Though I hope to backtrack and pick up on some earlier reflections in my study of 1 John, this week I am taking a look at 1 John 2:15-17 where the command is given not to love the world or anything therein. This command is obviously directed towards a particular worldview that has captivated mankind through the influence of Satan and not directed towards a hatred of mankind or the physical universe. These things are good (God created the world and called it “Good”; “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” for it.) The focus here is the hatred of that which is driving a wedge between God and man, namely, worldliness.
The particular point that attracts my attention ahead of my sermon is in regards to the cliche that we are “in the world but not of the world.” I guess I’ve grown to question everything in my life for the purpose of testing their validity…it especially draws my attention to question anything that has become a cliche b/c after a while cliches are passed on with so little thought we forget what we are saying or where it originated. In the case of this cliche, I fear that our common interpretation of what this means has led us to a life of limited impact on the world we are living in. Ironically, we can become an awful lot like the world we live in by trying too hard to be anti-world. When what it means to be a Christian in the world is boiled down to self-preservation through disconnectedness…we essentially become the religious version of a worldly person.
Does that make sense? Let me try and make myself a bit clearer. People in the world are accustomed to “looking out for number 1.” What are we really doing differently if our main concern is our identity apart from the world and are main concern is not the people we are trying to influence? If our identity is our focus we are essentially looking out for number 1. If, however, we focus on what is best for those who do not know Christ, how would we then engage the world? Where would we find ourselves? How transparent would we let ourselves get with the world? Would we admit struggles with addiction so that the healing we received in Christ would become available to those currently battling addiction? Would we enter into the bars to listen to the heartache/loss of people who have found no other way to cope with their emotions? Would we hug the homosexual or cry tears with the AIDS patient? Would we risk being called “a friend of sinners” and perhaps ruin our image as a “Christian” in order to redeem others from a wasted life?
If our cliche is keeping us from looking like Christ in the world, then maybe we better stop using it. What would serve us better? Perhaps we need to adopt something like “We are a people who live in the world, w/out being overcome by worldliness.” If refusing to be ”of the world” separates us from those that are in the world, then the Kingdom’s growth will be stunted by our failed efforts. I hope that is something in which we will refuse to participate. Jesus expressed the idea of a church on the offensive…something that the Gates of Hades could not withstand. It seems to me most of our churches are living on the defensive and haven’t ever seen the Gates of Hades for being too far away from them. It’s time for a changing mission, don’t you think?
3 Comments
May 29, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Well said, son, very well said! I need to share something of my own experience here…when I was about 12 years old, I started going back to the church I hadn’t attended since my parents stopped going about three years earlier. I went back and I loved being in church…loved the sermons…the preacher…Bible study…the people. They helped me focus on God. I was baptized at 13. As I entered high school, my agenda was to “serve” God and be different from those who weren’t Christians. I was detached from my high school and from those who had been my friends in elementary and junior high school. A fear had somehow been instilled within me that I couldn’t any longer associate with these people. They might drag me away from Christ and the church. As a result, I helped no one in my school. I shared my faith with no one. If I was not in the church culture, I was nearly a non-entity. At church, I was nearly a hero. I was a young man interested in song-leading and preaching. I got lots of ego-strokes. I was the poster boy for how to live as a teenage Christian. The fact is…nothing could have been further from the truth. I was eaten up by sins I couldn’t turn loose of. I wasn’t better than anyone else. And I’m sure others in my school would have said I was arrogant in my religion (though I didn’t intend to be). And, most of all, I wasn’t helping anyone toward faith.
To this day…it seems many in the fellowship I have loved and served for so long would rather stand aloof from the world. Our first message to the world seems to be that “we” are not like other churches. We are “different.” It is our uniqueness that we like to point out. It comes down to being things we don’t do like so many other religious people do. We don’t use any instruments in our musical worship. And we don’t celebrate…or even say (inside the church building) “Christmas” or “Easter.”
But the Bible gives us completely different criteria for becoming known in our world. We are to bear fruit for Jesus…to be united in Him…and, most of all, to have His love living inside us…for one another…for all.
I do believe in objective, spiritual truth. And I know there are many enemies of truth abroad in our world. But I think some of us (maybe many of us) have unnecessarily made the truth objectionable by our “exclusive and arrogant-looking” stance. I know that I have done that. I don’t see that being Christ’s way…and I know it has not been successful in terms of advancing the Kingdom cause. I’m convinced that if some of us were to approach the gates of Hades to storm those gates for a heavenly cause, we would hear voices from with saying, “Jesus…we know. Paul…we know. But who are you?”
You sound a wise and needed word to us, Doug. I agree that it’s time for changing our attitudes and approach toward others. It’s time for serving in love, admitting and approving of good wherever we find it, and trying to build bridges by going about doing good for others in our world just as our Lord did and does.
May 30, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Dad, your story speaks volumes. I’m grateful for the ego-stroking the church gave you though. I think it might have been a needed part of your spiritual development. Thank goodness we never stopped growing for that’s certainly not where God wants us to be. Though we have both missed numerous opportunities in our lives for doing good…His grace has shown us immense patience and continues to teach us still.
I struggle mightily to make this transition back to the people who need Jesus w/out ostracizing myself from the church. I find myself caught between two worlds. Though the church has meant well…a major portion of the body are driving people away from Christ in their good intentions. How do we re-educate and balance our frustrations over ineptitude with the grace and favor that Christ illustrated? I fear my impatience gets the best of me sometimes, leaving me quick to judge the failures of the church rather than working with them to advance the kingdom.
I love you dad. Thanks for sharing this piece.
August 24, 2009 at 5:45 am
Thank you for this word. It spoke to what was weighing heavily on my heart. How do I maintain my friendships with non-christians while growing my relationships within the church? How do I share God’s love & gospel with non-Christians who are gay, lesbian, etc. without being accepting of their lifestyle (esp when they ask me for relationship advice). These are all questions Christians face; but as your blog aptly conveyed, we are not to segregate ourselves. Mary Magdelene was a prostitute, Paul persecuted christians. Jesus called them both.