Kingdom and Culture
What is culture? The etymology for the word culture, among other definitions, is an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning. Webster dictionary adds up the meaning of culture, ‘the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations; the set of values; characteristic features of everyday existence.’ According to Wikipedia in Portuguese, culture is a system of shared symbols which in reality is interpreted and gives meaning to the life of human beings. Culture is information, i.e., the joining of theoretical and practical knowledge that is learned and transmitted to the contemporary and forthcoming. Culture is something dynamic and not static. From generations, its’ changes are made through the action of adaptive and cumulative mechanisms.
How can the concepts of Jesus and His Kingdom be “cultured”, the culture of heaven on earth then? I want to make this insertion! We are representatives ambassadors of a Kingdom of very different culture of the ones known on earth, we carry concepts, knowledge, and practice of the supernatural. Thus, we make history, we influence generations and we establish the Kingdom as it is written in Revelation 11.15 “…and there were loud voices in heaven saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever’”.
Imagine culture being empowered by the Kingdom of God. I want to engage in this reality of infinite possibilities. I want to see the broken being made whole, children being restored to their fathers, and fathers restored to their children. Nations under the control of Jesus, and free of slavery, free of sexual exploitation. Sons and daughters walking with Papa God as kings and queens for the King of kings! That’s my culture, that’s where I am headed! All it takes is willingness to be like Jesus!
Enough of Religion, let the truth and the Kingdom of light come invade culture.