, they err toward legalism.)
2. We can embrace. (Like the Sadducees, they err toward licentiousness.)
3. We can overthrow. (Like the Zealots, they err toward lawlessness.)
4. We can engage. (Like Jesus and Paul, they take the correct stance of liberty.)

Jesus clarifies what our stance should be. First, He prescribes that we are in the world but not of the world (see John 17:11-18). He prayed to our Father, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (verse 15).

You see, Jesus does not want to take you out of the world; He wants to take the world out of you.

In But Not Of, Into

But there’s more. While “in but not of,” Jesus is also sending us “into” the world. He goes on to say, “As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world” (john 17:18).

Jesus was sent to engage not abolish culture, and He is sending us to do likewise.

In Scripture we see a lot of effort to make the Gospel relevant to the “real life” situations in which people find themselves.

If we err, let it be on the side of relevance.

The question, then, is not if we should engage the culture, but how.

How do we engage the world from a position of liberty?

Paul Was a Chameleon

Paul was more than willing to not only accommodate or tolerate the culture so that he could actively engage with people:

To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (1 Corinthians 9:20–22)

If ever a man used whatever “relevant” approach would work to reach people and show them the gospel is relevant to their “real life” situations, it was Paul. He taught that circumcision meant nothing and then circumcised Timothy (see Acts 16:3). He taught against being subject to the law and then observed it to win approval in Jerusalem (see Acts 21:25).

Why was Paul such a chameleon? Because he understood that Christianity is not a culture of its own. Christianity is lived inside cultures. It is not our assignment to create a Christian culture. Our assignment is to represent God within the culture. And to do that, we must go “into” the culture.

On matters not specifically commanded or prohibited by Scripture, we are free to adapt to the culture. We don’t require the culture to adapt to us. Like Paul, we can and should be chameleons when it comes to culture.

Have some of us gone too far to be relevant? Or have we not gone far enough?

“WWJD” — What Would Jesus Do?

We don’t have to look far to find the Master of Relevance. Jesus healed people if they needed healing, preached the gospel of the Kingdom to people if they needed a savior, taught the principles of Kingdom living to people if they needed to know how to live their faith, and trained men to be leaders if they needed leadership skills for His calling on their lives.

For Jesus, the concept of relevance wasn’t marked by a focus on changing the culture; the focus was on bringing the Kingdom into the culture.

Jesus paid His taxes. And He picked His battles based on Kingdom issues, not culture wars. We should too.

A Positive Approach

Jesus and Paul always took the high road and did it presenting a positive attitude. Paul didn’t curse the Athenians for their many gods, upsetting as it was. He reasoned with them, taking a step to establish rapport: “Men of Athens!

I see that in every way you are very religious …” (Acts 17:22–23).

Perhaps Francis Schaeffer said it best: “Each generation of the church in each setting has the responsibility of communicating the gospel in understandable terms, considering the language and thought-forms of that setting.”

We are not called to escape the world, imitate the world, or conquer the world. We are called to engage the world.

As we engage, better that we never err, but if we do, God, let it be in a way that attracts rather than detracts.

For Reflection and Discussion

1. Heart (Reflect): Which of the four responses to the world do you find yourself gravitating toward most often: withdrawing, embracing, overthrowing, or engaging? Why do you think that is?
2. Head (Understand): What did Jesus mean when He said His followers are to be “in” the world but not “of” the world? How does that help us understand the difference between engaging culture and conforming to it?
3. Hands (Apply): What is one place where God has positioned you to engage the world as a representative of Jesus this week? What is a specific step you can take to be present and influential without compromising your faith?