All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
The Church That Does Not Look Like the World - Part II
(Part II of IV)
The Church That Does Not Look Like the World – Part II
Last time we recognized that the church is not to be yoked with the world. We established that God’s standards define the difference between righteousness and wickedness. We also established that light and darkness cannot mix. If darkness prevails in the church, it is because the church has surrendered to the world.
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)
Let’s get started on today’s list.
4. What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?
The answer is zero. Belial represents Satan or the antichrist. He has nothing but contempt and hatred towards Christ. He represents sin in its fullest sense. Christ will not tolerate sin, in that sin will not go unpunished. Judgment is coming. Jesus died on the cross to save out of the world those who would call upon His name. Jesus took our penalty upon Himself. Those who reject Him remain lost in their sin and face judgment.
Satan tried to defeat Jesus at the cross and through the grave. He could not. Satan hopes to win the final battle. He will not. They are enemies. The church is Satan’s enemy. Satan is the prince of this world and controls the minds of the unregenerate souls (1 John 5:19; 2 Cor. 4:4). He will orchestrate attacks on the church in an attempt to hurt Jesus. Jesus chooses to work through us for His namesake and the salvation of man.
The world and the church have two completely different masters. We cannot be under the rule of both. Matthew 6:24 illustrates this principle, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Let’s recap: There is a path (righteousness vs. wickedness). There is a certain look (light vs. darkness). There are two leaders (Jesus v. Satan).
5. What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
We live on the same earth. We both need/needed a Savior. We both have physical needs (i.e. food, water, shelter, etc…). We both will live on after death (John 5:28-29). I will point out one more similarity. Every believer was once an unbeliever. Each believer had to accept Jesus as his or her Savior in order to be saved.
The struggle for the church is that we are not to embrace the world or become like the world while still reaching out to the world. I believe that many churches fail to affect the world because they lose sight of the standard of God, stop shining the light of God and cease to serve the Lord Jesus only.
The unbeliever is attracted to Jesus through the light of God being shown through the true believer living for Jesus. We do not win them over through fancy techniques or deceptive practices.
Paul writes the following in 1 Corinthians 2:1-8 “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Unbelievers are not to control the church, for in fact they are not truly part of the church until they come to know Jesus as their Savior. Yet, we want them attending church meetings so that they can hear the message of hope in Jesus. When they come in, they need to see the standard of God present. They need to see the light of Jesus in this place. They need to know that Jesus is the One whom we serve. They need to know that we care for them and their eternal souls. They do not need to be judged by us, but rather exposed to Jesus and His love.
6. What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
There is no agreement. There is no bond. A house of worship is one or the other. It cannot be a place for both. When the unbeliever enters the church, he needs to know with certainty that this is the house of God. How foolish is the church or group that thinks we can worship together with those who believe in other gods. I cannot worship and pray with a native American that worships nature, or a new age person worshiping crystals, or a witch that worships spirits or Satan, or a Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon or a Muslim. who believe in a different Jesus. God’s people need to be clear in their worship of Him. It is not a multi faith experience. For there is only one faith and there is only one God (Eph. 4:4-6). The mixing of faiths is an idea presented by the world, not Christ. This mixing will only hinder the work of Christ, not expand it. Stand your ground!
Let’s recap one more time. There is a path (righteousness vs. wickedness). There is a certain look (light vs. darkness). There are two leaders (Jesus v. Satan). There are two people groups (believers and unbelievers). There are two types of houses of worship (one dedicated to God, the other to idols or demons).
Paul has presented a narrow path for us to follow. This path will face many hindrances as we live in this world. We will be ridiculed and persecuted. That does not mean that we should shrink back or change paths. We must press forward and stand strong. The souls of many are in the balance.
Lord Bless,
Rev. Leonard R. Traina
Principles for Life
The Church That Does Not Look Like the World – Part II
Last time we recognized that the church is not to be yoked with the world. We established that God’s standards define the difference between righteousness and wickedness. We also established that light and darkness cannot mix. If darkness prevails in the church, it is because the church has surrendered to the world.
“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1)
Let’s get started on today’s list.
4. What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?
The answer is zero. Belial represents Satan or the antichrist. He has nothing but contempt and hatred towards Christ. He represents sin in its fullest sense. Christ will not tolerate sin, in that sin will not go unpunished. Judgment is coming. Jesus died on the cross to save out of the world those who would call upon His name. Jesus took our penalty upon Himself. Those who reject Him remain lost in their sin and face judgment.
Satan tried to defeat Jesus at the cross and through the grave. He could not. Satan hopes to win the final battle. He will not. They are enemies. The church is Satan’s enemy. Satan is the prince of this world and controls the minds of the unregenerate souls (1 John 5:19; 2 Cor. 4:4). He will orchestrate attacks on the church in an attempt to hurt Jesus. Jesus chooses to work through us for His namesake and the salvation of man.
The world and the church have two completely different masters. We cannot be under the rule of both. Matthew 6:24 illustrates this principle, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
Let’s recap: There is a path (righteousness vs. wickedness). There is a certain look (light vs. darkness). There are two leaders (Jesus v. Satan).
5. What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
We live on the same earth. We both need/needed a Savior. We both have physical needs (i.e. food, water, shelter, etc…). We both will live on after death (John 5:28-29). I will point out one more similarity. Every believer was once an unbeliever. Each believer had to accept Jesus as his or her Savior in order to be saved.
The struggle for the church is that we are not to embrace the world or become like the world while still reaching out to the world. I believe that many churches fail to affect the world because they lose sight of the standard of God, stop shining the light of God and cease to serve the Lord Jesus only.
The unbeliever is attracted to Jesus through the light of God being shown through the true believer living for Jesus. We do not win them over through fancy techniques or deceptive practices.
Paul writes the following in 1 Corinthians 2:1-8 “When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
Unbelievers are not to control the church, for in fact they are not truly part of the church until they come to know Jesus as their Savior. Yet, we want them attending church meetings so that they can hear the message of hope in Jesus. When they come in, they need to see the standard of God present. They need to see the light of Jesus in this place. They need to know that Jesus is the One whom we serve. They need to know that we care for them and their eternal souls. They do not need to be judged by us, but rather exposed to Jesus and His love.
6. What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?
There is no agreement. There is no bond. A house of worship is one or the other. It cannot be a place for both. When the unbeliever enters the church, he needs to know with certainty that this is the house of God. How foolish is the church or group that thinks we can worship together with those who believe in other gods. I cannot worship and pray with a native American that worships nature, or a new age person worshiping crystals, or a witch that worships spirits or Satan, or a Jehovah’s Witness or Mormon or a Muslim. who believe in a different Jesus. God’s people need to be clear in their worship of Him. It is not a multi faith experience. For there is only one faith and there is only one God (Eph. 4:4-6). The mixing of faiths is an idea presented by the world, not Christ. This mixing will only hinder the work of Christ, not expand it. Stand your ground!
Let’s recap one more time. There is a path (righteousness vs. wickedness). There is a certain look (light vs. darkness). There are two leaders (Jesus v. Satan). There are two people groups (believers and unbelievers). There are two types of houses of worship (one dedicated to God, the other to idols or demons).
Paul has presented a narrow path for us to follow. This path will face many hindrances as we live in this world. We will be ridiculed and persecuted. That does not mean that we should shrink back or change paths. We must press forward and stand strong. The souls of many are in the balance.
Lord Bless,
Rev. Leonard R. Traina
Principles for Life
Tags: church
Comment
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Comment by Charles Burwell on June 21, 2009 at 8:08pm -
LT,
Again you have brought many truths that we need to be reminded of.
"The struggle for the church is that we are not to embrace the world or become like the world while still reaching out to the world. I believe that many churches fail to affect the world because they lose sight of the standard of God , stop shining the light of God and cease to serve the Lord Jesus only."
As I have said before , we need to show the love, mercy and grace of God while not failing to show the reason why we need the love, grace and mercy of God.
God bless you , my brother.
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Comment by Theresa on June 21, 2009 at 8:00pm -
Amen Pastor Leonard,
Thank you and the Lord bless you and keep you close to His heart.
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Comment by The pilgrim on June 21, 2009 at 2:55pm -
Hello dear LT, I thank God for this truth, and i thank you for posting it in clear and simple way ........ i'm blessed by it.....i will look for ward the next part.
May His light shine on u and through you more brighter.
Remain blessed.
With His love ur sis.
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