In the world…but not of it.

For a Christian trying to live as Christ leads…it doesn’t take very long to realize that the world is not a very conducive place for Christ-like aspirations.  **NEWSFLASH: It’s under the “dominion” (though we all know who is ultimately in control of all things) of Satan!!…for now**

I’ve struggled a lot with trying to figure out how to maintain my Christian walk, but also how to keep in step socially and culturally, at the same time.  By “keep in step” I don’t mean conform.  I mean existing in a way that is acceptable and befitting a “modern-day 19 year old” but at the same time does not compromise my personal standards or take my focus off Christ.  Over the years I’ve heard lots of theories on how to be a Christian in a non-Christian world.  They have ranged from the highly legalistic to the dangerously conformist, and ultimately I have come to the mind that for a Christian to be in but not of, his heart needs to be right with God, not with another model or standard held up by a Christian leader or theologian.

So then, if the duty falls on me to accept Christ’s leading specifically in this area, I have to pray for wisdom and discernment to actually follow that leading and not take worldly freedoms where they have not been given to me.  An example of a “worldly freedom” might be going to a movie, a sporting event, or reading a book by a secular author.  Things not necessarily forbidden to all Christians.

But I digress slightly; this is not a post on Christian freedom, it is a post meant to highlight a verse I recently read that put into perspective for me the whole of our purpose in interacting with — and even existing in — the world

If you utter worthy, not worthless words, you will be my spokesman.  Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. (Jeremiah 15:19b (NIV))

It was really that last sentence that stood out to me.  A Christian should not be elitist or exclusive.  A Christian should be someone that people “turn to”…and are then redirected to Christ as a result of our example of Christ-like living.  Of course we don’t always do a good job of keeping our lights shining like a city on a hill, but douse them under the proverbial bushel when we find that identifying with Christ isn’t expedient.

There is a whole lot more to that verse when put in context of the entire chapter.  We find that God is on the brink of destroying his people, and Jeremiah’s starting to get scared of all the threats spewing from God’s mouth and he starts to wonder if God’s got it in for him too, so he starts spitting out reasons why he should be saved from the wrath to come.  Verse 19 is part of God’s answer to Jeremiah, where he basically states that if Jeremiah wants to be set apart from the world’s punishment then he needs to live set apart from it’s sin.  But this setting apart isn’t a monasterial thing.  God’s not saying to Jeremiah “run away from all people and live on an island somewhere where you can be free to worship me how you want without any distractions…”  No.  God is saying to Jeremiah, “Look, this is where I’ve put you — with these people.  You’ve got a choice, to either be like them, or be the man I designed you to be.  Your love for me will show through how you live, and people will notice.”

Experience has taught us that merely being a Christian, or being different does not automatically make us attractive.  The world isn’t going to want what we’ve got just because we’ve got something different.  This is why we need to be so careful in living a Christian life on the earth as God uniquely guides us.  Following a “godly standard of living” is not the answer.  Following God is.  There is a difference, and it is critical.

To draw this to a close, the point is that however we interact and interface with the secular world, we should always be aware of our mandate to let them do the “turning” (the King James Version uses the word “return” in reference to Isreal’s needed return from apostasy).  We are not to turn (ie: be enticed) to their sin.  That is never the answer, and such behavior will not receive God’s blessing.