Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
-John 2:15-17
The year was 529 and a man named Benedict of Nursia established something unique in the developing world, a monastery. Whatever our view is of this time and the church of ages past is not the point; the point is that God compelled a man to go counterculture.
Over the next few hundred years, the monasteries would soon be the one place on earth to find a life-changing Christ and community. The monasteries were known for being a place of spirituality; they encouraged literacy, helped with learning, and even preserved classical literature. Agriculture thrived with the monastics; technology advanced; charity became impactful on the world. It was utterly unique in a world that seemed to be growing “dark.”
We are now in 2022 and the world has not changed – in relativity to the heart. It is still about the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It is encouraged and edified in the culture surrounding us Christians, and it has always been since John wrote the above passage centuries ago. It was true in Benedict’s time.
Benedict desired God and desired to see his will come to pass. I want to challenge Christians in Carson City and surrounding regions to be counterculture. We do not all need to move out East into the desert and live on a compound, but we do need to gather in various forms.
In scripture, we see the church, ekklesia, become alive and begin to thrive due to leaving the world and gathering in Jesus’ name. We saw Benedictal monks gather and unite to be the city on a hill and the salt of the world. Church, we too need to respond to this compelling transformation of God.
A little more history and word study. We see a lot of talk about synagogues in the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). These places are where the Jews come together to learn and gather – even to this day. We see Jesus teach here. We see the early church gather here and teach. We see the word synagogue at the beginning of the Bible in its Greek transition, the Septuagint.
It is used in Genesis 1:9, “Then God said, ‘Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together (synagogue) into one place, and let the dry land appear;’ and it was so.”
If you see the picture I am painting, we must gather across the banks of separation as the church. We all go to church. When we gather from all our various puddles into an ocean, we become very different than the world. By force of gravity, we attract more and more people longing for a holy life.
Just as John wrote and Benedict acted upon, we can offer the preservation of a godly life. We can offer the world the living water of the Holy Spirit. We can stand out as being completely counterculture, and in the words of David the Psalmist, “I delight to do your will, O my God, and your law is within my heart.”
God commanded the waters to separate. He commanded for things to be set apart. He commanded us to leave our life behind and live a counterculture life. We are your church, and you are our head, Jesus Christ. Maranatha!
Brady Roser is associate pastor at The Bridge Church.
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