Church PLANT Manual

Session 2: Launch and Assemble • 47

III. Establishing a Distinctly Christian Culture But for the Christian, for those who love and value Jesus Christ above all else, culture is not defined by human achievement. Rather it is defined by three simple words, Jesus is Lord. The church has its unique reason for being, and it is found in those three simple words that make up the ontological reality that defines, develops, and drives a distinctly Christian culture. A. First and foremost, Christian culture is distinctly different from the world because it is supernatural in nature. B. Second, the reality that Jesus is Lord not only defines the church, it also develops the church. The church has a distinctly Christian culture because it does not exist for itself since it was not created by itself. C. Lastly, the reality that Jesus is Lord drives the church. The church – God’s redeemed people – transcends every political, ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender-cultural construct. Not because it’s better or superior in and of itself, but because of its distinct submission to the authority and sufficiency of the Scriptures. IV. Conclusion The goal of cultural navigation is to understand that every context has a culture and that to have an effective witness of the gospel we must be aware that cultural differences exist so that we can fulfill our ultimate goal, which is to bring people to Christlikeness, not cultural sameness. Our aim is not for