1. The kingdom and rule of God have nothing to do with local culture. The kingdom of God isn’t tied to any culture or people group. It is defined by God’s will, and His will is informed by His goodness.

2. Our responsibility related to the Kingdom of God is to follow Jesus Christ. He shows us who God is, what He is like, and what He desires for us. (See the biblical books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John.)

3. Jesus lived life with his students. They traveled as a group. As they went, Jesus taught them about God and demonstrated God’s character and interests in daily life. Show and tell. On top of that, Jesus died for His students. All of them, including those of us alive today who believe He is the Son of God and choose to follow Him. 

4. Who we follow makes a difference in our lives and influence. Others come to understand our teacher by what they see in us. The more closely we come to know Jesus, the more like Him we become, and the better it is for those around us. 

5. Jesus taught us to bless our enemies. To allow those who disagree with us to walk away, and those who reject us to live on in peace. He taught us the supremacy of love, and He reminds us that in Him, there is no segregation between gender, ethnicity, or culture. Jesus told us to forgive others, to seek the way of peace, and to ask forgiveness for ourselves. He taught us not to treat others as they treat us, but as He treats us. 

6. The measuring line of life is Jesus’ example and teachings. Adapting our ways to the culture of our community is acceptable in some ways and not in others. When we choose to follow Jesus, our loyalty and allegiance is to His rule and example. When cultural mores reveal and demonstrate Jesus’s example, we can easily embrace them. When the example and teaching of Jesus contradicts culture, we become countercultural. 

7. God is the one who guides people into truth. If I have shared God’s stories, His truth, and His love, then I have scattered good seeds. If God is not speaking into a person’s heart, the good seeds I sow will fall by the wayside. But, if God is speaking to a person, the stories I scatter may take root in that person’s heart and grow into something new in his or her life. “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2).

* Derived from In the Land of Blue Burqa’s, by Kate McCord.