Love Well in a Divided Culture: Navigate Challenging Times With Jesus' LoveSample

Love Well in a Divided Culture: In the Face of Opposition, Be Gentle and Humble

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.”- John 15:18-19

Christ tells us that we will clash with culture. As we face opposition, disagreements, and challenges, we can love well in a divided culture as we honor God in everything we do and say with His help.

As believers, we have been tasked with sharing Jesus to the ends of the earth—the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). As we navigate cultural differences, keeping our focus on the big picture of Christ’s kingdom can help bring everything into proper perspective. We aren’t commissioned to win arguments, but we are commissioned to share Jesus with the world. This is for the sake of someone’s eternal soul.

We’re called to live differently. We’ve been set apart for Christ. As we represent Him, what we say matters, but it’s also how we live, how we respond to others, how we initiate conversations, and how we conduct ourselves each day. Scripture tells us that we will know a tree by its fruit (Matthew 7:16-20), and the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

We must remember Whose we are when we engage with culture. Getting caught up in arguments trying to defend ourselves or defend our faith often leads us to behave poorly. In our efforts to live for His namesake, we want to be living evidence of His Holy Spirit within us.

Remember how Jesus responded when He was taken before Pilate. The way He was being questioned would provoke anger from most people. Yet, He was selective in His responses, remaining non-confrontational and choosing to remain silent at many opportunities when He could have responded. He simply spoke the truth in very few words, remaining humble and gentle.

Likewise, before we respond to things in our culture and conversations, we should ask for discernment from the Holy Spirit. We will likely find ourselves in more situations requiring us to be gentle and humble rather than expressing anger. Even in moments when we feel like we would be justified to engage in arguments, lean on the truth of Romans 12:21, which says, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (ESV).

To overcome evil with good, allow the Holy Spirit to guide your words as you carefully point to God’s Word as the absolute truth; oftentimes, that’s all we need to say. Let the power of God’s Word cut through man’s logic and barriers. Allow the sword of the Spirit to manifest itself within the heart of those hearing it.

It’s important to recognize that some believers struggle with communicating with gentleness and humility. People often point to Jesus’ anger when He cleared the Temple (Mark 11:15-19, Matthew 21:12-17, Luke 19:45-48, and John 2:13-16). However, His anger was in defense of His Father’s house. If you encounter disrespect for your faith or hear blasphemy, remember your mission is to share Jesus, not to retaliate. Judgment and vengeance are God’s domain, not ours (Deuteronomy 32:35).

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people.- 2 Timothy 2:24 NLT

When someone disagrees with what you are saying, maintain a gracious, gentle, and patient attitude instead of becoming angry and defensive.

Father, there is so much evil in this world that contradicts Your Word. I want to follow You and Your direction, but sometimes I get angry and want to fight back. Give me discernment and help me respond in gentleness and humility. When I want to bring up something I know is controversial, help me to present it in a way that honors You. Help me lay aside my own feelings to represent You well. Equip me with the words You need me to say in all situations. Help me overcome evil by doing Your good work, no matter the circumstance. In Jesus’ name. Amen.