Weird For The World
"And hereby we do know that we know HIM, if we keep HIS commandments. He that saith, I know HIM, and keepeth not HIS commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth HIS word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in HIM. He that saith he abideth in HIM ought himself also so to walk, even as HE (Jesus) walked." 1John 2:3-6
The Bible clearly states that anyone who claims to be a Christian must walk as Jesus walked. Many people will argue that this is too 'fundamentalist', too extreme. "How," they will say, "can you even expect anyone to come close to being like Christ?" Isn't that just what a Christian is supposed to be -- someone who follows Christ? Nowadays, the people liberally use the words 'Christian', 'Born Again', and even 'Born Again Christian' as if it were some kind of religion. Christianity is not a religion -- it's a way of life. It applies to an individual's whole life -- with each day, each action, each word and not just in church. People have a common tendency to compartmentalize their faith -- we usually act different in church, with friends, in business, even in our personal lives. Christianity is not something you can compartmentalize -- when one claims to be a Christian and calls Jesus "Lord", that person has a duty to do what pleases God. "And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
Of course, when you preach obedience a surprising number of people will voice their dissent.
"You're preaching fundamentalism!" "You're preaching salvation by works!"
Au contraire. We preach Christ, we preach Christ crucified. Without a doubt, salvation is by grace through faith and not of works but the moment we accept that grace, the moment we are made clean, we have a duty to obey Him. "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love." "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." One cannot accept Him as Savior but refuse to accept Him as Lord.
"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." Titus 3:4-8
Christians should live life not according to the dictates of the world but according to the dictates of His Word. Sadly, however, this is rarely preached in the pulpits. All over the world, you can hardly see a difference between a Christian and an 'unbeliever' -- nowadays, fornication, adultery, homosexuality and drugs are rampant in many churches. Most of the churches in the United States have even gone so far as to allow gay marriage and gay ministers. Conformity is the rule rather than the exception. As the Apostle Paul said, "This shouldn't be so." There should be a difference. In His Word everything is black and white, there are no gray areas.
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2
"For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do -- living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, ant they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." 1 Peter 4:1-5
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." 1John 2:15-17
He has taken us 'out of the world', He has purified us unto himself 'a peculiar people, zealous of good works.' We are the 'lights of the world' and the 'salt of the earth' but how can we be lights if nobody can see a difference in our lives? If we apply Christianity to our lives, if we apply His Word to our lives, Christ will shine in everything we do -- in what we say, how we do things, how we react, with the company we keep, in the way we live, in the movies or shows we watch, in the music we listen to, even in the way we dress. As a rule, however, once you apply His Words to your life the world as a whole will view you as peculiar -- in other words, weird.
A few months ago, we heard about a comment that we in the bible study were weird. It may sound derogatory to some but we choose to take it as a compliment. Jesus himself tells us that "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." It would have been normal for us to have been dismayed or puzzled by such a comment but we actually view it with a sense of humor. In fact, when I told Achi Joy about the comment she shared that verse and came back with an apt repartee. "That's why," she said, "from now on we will be called Weird For The World!!!"
Touche...
The Bible clearly states that anyone who claims to be a Christian must walk as Jesus walked. Many people will argue that this is too 'fundamentalist', too extreme. "How," they will say, "can you even expect anyone to come close to being like Christ?" Isn't that just what a Christian is supposed to be -- someone who follows Christ? Nowadays, the people liberally use the words 'Christian', 'Born Again', and even 'Born Again Christian' as if it were some kind of religion. Christianity is not a religion -- it's a way of life. It applies to an individual's whole life -- with each day, each action, each word and not just in church. People have a common tendency to compartmentalize their faith -- we usually act different in church, with friends, in business, even in our personal lives. Christianity is not something you can compartmentalize -- when one claims to be a Christian and calls Jesus "Lord", that person has a duty to do what pleases God. "And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?"
Of course, when you preach obedience a surprising number of people will voice their dissent.
"You're preaching fundamentalism!" "You're preaching salvation by works!"
Au contraire. We preach Christ, we preach Christ crucified. Without a doubt, salvation is by grace through faith and not of works but the moment we accept that grace, the moment we are made clean, we have a duty to obey Him. "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in His love." "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." One cannot accept Him as Savior but refuse to accept Him as Lord.
"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men." Titus 3:4-8
Christians should live life not according to the dictates of the world but according to the dictates of His Word. Sadly, however, this is rarely preached in the pulpits. All over the world, you can hardly see a difference between a Christian and an 'unbeliever' -- nowadays, fornication, adultery, homosexuality and drugs are rampant in many churches. Most of the churches in the United States have even gone so far as to allow gay marriage and gay ministers. Conformity is the rule rather than the exception. As the Apostle Paul said, "This shouldn't be so." There should be a difference. In His Word everything is black and white, there are no gray areas.
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2
"For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do -- living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, ant they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead." 1 Peter 4:1-5
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." 1John 2:15-17
He has taken us 'out of the world', He has purified us unto himself 'a peculiar people, zealous of good works.' We are the 'lights of the world' and the 'salt of the earth' but how can we be lights if nobody can see a difference in our lives? If we apply Christianity to our lives, if we apply His Word to our lives, Christ will shine in everything we do -- in what we say, how we do things, how we react, with the company we keep, in the way we live, in the movies or shows we watch, in the music we listen to, even in the way we dress. As a rule, however, once you apply His Words to your life the world as a whole will view you as peculiar -- in other words, weird.
A few months ago, we heard about a comment that we in the bible study were weird. It may sound derogatory to some but we choose to take it as a compliment. Jesus himself tells us that "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." It would have been normal for us to have been dismayed or puzzled by such a comment but we actually view it with a sense of humor. In fact, when I told Achi Joy about the comment she shared that verse and came back with an apt repartee. "That's why," she said, "from now on we will be called Weird For The World!!!"
Touche...Labels: Bible, Christianity, Weird, Weird for the World
posted by Dandirom at
10:24 AM
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