#26 Christ or Culture

It's been 25 years since chapter 22. The first generation only lasted a month before going back to the Egyptian god and presented the golden calf. The second generation was caught up in the active work of following God in times of trouble and stress. It was when they settled down, that they began to wander from the faith. The seeds of cultural compromise have already been planted. The culture of the Amorites has seeped into Israel in the calmness of the previous 20 years. Like Israel, the church needs change. We need change personally too. The influence of the world upon us is far greater than we think. I want to present 3 stages of change that people typically go through. 1) address behavior - give up certain behaviors that mimic the world. 2) address desires. You begin to pay attention to what your thoughts are on. 3) address desires - this is where you finally begin to ask the question "why?" Why do I do these things? Why do I think about these things? Begin to see that you have desires that are contrary to God's word.