The Hole: Jesus and Culture
In Houston, Texas there is an apartment complex known to the local community as “the Hole.” There is one way in and one way out of this low-income living environment. Inside this small community, there is an atmosphere of hopelessness, fear, and desperation.
The people who reside there face the realities of trying to make it day by day with very little. It is plagued with gang activity, prostitution, and narcotics. The people that live there are either working to avoid these things, or chose to indulge in them. The culture there is one that most people would not understand or care to know. However, that is the culture there, and the people who are immersed in it see it as a way of life.
I personally grew up in “The Hole” apartment complex. As someone who has firsthand experience in that type of culture, I faced several realities of life a young person usually does not experience. Because of this, I found myself participating in gang activity and the distribution of narcotics. While participating in this, I truly believed that it was necessary. That’s just how life was.
This culture influenced the mindset I had, and one of the things that was completely absent was a reverence or regard for Christ.
All around the world, there are many different ways of life. Those ways of life are passed down from generation to generation, creating the culture that exists. We may not always understand or can relate to a certain culture, but as followers of Jesus, we have been given a commission to go and make disciples of all nations.
Therefore, that would imply that no matter what the culture is, we have the call to share Jesus. Now, that sounds like a daunting and difficult mission, so how should we approach this calling?
Our lord and savior Jesus walked this earth to become the sacrifice for our salvation. While doing this, he left us an example of how to live life and some lessons to learn. Jesus Christ was relevant to the culture of his time. He then shared a message that was counter culture to that time. An undeniable truth is that Jesus changed the world, in doing this ushered in a new culture. Now, we can easily say that because Jesus was the messiah that is how he was able to accomplish this. That would be very true; however, he gave us a command to do the same thing. As I studied the gospels, I realized four things that Jesus intentionally did that helped develop this new culture.
The first, authentic engagement. Jesus traveled, ate, slept, drank and ministered with his partners. He knew people’s hearts, concerns, disappointments and joys. He also allowed others to know him. “I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father.” Jesus was authentic and engaged with others.
The second was an invitation to participation. Jesus invited men and women to take part in what God was doing. Even when they did not have it all together, even when they inevitably would fail. No special lineage, schooling, gender, or social status. Jesus simply offered an invitation to participate in what he was doing.
The third way Jesus influenced the culture was by empowering others. It is one thing to participate; it is another to have the authority and power to make change. In addition to an invitation to participate, Jesus gave this power and authority. Later, Jesus and the Father sent the Holy Spirit to empower those who first witnessed Jesus’ life. This same Holy Spirit empowerment extends to us today.
The fourth and final way Jesus affected the culture was by his loving correction. Jesus corrects life-squelching beliefs, attitudes and actions. He called the Pharisees hypocrites because they had lost sight of God’s compassion and love. They would rather a man suffer with a withered hand than for that hand to be healed on the Sabbath. Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath because it is better to “do good” and “save life.”
We as believers in Christ can almost all agree that there is a general issue with today’s culture. That problem being the absence of reverence and regard for Christ, much like in The Hole. The truth is that this is not a new battle. This was still the case back in the days Jesus was on Earth. Therefore, the battle we face as Christians in today’s culture is much the same. It looks different and sounds different, but is still the same problem.
There is a “hole” in every culture, where people are suffering. The Hole is a nickname for a community, but it is accurate. All around our world, in the various cultures that exist, people are looking to the things of the world to fill the “holes” that exist, never finding anything that satisfies and only producing further pain. That is because the only thing that can influence a culture and fill the “holes” is salvation and the love of Jesus Christ.
It is on us, the believers of Jesus, to carry out that mission. Jesus would approach the culture by boldly speaking up, and at the same time remain respectful and kind. He would also have the wisdom to keep quiet and listen when it was required. Then he would let his good works speak for themselves. He let his love-centered actions do the loudest talking. We need to approach and influence culture the same way.
The people who embodied these examples of Jesus personally showed me Christ. It is because of this that I am now the director of Celebrate Recovery at WFR Church. I get to show that same love to people suffering from all kinds of hurts, habits, and hang-ups. We can change the culture regardless of what it is, or the “hole” that exists.
For most of his life, Bryan Rucker was a gang member who sold narcotics. Raised in a low-income neighborhood by his mother and grandmother, Bryan would face several adversities and find himself in legal troubles.
He would eventually land in West Monroe, LA, where he was introduced to the loving grace of Christ. Employed by Duck/Buck Commander, Bryan became a part of a TV show, which gave him a platform to tell his story and share the Gospel.
Bryan became an addiction counselor, eager to help others overcome their struggles. Bryan also spent his time leading others out of darkness from their hurts, habits, and hang-ups through the Celebrate Recovery program at White’s Ferry Road Church.
In 2021, Bryan became a Director of Celebrate Recovery and a staff member at White’s Ferry Road Church. He is still working as a counselor and therapist in Louisiana. Bryan has spent the last seven years helping people find healing and hope that is in Jesus.