Study 26 – Worldliness

When Christians do not understand grace, they send a garbled message to the world. Society then looks at the church and concludes that 'Christianity is all about following a lot of rules and regulations.'

If we do not quickly quash this belief and promote the message of grace, we will open the church door to all sorts of worldly opinions and practices.

God wants us to be a distinctive people, a company who know that they have been set apart for His glory. Just as we received God's grace, so we must continue in it. If we see worldliness in the church or in our lives, we must be diligent to root it out.  But first, we need to know what worldliness looks like.

Some people read, 'the whole world is under the control of the evil one' and 'Do not love the world or anything in the world' (1 John 5:19; 2:15) and think, 'Association with the world is evil so I must live apart from it.' They then join a community and withdraw.

But Jesus never expected us to withdraw from the world. He prayed only that we would be protected from the evil one while we were in it (John 17:15).

When John wrote about the 'world' he was referring to the age in which we live.  He was telling believers not to get wrapped up in a passing phase to which neither we nor Jesus belong.

Some Christians think of worldliness in terms of obvious sins like cheating, lying, swearing and smoking.  But worldliness runs deeper than that. It originates not in action but in attitude.

A worldly Christian does not necessarily do blatantly evil things.  He simply carries on without any particular reference to God, filling his mind with this age and living as though today were everything.

Society tries hard to control you, to 'squeeze you into its own mould' (Rom. 12:2 JBP). If you develop a love for the world, you will succumb to the pressure to conform to it. God is not calling you to remove yourself physically from worldly influences, but to resist the temptation to exclude Him from your daily life.

To Meditate On

JESUS WANTS YOU TO FOLLOW HIM WHOLE-HEARTEDLY

'What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?' (Matt. 16:26).

'Demas, because he loved the world, has deserted me' (2 Tim. 4:10)

Food For Thought

Read Matthew 16:13-19

Spend some quality time today praying for:

a)  your local church:

• for individual leaders (power in preaching the Word, wisdom to lead, etc)
• for the people (hearing the Word with faith, obedience, etc.)
• for any backsliders you know (to return to God)

b)  the universal church:

• for anointed, Spirit-filled leadership
• for zeal among Christians to follow Christ with all their hearts

Be Inspired

It is right for the Church to be in the world; it is wrong for the world to be in the Church. A boat in the water is good; that is what boats are for.  However, water inside the boat causes it to sink. 
Harold Linsell

To Answer

What role are you fulfilling in the church? If you have no specific job, pray that God will show you what He wants you to do. Be prepared to get on with humble tasks (putting out the chairs, serving coffee, etc.) Your willingness to do these important things will demonstrate that you are not seeking glorious things for yourself.  Indeed, your faithfulness in small things is likely to lead to your being given more responsibility in the future. (Matt. 25:21)

To Read

'If we give top priority to those pursuits which should have low priority, if we "major in minors", if we show a "first-rate dedication to second-rate causes", if we allow friends and impulse and the convenience of the moment to dictate our priorities, while we weakly drift with the tide of daily circumstance, we will be shabby, mediocre, and ineffective persons'.
Richard Shelley Taylor

No-one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs – he wants to please his commanding officer. Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops (2 Tim. 2:4-6).

Be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
(2 Pet. 3:17,1).

'They are not of the world any more that I am of the world'
(John 17:14).