Please do note: this page has nothing to do with whether you are saved or not, it is about whether you are living the life of a Christian!
the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.
The flip side of being more like Christ, is of course being less like the world.
Something that is increasingly difficult in this day and age.
Are you different from the world? Really? So maybe you go to Church, great that’s a good start. But outside of your Christian circle, when you go back to work, or school, or collage on a Monday morning, are you different? Do you join in with the same jokes? Make the same innuendo comments? Talk about the same music or games or films? How does the world know you are a Christian?
When Peter was in the process of denying the Lord, one of the things that was said against him was that his accent betrayed him as a follower of Jesus (Matthew 26:73). The way Peter spoke gave away his position as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Does yours? Does mine? When the meeting is finished, when the preaching is finished, when worship is over on a Sunday morning and we talk to our friends and family in the Church, would anyone know we are Christians? Or as soon as the meeting is over are we back talking about sport, tv, games, fashion, films, holidays, funny stories? There is so much the Devil wants to fill up our minds with!
Christianity is an intensely practical faith. James tells us that without works faith is dead! It is no use having head knowledge if we don’t practically live out what we are learning. We are living in the same world the crucified and rejected Christ, the world’s opinion of Christ has not changed. And if the Lord was here now, the same end result would occur. Why do we want to be friends with the world when we know full well, it was the world that killed our Saviour? Why do we want to look like the world? Talk like the world? Go in for the same things of this world, when we know that the world rejected the Son of God? How can we go from reading, watching or playing something that we know God hates, to taking part in worship, or a Bible study?
It is not that bad?
Now you might say to me, it is not that bad, we all watch some dodgy films, play some games with violence in them, listen to music that has a few swear words, read books that take God’s name in vain. It just part and parcel of living in the 21st Century.
But that is the problem!
Christianity today has been so watered down by social and political correctness, that people aren’t really sure what Christianity is, or more importantly they don’t really understand whether they are saved or not. Just because the majority of people are doing something, doesn’t make it right. Whether we like it or not, we judge ourselves on others around us.
We look at the older people in our Churches and our friends in our youth groups and think we are exactly the same as them. God doesn’t judge against our friends or any other person. We are judged by His standard, and unless you have genuinely put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour, and have repented of your sin before God, you will stand before God, come Judgment Day, with nothing to say. Don't judge yourself on what other people say or do. You ask the question, "Am I saved?" Don't look at other people you believe to be saved for answers, don't think "Yep my life is similar to theirs- I'm good!" Go back to scripture, what does scripture say about being a Christian? Have you got that personal, genuine link with the Lord? Judge how you are living your life, against the pages of God word, to see how you measure up!
A perfect model
Of course, we are still living in this world. We cannot live like Monks, shut off from everything-that doesn’t work. But we can make sure that we don’t go in for things that we know are actively against God, and we can make sure that the world knows we are His.
We have a perfect model in the Lord Jesus, somebody whose talk matched perfectly with His walk. The Lord could say He was altogether that which He said he was. Can we? Honestly? Does our talk match our walk? The challenge comes in Galatians 5:25. Does it match up?
So first and foremost, are you saved?
Have you accepted Jesus as your Saviour? Have you repented of your sin towards God, and then put your faith in the Lord Jesus? Has there been a real change in your life? Do you understand what it is to be a sinner in the presence of God, and then feel the relief of having your sins borne by Jesus?
Secondly, does the world know you are different?
Do you speak differently? Do your interests give you away? Are the things that you are into, different from those around you? If somebody walked in after a Sunday service and listened to the conversations you were having, would they be able to tell straight away you belonged to the Lord?
He gave everything, and we can’t even be bothered most of the time to make it known that we belong to him.
Jesus died for you, so you can live for Him.
