by Canon Rob Penrith
A friend once told me of a Vestry Meeting that he was chairing where a heated argument broke out. Voices were raised, opinions were firmly entrenched, and everyone was convinced they were defending the truth. After nearly an hour of spirited debate, one wise member quietly asked, “Before we continue, could someone remind us of what we were arguing about?” The room fell silent. Nobody could quite remember how the disagreement had started. Everyone laughed, the tension dissolved, and the meeting moved on.
There is something profoundly human about that story. We become so absorbed in the battle that we forget what the battle is actually about. We focus on personalities, politics, ideologies, and opponents. We convince ourselves that this person or that group is the problem. Yet Scripture gently reminds us that the real struggle lies deeper than the visible conflicts that dominate our attention.
One of the authors that I champion is John Stott, who served as rector of All Souls, Langham Place for 25 years. His writings really challenge and encourage us to dig deeper in our love for the Scriptures and to work harder at making those lessons more part of our daily lives. One of my favourite books by Stott is entitled “Christian Counterculture: The Message of the Sermon on the Mount”, a part of his “The Bible Speaks Today” series.
Stott argues that Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) describes a distinctive Christian counter-culture that stands in contrast to both our ordinary secular society and our very wishy-washy nominal religiosity evident in many places (And yes, even Churches – BUT not here at St John’s, though, obviously!!). The followers of Christ are called to live according to the values of God’s kingdom rather than the values of the surrounding world.
Coming out of Stott’s writings I want to focus on one verse in particular: –
“For our (real) struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Let’s be honest. It is difficult to read today’s headlines without feeling deeply, deeply troubled.
Nations seem increasingly divided. Wars and conflicts worsen. Politicians lie bare-faced and they are sometimes even ridiculous and non-sensical in their responses to world affairs. Swearing, blasphemy, and foul conversation issues forth from the highest echelons. Social media aggravates all of this ad nauseam. I, and many others, find ourselves asking, “What is happening to our world?”
Well, let’s look at this from Stott’s vantage…. As Christians, we are called to see beyond the surface. Paul reminds us that our struggle is not ultimately against flesh and blood. The real battle is not against political opponents, other nations, or people who think differently from us. Behind the visible turmoil lies a deeper spiritual struggle between the values of God’s kingdom and the powers that seek to oppose His purposes. This perspective changes everything. It means that Christians are not called to join the shouting match. We are not called to repay anger with anger, fear with fear, or hatred with hatred. Instead, we are called to live as citizens of another kingdom altogether. A Kingdom where tolerance and understanding, co-existence and mutual respect play a much greater roll.
John Stott described this calling as a Christian counterculture. In his reflections on the Sermon on the Mount, he argued that followers of Jesus are meant to embody a different way of living in the world. While society often prizes power, self-interest, and revenge, Jesus calls His disciples to humility, mercy, purity, peace-making, and love. I have shared on these attributes often after the time Gay and I spent in Bahrain – where I discovered that this vision of a counterculture can be made real. I come today with the message that even here in Gqeberha, South Africa, the church must live out the principles of the Sermon on the Mount in our communities.
Paul describes the fruit of such a life in Galatians 5:22-23: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” We know that verse so well. We need to express that counterculture in our daily lives and preach it from the roof tops.
What a remarkable phrase: “Against such things there is no law.” No government can legislate against genuine love. No ideology can condemn true kindness. No authority can outlaw peace, patience, gentleness, or self-control. These qualities stand above the divisions and conflicts that so often dominate human society.
In a fractured world like ours, God continues His work through ordinary believers who choose the way of Christ. Every act of kindness, every word of grace, every effort at reconciliation, every prayer for peace becomes a witness to the kingdom that is coming. The challenge before us is not merely to criticise the culture around us but to embody a different culture ourselves. We are called to be salt and light, a community shaped by the Spirit rather than by fear, outrage, or tribal loyalties.
A prayer of commitment: –
Lord Jesus, when we are tempted to be overwhelmed by the troubles of our world, remind us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood.
Fill us with Your Spirit, that we may bear the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Help us to live as a Christian counterculture, reflecting the values of Your kingdom in all we do.
May our lives point others to the hope and peace that are found in You alone.
Amen.