4th century theologian St. Ambrose made a name for himself stamping out heresy in the early days of church. Another of Ambrose’s claims to fame is penning the now-famous phrase, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Today, we use the phrase to encourage people to embrace someone else’s customs when engaging people in their own culture. His original intent behind the phrase is not too far off the mark. Ambrose believed in flexibility in a church service when it came to worship. Much like today, in those days, churches had different ways of doing things. Some churches fasted on Saturday, some did not. Some preferred one type of song book over another. Ambrose believed that when visiting a local church, it was good to observe their way of doing things. There were limits; all churches needed to follow orthodoxy (the general rule of the church based on the teaching of Scripture). Think of it like a boundary separating right from wrong around the church. Christians were free to worship God in different ways in accordance with their local cultures and languages—as long as they stayed inside the boundary.
That’s kind of how it is with Christians living on earth today. We are born and live our lives inside earthly nations, we learn to speak earthly languages, and we engage earthly culture. We all have citizenship to an earthly nation, and we submit to the governing authorities of that nation. But our true citizenship lies upward. As Christians, our first allegiance is to the kingdom of heaven and its Sovereign, the triune God. Heaven follows a standard called holiness. One day, we will spend eternity living out that standard in perfect fellowship with God and with each other.
But today, we are aliens; we are not of the world, just as Christ is not of the world (John 17:16). From an eternal perspective, we must remember that even though we serve a kingdom agenda, that does not absolve us from actively engaging the culture to which we’ve been sent. God doesn’t just rule in heaven; He rules both heaven AND earth, and the agenda of His kingdom is the visible manifestation of that comprehensive rule over every area of life.
Our allegiance to God means that how we live on earth matters. We are not mere observers of a fallen culture; we are transformational agents within that culture.
We believers are called to be agents of change in this world, seeking to bring the good news of Christ to all people. We are to show others what it means to worship God through our own diversity, respecting the differences between us as we live our lives. But we must never lose sight of the big picture; eternity awaits, and the seeds we plant here on earth today come to bear when we dwell with God in heaven later.
Therefore, let me encourage you to embrace the culture in which you live without straying beyond the boundaries. Put your true citizenship on display without disrespecting the ways of those who live around you. Above all, keep your eyes on eternity, never forgetting that how we worship God and live our lives matters, both in the nasty here-and-now and the sweet by-and-by.
Letter from a Listener
“I had been at a job for almost a year and a half that, from week one, I knew was going to be a struggle. So I spent the entire time searching for a new job within three different states but had no luck.
I would listen to you on the radio from my tractor. Just a few weeks ago, I had been listening to your Detours lessons, finding them quite fitting. Out of the blue, a company I had applied to from months past called and said, ‘We want you, what is it going to take?’ They accepted my offer without any negotiation, and I prepared to relocate to my new town.
But as I wondered about housing in this new town, I ran into a sales rep I had met a few times. I casually mentioned that I had accepted a new job and was worried about housing. He laughed and answered, ‘Text me this afternoon. I know of a house five miles from your new job in a great neighborhood with great folks.’ After a year and half of trying to stay positive, in less than 24 hours, I had a new job and housing lined up. All I could do was laugh and be filled with joy. He does have a sense of humor sometimes.
I have no doubt that the message of Detours was directly in sync with what I have experienced and am still experiencing. You have positively affected me and have given me hope when I was short on it. Thanks!”
