Not of the World

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, who is our creator God and the Savior of the world, had just finished speaking with his disciples, preparing them for the fact that he was soon to be crucified on a cross by his enemies. And now, right before he was arrested and then put on trial and accused falsely of a crime he did not commit, and put to death on a cross, he prayed a long prayer to God the Father. The prayer is recorded for us in all of John 17, but I am only going to quote one small section of it here.

Most of the prayer is concerning those who had believed on him and regarding those who would yet come to believe in him. He was concerned for them because he would be leaving them and they would no longer have him with them in the flesh. So he asked God the Father to keep them in his name that they might be one as he and the Father were one. He was concerned for their safety, because they were in the world and he would no longer be with them to guard them from the things of this sinful world.

“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” John 17:14-19 ESV

Those who are still of this sinful world, including many who profess the name of Jesus Christ, do not generally embrace those of us who are not of the world, but whose lives are committed fully to serving Jesus Christ and to doing his will. And I am not speaking here of us needing to remove ourselves entirely from the world, for we are to still live in the world. We are just not to partake in what the Scriptures deem as of this world – the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:15-17).

For Jesus Christ did put us on this earth for a purpose, and he did send us to go out into the world with the message of the gospel and to love the people of the world like he did. But we are to be unlike (different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of character of Jesus Christ, by God, which is what it means to be holy. And we are to be holy as God is holy, and in all our conduct. For, as obedient children of God, we are not to be conformed to the passions of our flesh (1 Peter 1:14-19).

So, if the worldly people who live in this world, which includes some professers of faith in Jesus Christ who are living worldly lives, if they truly despise us and want nothing to do with us and wish that we would just disappear so they wouldn’t have to deal with us, because of our walks of faith in Jesus Christ, and because of our testimonies for him, what does that look like? What is it about us that is so different, or so unique that the people who are living worldly lives would go so far as to despise us?

And what does this tell you about the kind of life you should be living as a follower of Christ? We are not to be those who blend in with the world in order to be liked by the people of the world. We are not to immerse ourselves in our culture so that the people of the world are not offended by us. And we are not to make compromises with what is worldly and ungodly and against the will of God in order to be liked and accepted by the people of this sinful world. We truly are to stand out as different, unique.

But “different” doesn’t mean bizarre (wild, freakish, grotesque, outrageous). And we can definitely use Jesus as our example here. And if we are under Holy Spirit control, as we all should be, nothing should be done by us that is out of our control to where something else takes over our minds and bodies to make us do anything beyond our ability to stop it, like what we read about in the Scriptures of people who were demon possessed. For the fruit of the Spirit is self-control, among other godly traits (Galatians 5:22-24).

So, if we don’t participate in what is ungodly, and if we do stand out as different, because we are living holy lives, pleasing to God, and because we take God and his word seriously, and because we are out there sharing the truth of the gospel with the people of the world, we should not expect that the ungodly and worldly people of this world will embrace us. But we should expect that we will be rejected, unwanted, cast aside, hated, and shunned because we stand on the truth of God’s word and reject the lies of Satan.

So, Jesus’ prayer for us, too, who are living holy lives, pleasing to God, and who are not living in participation with what is of the world and of the flesh, is that God the Father will sanctify us in the truth. And to be sanctified is to be made holy, which is separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being made to be like Jesus in character, heart, mind, and actions. It means that daily we are denying self, dying to sin, and walking in obedience to the Lord, in practice, in the power of God, by his Spirit, by his grace.

And my prayer for all who profess the name of Jesus Christ but who are still walking in sin, still deliberately and habitually doing what they know is evil, who’ve been and are wandering far from the Lord, and far from the truth of the gospel, is that their hearts will be stirred, and that they will be convicted of God of their wanderings, and that they will repent of their sins, and that they will turn to God, or back to God, and that they will now, by God’s Spirit, live holy lives pleasing to God, in service to our Lord, for as long as they live.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

When in The Stillness  

An Original Work / September 26, 2011

When in the stillness of this moment,

Speak to me, Lord, I humbly pray.

Be my desire, set me on fire,

Teach me to love always.

Help me to walk in fellowship with You,

Listening to You; sit at Your feet.

Whisper Your words to me, 

Oh, how gently, guiding me in Your truth. 

While we are waiting for Your blessing,

Lord, in our hearts be King today.

Help us to live for you ev’ry moment,

List’ning to what You say.

May we not stray from your word within us,

Help us obey You, Lord, in all things,

Walking each moment, Lord, in Your presence,

Our offerings to You bring.

Help us to love You, Lord, our master;

Be an example of Your love,

Helping the hurting, lift up the fallen,

Showing them Your great love.

Teach them to love You, follow You always,

Bearing their cross and turning from sin;

Walking in daily fellowship with You,

Making You Lord and King.

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