May 2022 from the desk of John Spadafora, Crossworld Director of Church Engagement
Genesis 1 and the Great Commission A Cultural Mandate
Hello Friend,
In my experience of connecting with churches over the past 15 years, the most common understanding of the Great Commission statements in the Gospels and Acts is to tell others about Jesus. Even when speaking about the workplace being a sacred venue for ministry, the most prevalent take-away from those conversations is, “I need to do a better job of telling others about Jesus in my workplace.”
Of course, there is nothing wrong with that understanding; we do want to tell others about Jesus, and do a good job of it!
But I believe that understanding is incomplete and betrays a lack of connection with the “original Great Commission” in Genesis 1:26-28, which goes far beyond telling other people about God. (Read the last issue of CCN about the connection between Genesis 1 and the Great Commission.)
These verses have been called the Creation or Cultural Mandate. It’s easy to see why it is called the Creation Mandate, since it was given at the time of creation. In fact, many see this as a command to care for the environment — which it certainly includes. But why would it be called the Cultural Mandate? Because that’s what naturally happens when people live and work together: they make culture. Wherever we go, we create and influence culture because culture happens through the ongoing words, actions, and attitudes of people in a group setting. We speak of many kinds of culture: ethnic, age, religious, business, work, family, church — each of which is characterized by beliefs, social forms, and material traits.
To the extent that we lead others, whether in the family, job, church, or society, we are primary architects of culture. We help establish the culture of the specific group for which we are responsible — whether we are aware of it or not.
Carmine Gallo, author of The Storyteller’s Secret, says, “Whether we plan it or not, culture will happen. Why not create the culture we want?” The more intentional we are, the more we will be able to “create the culture we want,” rather than letting it happen without purpose.
Let’s connect the dots. The Cultural Mandate helps us better understand the holistic scope of the New Testament Great Commission. We are certainly sent out to tell others about Jesus as we have opportunity. But even more, in our own walk with God and in our opportunities to disciple others, we must think intentionally about the culture we create and influence.
Application: What does it look like for me — with the community to which I belong or the people I am discipling — to reflect God’s love and justice through my everyday work so that people can taste God’s shalom and flourish?
Here are five questions* to help you be intentional in the cultures you inhabit:
What is good that you can promote, celebrate, and protect?
What is missing that you can contribute?
What is evil that you can resist or stop?
What is broken that you can restore?
Who can you bless and invest in?●
* Q’s 1-4 from John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and author of A Practical Guide to Culture.
D.A. Carson gave this endorsement of Doriani’s book: “This is now the ‘must read’ volume on the subject.” I concur — Carson expresses well the value of this work.
Upcoming Events
The National African American Missions Conference June 20-24 | virtual and in person This year’s theme, Reaching Generations & Nations, also celebrates NAAMC’s 10 years of equipping, resourcing, networking, and mobilizing African Americans for missions.
Let’s partner together and fulfill the Great Commission.
Whether you’re sending your first cross-cultural workers or you’ve been doing this for years, we can help. Empower the people in your church to find and thrive in their role in God’s mission.
