Monday, January 23, 2006
In the World, But Not of It
This morning, Shane mentioned the passage of scripture that speaks of Christians being "In the world but not of it" and how many churches have focused on the "but not of it" portion, even to the total disregard of the section on being in the world in the first place. What are your thoughts on this verse? How can we avoid the pitfalls of an us/them mentality? How can we make our Christianity more about our relationship with Christ and less about having just our "dos and don'ts" list to separate us from the rest of the world?
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Sorry, friends, but it's insomnia night for Laurie, so ignore my posts or not. I think in order to avoid the us/them mentality, one of the first steps is taking our focus off of us or me and placing it on him/her or them. It's hard; I am self-centered. I tend to be a hermit. I am full of words, but at a distance. Actually taking the time to get to know a person well does not come naturally to me, and that has got to change. I have a goal for this year. To invite 12 neighbors to my home this year - one a month. I have lived in the same place for 15 years and actually am on speaking terms with one set of neighbors and I live in a highly populated area. They know we are Christians, and so what? Well, I want to change the so what part, but first I have to quit thinking about MY comfort and start thinking about these people and wanting to know them. I want to get back to being that person on a mission I was as a new believer. So, facing the fact that I have to change me again is the first step to being "in the world, but not of it."
Posted by Laurie on 01/23/2006 06:06:39 AM
Sorry about the blank post above. This is an interesting and timely question for me. In doing a page out of a workbook for a Bible study I'm in, a section dealing with God's provision of manna and the Israelites partial longing for things left behind in Egypt - the point was made about having to completely leave your old worldly life behind. The following question (paraphrased) was posed with the following check boxes for answers: What should our reaction be to our longing for things of this world? 1. ignore it 2. hate it 3. try to change it ????? I made two new check boxes of my own and wrote in "try to be Christ's disciples in the world" and "love God's creation." I have to say that the perspective Shane provides is helping me to see this division that many put in our lives here on Earth. We shouldn't ignore the world, or the people in it. We shouldn't hate the world, for sure we shouldn't hate the people in it. Should we try to change the world? Not by inflicting moral law on people and handing out a big "do and "don't" list, but changing by being Christ's disciples, having relationships with the people we encounter, living out what we believe in our own lives - and hoping our actions translate. I can't believe the seperation that many try to make between "Christian" and "other" things in their lives. I think an "us/them" mentality is dangerous - it translates to a superiority - not wanting to mix with "them." Isn't the "them" who we're called to serve? Wasn't Christ all about "them"? The only reason there can be an "us" mentality is because of One - not us. To me, it's pretty selfish to think in terms of "us."
Posted by nothingelse on 01/23/2006 05:13:59 PM
Everyone must think I have nothing better to do with my life than tell others what I think. Really, I have a life beyond this blog site and a good part of it is spent at St. Vincent. Anyway, I thought of another way I try to avoid the us/them trap. I remind myself a lot about the days when I was a supposed "them." I wasn't saved until I was 38, so I have a lot of "them" experience. Those constant reminders to myself helps blur the lines and barriers I set up, and I do still struggle with the set up and tear down.
Posted by Laurie on 01/23/2006 08:00:52 PM
The thing I find most difficult is being In the world and not of it and being percieved as being of the world. "Worldly Thinking". I like how Shane puts it. Plainly, we all struggle with the same stuff... there is more in common between "us" and "them" than most people realize; on both sides. We think of the race that God has set before us as when we become Christians, but what if we saw it first as just the journey of life? Would it make a difference if I accepted Jesus when I was 6 or 36? No, I have a course that was set for me and time only goes in one direction. So, to is true of everyone else. We are all learning how to best live in this world. We all have goals and aspirations and these are what keep us going. Does knowing Jesus personally make life easier? As for me, I say no because there are more hard lessons to learn because of the standards that are set by God. Most of them are a result of lack of discipline and self-control, but this past year has really been a test of whether or not my tree is bearing the Fruit of the Spirit. When the fruit is there and on the branches, it is ripe for the picking and anyone who wants some is free to chose the best one.
Posted by Adam Wyckoff on 01/24/2006 06:28:23 AM
I have read your ideas and statements on being in the world but not of it, and I just loved to see the rose opening and people actually thinking and caring 'outside the box'. I do what one of the others mentioned, I always think of how I was treated because I was outside the so-called Christian world, being an unsaved person and of course, sinning is part of that world. It was so strange for me to be judged on believer's terms while I was a sinner. I try with everything in me not to be that to people. I also try very hard to not judge my brother's and sister's in Christ on their struggles and walk with Jesus. If the Holy Spirit deals with me to say something to someone about an issue I pray over it for a long time and make sure it is not just the us/them inside the Christian world forcing me to judge others. When I do confront someone after much prayer it is always in love and humility because I remember being judged and do not want to cause them to draw back.
Posted by Jem on 01/26/2006 07:19:52 PM
Doug Webster included some comments relevant to this discussion in an article that you can check out at: http://thespheric1.cjb.cc/per/writings/evangelism.html
Posted by dwellingplace on 03/14/2006 04:35:05 PM
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