Pinnacle Balance

In the age of growing Christian culture we are trapped in a world that believes they can be Christian and still live any way they want.  The bad news is this happened once before in the dark ages of Europe.  The good news is they came out of it with the Protestant Reformation.  It’s going to take a reformation or another Great Awakening to bring the church back to where Jesus left it or at least close.

I am not talking about making the world a Christianized world like The United States has become Christianized but not Christian.  What I want to see a change in is the Christianized United States stop being Christianized and start being Christian.  When we make everything about us we lose what the bible means by, “Be in the world, but not of the world”  except that is not in the bible.  Jesus actually says in John 17,

“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth. (From The New Living Translation)

What we have done with the culture is merge it into the Christian culture and instead of engaging the world we avoid it.  Look at verse 14.  The world doesn’t hate us because we don’t belong to it.  The world hates us because we hate it and do stupid things to show it.  The world hates us because of Televangelist who have private planes and mistresses and more money than they can ever spend.  the world hates us because of people who stand on street corners with bull horns or make gay slurs in public because they really hate gay people.  The world hates us because we hate it and tell it every day how we hate it by being condescending snobs at work the doing the exact opposite of what we preach when we are alone.  The world does not hate us because of the gospel, the world hates us because we first hated it.

Jesus wants us to contribute to society and knows not everyone is going to believe the message, you can look at the parable of the sower and most of Paul’s teachings to find out that not everyone will believe our message.  Our problem comes when we just give up and black list people because they don’t believe us.  It is okay to love people who don’t believe what you believe, but you have to influence their lives and pour into them instead of them influencing you.  I know this is hard to believe because the first thing we were told as new believers was to get away from all bad influences, but that is the wrong step.  Young Christians don’t need to be told they have to change immediately, they need to know the truth and not try to hide their struggles from other people; believers and non-believers alike.  When we stop building lies into our lives like being changed into a new person the second we are saved we will stop trying to sell the world on us being perfect and it being all bad.

Jesus wants us to take part in the world and at the same time be real examples to people in the world verse 18.  But he knows we are set apart because we have been saved and are filled with the Holy Spirit.  Our reliance on God is clear in our lives, just like when we try to be something we aren’t.  When we put our trust in God, he will keep us safe from the evil one.  He doesn’t promise we will never have problems. He doesn’t promise we will never be hurt.  He does promise we will make it to the end if we truly trust in him.