When believers retreat from the seven pillars of society, the world fills the vacuum and sets the standards.
I remember listening to a sermon back in medical school that left me unsettled. The preacher implied that being a doctor did not necessarily mean I was doing the Lord's work, and that unless I was actively serving in church, I hadn't truly found purpose.
This is not to say that serving in church is unimportant, and it certainly isn't to suggest that our jobs should become excuses to neglect service. Rather, we are the church, and our light should shine through everything we do. Our work, when done with excellence and integrity, can be just as much an act of worship and a pointer towards eternity as a Sunday sermon.
The seven pillars of society, sometimes called spheres, mountains, or gates, represent the systems that shape culture. They include religion, family, education, government, media, arts and entertainment and economy/business. The transformation of any nation depends on how these spheres are influenced and what we often fail to realize is how deeply interconnected they are.
A closer examination of the leaders we so admire in the Bible brings us to the realisation that God worked through them, using these systems as platforms. We see Joseph (the son of Jacob) and Esther in Government, Daniel was in Education, Joseph and Mary were a Family etc.
In many ancient societies, religion and culture served as the primary pillars, establishing moral codes, social order, and governance. Today, those same pillars are cracking, and we, the very people meant to uphold them, are part of the reason why.
An unintentional divide has formed between our faith and the other pillars shaping society, allowing the world to dominate these spaces.
Believers have a mandate to season the world and brighten its dark places. That cannot be done if we keep our light hidden under bushels. Our light belongs on a lampstand. We are called to be lighthouses; steady, unwavering, guiding others through the storm; not people who dim their light to match the world's standard and think we shine simply by putting on our Sunday best.
Written by Fellow Yaa Afriyie Amankwah
