The World Hates Christ: Don't Forget it!

There continues to be a large number of Christians who think if they cozy up to, and agree with, many things the world asserts, they will be considered more passionate and the world will then listen to them. This is a fallacy.

It won't matter what you do or say, the world will always hate those who truly follow Christ, because they in reality: hate Christ. It's something we as believers should never forget.

A significant number of Christians are becoming pragmatists.

In this post, when I speak of pragmatism, think of it in this way: concerned with practical consequences rather than theory. Just exchange the word theory with the phrase "eternal purpose," or "what's important to Christ," and you'll get where I'm going with this.

In the early years of my Christian life, I discovered how easy it is to be a people gatherer. You could display your gifts; be a great orator; speak to what they want to hear; among a number of similar things.

This is important, because when we serve God's eternal purpose, which He has deposited in His son Jesus Christ, being pragmatic isn't the way we will reach the purpose God created us for.

Unfortunately, in those who are now moving outside of traditional Christianity, this is becoming the norm. When you hear things like environmentalism; homosexuals are born that way; feminism; you know people are being pragmatic.

No matter how you spin it, there is no way this things are of any interest to God's purpose in Christ. You won't win people to Christ or what He's after by going to bed with the world. It never works!

That's why the scriptures teach that we aren't to love the world.

So if we want to become pragmatic in reference to responding to what's on the heart of the Father, we will become like the world, not like Christ.

Pragmatism could be worked out by embracing whatever the current fad in the world is, and then accept it in order to draw more people to whatever it is we're trying to build. This never works, because what inevitably always happens is the world ends up winning you to it, rather than the other way around.

Follow the narrow path. Being pragmatic or practical, in the sense of becoming like the world or addressing what it's interested in doesn't ever work. Don't compromise the eternal purpose of God to gain numbers. You may get the numbers, but what you'll be won't be built by God.

This doesn't mean we aren't to grow in numbers, but it must be done in the Lord, and not by watering things down so much that it makes the gospel of none effect.

Like Abraham, we're looking for a city who's builder and maker is God; a city that's a light on the hill. Becoming a city built on the premise and interests of the world isn't the way to achieve that goal.

Quit trying to please the world. Quit trying to be accepted by the world. Quit trying to impress the world. The world is dead, already judged by God. The only way out of it is through Jesus Christ. That's what the Greek word used for church meant: the called out ones, or being called out.

It referred to being called out of the world which was under the power and influence of Satan. Why would any of us want to stay there if we truly believe in Christ?