Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you.”
2 Corinthians 6:14-17
Much like the ominous novel 1984 by George Orwell, truths are becoming lies and lies truth. Right is wrong and wrong is right. History is being rewritten, and—most frightening—freedom of speech (even thought) is being squelched (i.e., “cancelled”). Although Christians in our beloved nation have not suffered the level of persecution known daily around the world for centuries, our values, morals, and beliefs have certainly been subject to suppression more and more over the past 50 years. The intensity and severity, however, has been growing exponentially over the past decade. And, it is common knowledge, that during the past 12 months alone, God’s Church has been relegated to “non-essential,” while liquor and weed stores, strip clubs, and abortion clinics are deemed necessary entities to effectively cope with the pandemic. (It wasn’t long ago that when any time our nation was in crisis, people flocked into churches from shore to shore to weep and pray together.)
Brothers and sisters, now more than ever, we must step away from this world to be different. Within the ever-deepening darkness, we must think differently, act differently, speak differently. The god of this world (Satan) knows his time is waning, and he is working overtime to gain more of a foothold while he has the chance. And this is becoming more evident daily.
It is time to stand firm. To draw a line in the sand. We must decide, today, not to conform to this world (Romans 12:2). This is not our home, as we are not citizens of earth, but of heaven, from which we eagerly await our Savior, Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:20). James clearly states that friendship with the world is enmity with God—that is, it makes us God’s enemy (James 4:4)!
So, what is “friendship” with the world, and what does it mean to be “worldly”? Throughout God’s Word, the inspired writers talk a lot about this—just read through 1 John, Titus, or 2 Peter, or James. Bottom line? It’s putting anything before the Lord. Selfish desires, fleshly pleasures, wealth obsession, social media idolatry, political preoccupation, etc. This is status quo for unbelievers. But Christians too, even after having been transformed into a new creation (2 Cor 5:17), will also struggle against our natural desires until the time of our perfection. It’s a battle, for sure.
But what’s imperative to note is how the world has crept into the Church as well, condoning immorality as merely “culturally modern.” So instead of the Church body helping to sanctify believers, it instead waters down—or twists—the Word, deceiving people into thinking their actions are “holy” when they are not. This makes standing firm in our faith even more of a challenge! A reality since the first century, this is nothing new, as evidenced through the Apostle Paul’s letters and even in Jesus’ Revelation letters to the seven churches. But in our country, it is certainly worse than it’s been in my lifetime.
What’s the point here? Well, there are three things I’d like for us to take away: (1) Let’s choose to be different and stand firm on God’s Truth, which can only happen if we know the Truth—the Bible; (2) Let’s be sure that the church we attend is rooted in God’s Truth, teaching pure Scripture and not adding to it or taking from it—and believing that the gathering together of the body is “essential,” especially in a crisis; (3) Persecution—not just suppression—is coming, so the first two things are non-negotiables.
Lord, help me stand firm in Your Truth amid the shifting—and pelting—sands of this world.
encouraged by grace 