John 15:26-27 “But
when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the
Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of
Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with
Me from the beginning.”
Ultimately, we are to bear
witness about the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, wherever we go
and whatever we do. Pastor Obie offered three things that the Christian should
do being in the World, but not of the world. The first is to have redemptive
eyes, instead of judging eyes. We need to change our thinking about others who
do not believe the same things that we believe. Discrimination will get us
nowhere. Surely, we need to evaluate and judge right from wrong, but through
the focus of being reconcilers. 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 says, “Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things
have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to
Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of
reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world
to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us
the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though
God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be
reconciled to God.”
As ambassadors for Christ,
we have to distinguish between separation and participation. We are “in the
world” to interact with sinners with the goal of others finding forgiveness and
salvation at the foot of the Cross, but not participate in sinful thoughts,
words or actions, because we are “not of the World”; we are of the kingdom of
Heaven. You hate the sin, but love the sinner. Meaning, you hate the system of
sin, but you love the fallen people created by God within it. Reconciliation is
the act of reconciling parties at variance; renewal of friendship after
disagreement or enmity. In Scripture, the means by which sinners are reconciled
and brought into a state of favor with God, after natural estrangement or
enmity; the atonement; expiation (making amends or reparation for guilt or
wrongdoing); restoring a fallen person back to an upright position before the
Lord. Practice the ministry of reconciliation, proclaiming Jesus in a fallen
world and redeeming people to Christ.
Philippians 2:14-16 “Do
all things without complaining and disputing, that you may
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, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the
day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
The second thing that
Christians should do being in the World, but not of the world is to be a
representative of righteousness (that which is “right” in the eyes of God). As
ambassadors of the kingdom of Heaven, we are to represent our Lord and King
Jesus Christ and His interests rightly. Philippians 3:20 “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we
also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”. Our
citizenship is not here, it is in Heaven. Your life may be the only
representation of the Bible that some people ever get a chance to encounter. Be
sure that your heart is aligned and instinct to reflect the heart of the Lord
correctly. God is holy, so we need to act accordingly. The world is watching,
so more than ever, we need to be an example of the goodness of God and an
accurate representation of who God is; showing compassion where compassion is
needed, showing forgiveness where forgiveness is needed, showing love, joy,
patience, kindness and self-control because the fruit of the Spirit is in your
life. Be a light out there in this dark world.
Let's conclude this amazing sermon message by Pastor Obie in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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