Not of the World

Hello Brethren,

It is nice to feel like you fit in somewhere. We all want to feel like we belong. But in this world, a Christian does not fit in; we go against the grain. God commands us to "Come out from among them and be separate" (2 Corinthians 6:17). You are not to be "conformed to this world" because God called you out of it; but you are to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2). Living by God's commandments with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37) is what sets you apart from the world.

If we started feeling at home here, we would find acceptance and love. Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own" (John 15:19). But you cannot be a Christian and seek acceptance in the world just because you want to fit in. That is a dead-end street. God's people will never be like the world, and "because you are not of the world...the world hates you" (John 15:19). We do not like feeling hated, but because the world hates God, it also hates us.  

God's word says, "Do not love the world or the things in the world" (1 John 2:15). If you do not love the world, the world will not love you. But that does not mean we hate the people of this world. In fact, it is just the opposite. Jesus taught that you must "do good to those who hate you" (Matthew 5:44), just as our heavenly Father does good to all.

Instead of hating the people of this world, "be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15). God wants you to show His own love to the world, "for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" (John 3:16). Therefore, stay separate from the world in all your thoughts, words, and actions. And "become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Philippians 2:15)!

Warm regards,

Andy Diemer

Pastor