We are Culture Warriors
From a worldwide perspective, have you ever noticed how obscure Jesus was during his short 33 years on earth? We know hardly anything about his first 30 years, and then during his three years of public ministry, he never traveled outside of the region of Israel and never addressed anything about world politics or the occupying Romans. When asked about paying taxes to Rome, his only comment was “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21).
That’s not a lot of political commentary from the son of God, but it seemed to capture his intentionality to stay on his relatively secret mission to change the world. No one outside of Israel seemed to be aware of Jesus of Nazareth until he walked out of that tomb. Then his story began to spread worldwide and is still spreading today. Jesus’ final words as he prepared to leave the planet gave his followers their orders going forward, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). These words have served as the mission statement for One Kingdom for nearly 60 years, as well.
I’ve always believed the reason why Jesus focused his efforts so exclusively on Israel was to fulfill prophecy and scripture that had been written about him thousands of years before his coming. Another reason for this methodology is that he could have been showing us the importance of impacting your own culture before you branch out to impacting other cultures around the planet. I’ve always seen it as a “grow where God plants you” philosophy to impacting others with the good news of Jesus.
I have spent most of my adult life serving White’s Ferry Road Church in many capacities. I worked hard to reach our local community here in Ouachita Parish and equip our local church to lead others to Christ and to disciple and train them for the Christian walk. I walked with families through new births, the passing of loved ones, and the highs and lows of spiritual warfare. I studied and shared the Word of God in small groups, in classrooms, and from the pulpit.
I praise God for every victory, and for every failure, because sometimes the greatest growth can come through loss and pain. My wife, Lisa, and I experienced our own pain during spiritual warfare in our marriage, and we almost lost it all. But we were saved by grace, supported by this loving church, and nurtured back to healing and strength. I always thought that I would spend my whole life in this one community, growing where I was planted, to continue to impact this small part of the world in northeast Louisiana until God decided to expand my culture.
My family’s small duck call business wound up becoming a cultural phenomenon through reality television. Suddenly, my potential impact on our culture for Christ greatly expanded beyond my local community. The Robertson family, including myself, were now known internationally. Like Jesus, our own spiritual resurrections were out there for the world to see, and the world began to take notice. The family began to write books about our life experiences: the good, the bad, and the ugly, and we especially emphasized our commitment to Christ, to community, and to each other. It wasn’t long before we all began to be asked to travel to speak around the country and tell our stories to audiences who loved our TV show, loved our books, and loved us. The opportunity had come for us to be bold and to be vulnerable in sharing what Jesus had done in our lives.
Lisa and I eventually left our full-time work at White’s Ferry Road Church to be available to travel more, write more, and further impact our culture. That was a very difficult decision for us because this church and community had given us so much, and we had given so much to it. We are still based in West Monroe, and I still serve the church as an elder and volunteer, but we knew God had expanded our territory to serve in a different way.
We have been able to engage the evil one in the pro-life movement, in fighting for marriages, and in raising funds for many organizations around the country. Our own personal story of redemption, healing, and forgiveness through Christ has resonated and provided opportunities to share Jesus through so many different avenues. We thank God every day for His trust in us to send us out the way He has, but we still love sitting knee to knee with a local couple talking about marriage or having a Bible study with a traveler to West Monroe seeking Jesus. We’ve gone from a stationary plant, growing in Christ where we were originally planted, to a tumbleweed blowing across the fruited plains of our beloved country.
There were reasons why Jesus came the way he did and impacted his own culture before he expanded his message across the world. A few of his final words to the disciples were:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
I have had the privilege of meeting and working alongside some of the most dedicated and amazing cultural warriors around the globe through One Kingdom. These men and women are just like me and Lisa, impacting their own communities through the Gospel and looking for opportunities given by God to expand their impact and territory for the Gospel.
Thank you to all of you out there who walk alongside and support our ministry efforts to fulfill the great commission, one culture impacted at a time. God bless our efforts in Jesus’ mighty name.
Alan Robertson is the oldest son of Phil and Miss Kay Robertson. He helped start the family business, Duck Commander and left there in the late ‘80’s to serve as a Pastor for 22 years at the White’s Ferry Road Church in West Monroe, LA.
Alan and his wife, Lisa, have been married for over 32 years and have two married daughters and six grandchildren. They have co-authored two books, and they travel together all over America sharing their story of brokenness, restoration and healing in their marriage.
They are currently speaking together around the country and writing their third book about desperate forgiveness.