come out

There was a time when I spent a lot of energy trying to figure out how to be a relevant witness. At that time, I felt that in order to be able to bring people the good news, I first had to be a person they would like and would see as being able to understand their experience. At that time there were ministries to “bar culture,” for example, where people felt strongly that in order to connect you had to be part of the culture. You had to hang out in bars and learn to shoot pool and throw darts; your witness wouldn’t be effective unless you too had a beer in your hand.

Over the years this idea of relevance has been used as a reason to get tattoos, go to punk rock concerts, and see all manner of movies and TV shows. For a while there was even a group called XXX Church that hung out at adult book stores and had a booth at porn conventions.

These days I think a lot less about relevance, because I’ve come to see that what Jesus offers has ultimate relevance to everyone. I don’t think dressing the gospel in gang colors or acceptance rainbows can make any possible improvement on its message. 

I’m thinking about relevance again today because of something I read from Revelation. As Jesus’ representative continues to make the case of judgment against Babylon, this takes place, as recorded in Revelation 18:4-5: 

“Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“‘Come out of her, my people,’

so that you will not share in her sins,

so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

for her sins are piled up to heaven,

and God has remembered her crimes.’”

It strikes me that scripture seems, as with these verses, to call us to be separate from our culture rather than to try to fit into it. My memory isn’t what it was, and I don’t claim familiarity with every book of the Bible, but I can’t think of a time when God tells us, “Go along with the culture so that they’ll listen to you.”

It seems to me now that people who need hope, people who understand their brokenness, aren’t likely to turn for advice to someone participating in the same behavior that they struggle with. And, as the angel warns, we can too easily share in the sins.

And if we share in the sin, we can expect to receive the plague, too.