Jesus wants us to conduct our lives within the tension of continuing to live and thrive among the cultures where we find ourselves . His promise is : “ Greater is he who is in you than he that is in the world ” ( 1 John 4:4 ) will lead us to understand how the world relates to , or rather , is separate from the Kingdom of God . Cultures exert pressure on us , whether we are aware of it or not . It is said that if you place a frog in a pot of cold water and then heat it gradually the frog will not jump out of the pot , as the frog doesn ’ t notice that the heat of the water is increasing . Finally , when the heat becomes excessive the frog dies . The analogy is clear . The cultures around us have the power within themselves to destroy us . We need to discern the times , be aware of the trends and live in the culture of God ’ s Kingdom , that is , that particular way of life that comes from following and obeying Jesus .
SUPERINTENDENT
Jesus wants us to conduct our lives within the tension of continuing to live and thrive among the cultures where we find ourselves . His promise is : “ Greater is he who is in you than he that is in the world ” ( 1 John 4:4 ) will lead us to understand how the world relates to , or rather , is separate from the Kingdom of God . Cultures exert pressure on us , whether we are aware of it or not . It is said that if you place a frog in a pot of cold water and then heat it gradually the frog will not jump out of the pot , as the frog doesn ’ t notice that the heat of the water is increasing . Finally , when the heat becomes excessive the frog dies . The analogy is clear . The cultures around us have the power within themselves to destroy us . We need to discern the times , be aware of the trends and live in the culture of God ’ s Kingdom , that is , that particular way of life that comes from following and obeying Jesus .
What other ways show we are living straight ? There is practical integrity like obeying the laws of the land and paying taxes honestly . How do you keep straight in your life and ministry ? It is easy to see perversity and corruption in cultures where things like honour killings , acid thrown in women ’ s faces , suicide bombings , child prostitution , and gross sexual immorality abound .
However , our point of separation from the world is a little more subtle than avoiding these gross actions . Underlying our relationship with the world around us is the challenge of what we truly love and what we are really living for . The Apostle John expresses it this way : “ Do not love the world or anything in the world . If anyone loves the world , the love of the Father is not in him ” ( 1 John 2:15 KJV ). The cultures of this world in association with the powers of darkness create a cloak that covers the earth with spiritual blindness . If this sounds somewhat dramatic I make no apology . It ’ s Bible truth .
If we are going to keep our lives straight , the Apostle John lists three critical areas in which we need diligent watchfulness : “ the lust of the flesh , the lust of the eyes and the pride of life ”. These are the areas where our heart can conspire with the spirit of this world ( 1 John 2:15-17 ). It takes spiritual courage to intentionally make decisions not to give in to natural fleshly urges which worldly people consider normal . Restraining our eyes from lustful searching goes beyond coveting worldly goods to all manner of things . Even more powerful are the temptations of the heart with regard to pride , when vain imaginations lead us to desire what the world offers .
Dear friends , it is pointless to seek the approval of other people based on the shifting shadows of worldly standards and images . We must understand that the pressures that come from the systems of this world are not from our Heavenly Father , because the systems of this world will pass away ( vs 17 ). The Christian is encouraged to “ come out from among ” these corruptions ( 2 Corinthians 6:17 ). We must not fall in love with worldly things . The degree to which we allow an invasion of love for the things of this world into our lives will have a direct bearing on the Father ’ s love resident within us ( 1 John 2:15 ).
Keep on living straight for Jesus !
ISSUE # 3 DECEMBER 2016 | 5