Inspired by notes taken on the book, Called to Community: The Life Jesus Wants for his people, pp 50ff.[^1]
How is the church to be distinct from the world, yet engaged in it – like Jesus? Let’s explore that today with help from the book Called to Community.
As the New Testament church took shape, its identity didn’t stay static. The church in Jerusalem (Acts 2) looks a lot different to the church in Corinth (1 and 2 Corinthians). Core beliefs were the same, but the way the church engaged with one another and the world varied according to local culture and local pressures. The church began as a movement of Jewish Christians, then widened to include Gentiles, and over time became something more than a subculture within the Greco-Roman world. It became a new counterculture. What we might call a contrast community.
Texts like Galatians 3.28, 1 Corinthians 12.13, Ephesians 2.14, and Colossians 3.11 make this clear. In Christ, old divisions lost their power. The church was no longer defined by ethnicity, status, or background, but by allegiance to Jesus.
After the first century, church history shows a repeated struggle over how this contrast community should relate to the world. At times, the church accommodated itself to the surrounding culture. At other times, it withdrew and separated. The debate rages even today. The question for us, for you and me, for my congregation and yours, is this: What does a healthy, faithful approach look like when seeking to be a Christian community in this world, but not of it? I do not pretend to have all the answers to this vital question. However, let me offer some thoughts based on the book. Please let me know what you think.
In the world, but not of it
Jesus is clear that his followers live with a built-in tension. We are in the world, but we do not belong to it (John 15.18–19). His kingdom is not of this world (John 18.36), yet we are to live here until he calls us to our eternal home.
This mirrors Jesus’ own experience in the incarnation. He entered fully into human life, but without being shaped by the world’s values. Because of that, he understands the tension we live with and stands ready to help us (Hebrews 4.15–16). What a comfort that is.
Conformed to Christ, not the world
Paul develops the contrast community idea in Romans 12.2. The call is not simply to look different, but to be transformed. As we grow into Christ’s likeness, we necessarily reject the world’s patterns and priorities. If we take Jesus seriously, especially in teachings like the Beatitudes, it’s hard to imagine being fully at one with the world while also being obedient to him. Some kind of tension seems unavoidable.
Jesus himself was not of the world (John 17.16), and discipleship means growing up into him (Ephesians 4.15). This is less about contrast for its own sake and more about allegiance. We are not trying to be different for the sake of being different. However, formation into Christ inevitably puts us at odds with the world.
A little flock with a big King
In Luke 12.29–32, Jesus describes his followers as a little flock. Weak by worldly standards, but under the care of a powerful King (1 Timothy 1.17). Our heart’s desire is not for this world and its ruler, but the kingdom and that King.
That means we move in a different direction, informed by different values and priorities. Inasmuch as the church is loyal to its true King, it is drawn into the ongoing conflict between that King and the world’s ruler. There is no neutral ground. We are in a state of war, but we know who wins.
Sent into the world
At the same time, we are not called to retreat. Jesus says that we are sent into the world (John 17.18).
Our purpose is to draw people away from the kingdom of the world and into the kingdom of God. In that sense, this mission is deliberate and even confrontational. It would certainly feel aggressive to the world’s king.
The goal, however, is not simply to make the church bigger. It is to make disciples. Kingdom citizens who embody its values, live its teachings, and continue to expand its borders.
Engaged with culture, for God’s glory
Revelation 21.23–27 offers an inspiring picture of the future. The glory and honour of the nations are brought into the new Jerusalem. That suggests much of human cultural diversity will endure, purified and made fit for God’s kingdom.
Because of that, kingdom citizens can and should engage with culture in meaningful ways. Adding beauty, harmony, and ecological health to the world is kingdom work. As the book puts it, “we must understand that kingdom ministry is not confined to religious things or Church work. It includes all good work in the world that holds potential for glorifying God.” p 56
Living as a kingdom community
If church members live as disciples of Jesus, they will naturally become a contrast community. But that model alone is not enough. Left there, it can easily turn inward and drift away from real engagement with the world.
That’s why we also need the language of kingdom community. We live differently in obedience to Christ, but not to be different for its own sake, and not as a way of condemning the world. Instead, we aim to be a city on a hill and a light to the world. We engage with the world the way Jesus did, so people can see and experience the love, mercy, and kindness of God.
In the end, we are not trying to draw people into a religious group. We are drawing people into the kingdom.
I am aware these points raise as many questions as they answer. In light of that, I provide a list of five reflection questions that might help draw out the primary meaning of contrast community for your local context.
Reflection Questions
- Where do you feel the tension most clearly between being in the world and not of it?
What situations or relationships reveal the friction? - In what ways has allegiance to Jesus shaped your values and priorities in contrast to the surrounding culture?
Where might conformity be sneaking up on you? - How can your church live as a contrast community without becoming withdrawn, defensive, or judgmental?
- Where might God be sending you more intentionally into the world right now?
Who or what is he inviting you to engage with? - How can your everyday work, relationships, and cultural engagement become expressions of God’s kingdom?
I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Your brother, Malcolm
[^1]: Amazon link: https://amzn.eu/d/hfaGIss
