Some content taken from Altar-ed by Sam Nobles
Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” James 4:4 ESV
To define: the world is any mindset, philosophy, or worldview that sets itself against God.There is and always has been an irreconcilable incompatibility between the church and the world. We want to have a place in the world so that we can share God’s love and salvation with the world, while maintaining the testimony of Christ.
For Christians it is a challenge to be in the world and not of the world. We walk very closely with the world, getting as close as we can, without totally conforming to the world. We want to be close enough to have a relationship where we can have an impact, while maintaining enough distance to be separate. It is just as hard for the church. We want to be appealing to the world to draw them in. In the process we can lose the true goal Christ has given us.
Our goal should be to reach the world, not become like the world.
So many churches today have been commandeered by carnal spin-doctors, who try to convince believers that the church can be just as inclusive, pluralistic, and broad-minded as the world, but it can’t.
Our goal should be relevance, but not at the expense of reverence.
It is okay for a church to be “relevant”, but it is not okay for “relevance” to take the place of reverence – this is still the church. It is far more important to be biblical than it is to be cool.
Our goal should be to grow strong more than it is to grow large.
A strong church will be a growing church, but if the goal is growth instead of strength, people will be spiritually shallow. If there is a mist in the pulpit then there will be a fog in pews.
Our goal should be edification and evangelism more than entertainment.
There is nothing wrong with having a good time at church and even being entertained, but there is a huge problem when the entertainment becomes more valued and promoted more than the Word of God.
As the Church, the Body of Christ, we need to remember that proclaiming the gospel of Christ is our goal. Relevance is a means to an end. Not our focus. It is a bridge for us to be able to more effectively spread the Gospel today and become a stronger church
Scripture to Claim:
A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)
