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...Christians shouldn't care what goes on in the world, because the world doesn't matter. Christians can certainly live comfortably in the world but the problems of the day should be of no concern to a Christian because they distract, dilute the strength of your faith, and encourage evil.
Do you practice this in your walk of faith? Does your pastor?
...Christians shouldn't care what goes on in the world, because the world doesn't matter. Christians can certainly live comfortably in the world but the problems of the day should be of no concern to a Christian because they distract, dilute the strength of your faith, and encourage evil.
Do you practice this in your walk of faith? Does your pastor?
I've been taught to be in the world, but not a part of it. Simply meaning that I have to live my life. My day-to-day actions are obviously going to bring me into contact with a world that is often contrary to my beliefs. I am therefore instructed to live my life as Christ would have me live it in the midst of a sinful world. I need to do my best to live up to His standards, all the while interacting with those who need to see that influence.
I don't believe that the words of the Bible were ever intended to teach Christians to bury our heads in the sand and pretend that such problems don't exist or involve us.
I'm interested to see from what perspective the OP is coming from. I'm not familiar with your previous posts...are you Christian or not?
Hi dojilynn, I'm the OP. I'm a Christian. Your first paragraph sounds as if we're in tune here.
Quote:
Originally Posted by delusianne
Christians can certainly live comfortably in the world but the problems of the day should be of no concern to a Christian
My post asks other Christians on this forum to discuss/give examples of how they resist, or if they feel they should try to resist, the distractions scattered in their paths by the world, that tempt them away from Jesus's overriding exhortation, to love one another - as simple and as impossible as that can be. Whether, and under what circumstances, we remind ourselves that the world will continue sinful no matter what we do or in what age we live, that the best we can do is to set Christlike examples, and that our home is not here but in Heaven.
When we're born again, we see the world, and our reason for living, differently. The things and values of the world drop away - become petty and meaningless. Yet because this new difference is in such sharp contrast to the way other people are living their lives, we can see much more clearly where they're going wrong. And that's a very smart temptation from the Devil, because it can lead us to wade right back into worldly behavior - anger, exclusion, criticism and so on.
I'm not trying to start a fight if that's what you mean - it's a legit question and something we all of us face all the time, unless we're walking very closely with the Lord.
I'm not trying to start a fight if that's what you mean - it's a legit question and something we all of us face all the time, unless we're walking very closely with the Lord.
Dont want anyone to be defensive or feel the need to argue in this thread, either. I guess its summary is, Im asking people to tell how they handle temptation, which obscures the Lord from us, and/or how their pastors advise on the matter.
As far as reconciling a Christian spirit with having to live in the world, I trade stocks for my daily bread
Last edited by delusianne; 03-28-2008 at 10:16 AM..
Reason: just can't hush up :)
Dont want anyone to be defensive or feel the need to argue in this thread, either. I guess its summary is, Im asking people to tell how they handle temptation, which obscures the Lord from us, and/or how their pastors advise on the matter.
As far as reconciling a Christian spirit with having to live in the world, I trade stocks for my daily bread
Even though we are Christians we are still concerned about what happens in this world, but we remember, this is not our final home, we are just passing through. As far as temptation goes, James 1:13 "And remember, no one who wants to do wrong should ever say, God is tempting me. God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never temps anyone else either".
Anyone who wants to resist temptation should turn to God for strength.
...Christians shouldn't care what goes on in the world, because the world doesn't matter. Christians can certainly live comfortably in the world but the problems of the day should be of no concern to a Christian because they distract, dilute the strength of your faith, and encourage evil.
Do you practice this in your walk of faith? Does your pastor?
Hi, when I think about this (and I have been thinking a lot about this this week), I believe that as a believer I am to be different in that my whole focus, aspiration, goal is to be pleasing to the Lord which is contrasted with the world system in which for the most part people are seeking to please self and aren't concerned about sin. It isn't about what gets me ahead in this life like money, status, materialism, physical beauty, fame, ect. And what the world might consider to be what is most important or what we should strive for, is not what I believe is to be most important or what I should strive for. Like the apostle Paul wrote:
"But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ..." Philippians 3.
This doesn't mean that I don't need to do what is needed in order to survive and provide for my family and enjoy what God has blessed me with for His glory, but the goal isn't about pleasing me but it is about pleasing the Lord. I think we should be concerned about what is going in world as it affects our families, our communities, the lives of people because we care for people and pray and do what we can to help improve the situation as we can. As far a handling temptation, I believe that I have to pray to stay focused on the Lord, stay in His word, yield to His Spirit living within, and remember that it is a battle that God will enable me to win with His power. God bless.
Last edited by ShanaBrown; 03-28-2008 at 11:02 AM..
I as a Christian have cares of this world as far as sharing the gospel with others,who don't know the Lord. Christians should never get into a comfort zone whereby I am saved and that is all that matters, to heck with the rest of the world let them figure it out for themselves.
Christians should look to the Lord for guidance when confronted with temptation and always on a daily basis,it is our shield and armor to fight evil in the world We as Christians should not be in need of anything as we puit our trust in Him,He will provide. The world is evil and corrupt and people of the world live in darkness, whereas true Christians live in light and have Heavenly aspirations for the Father.
I believe I understand what you're getting at. Like you and the others have said, we are in the world, but we are not of the world. The world has many temptations to lead a Christian astray. We are to be salt, and remain salty, and light, and let our lights so shine for all to see. Yes, our lives are more complicated in some respects because of having Jesus with us. It can get difficult.
When temptation rears its ugly head, I usually begin to pray "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world". Like others here, I turn to God to assist in the resistance of temptation. I will, on occasion, even withdraw myself into God and His word from the chaos around me to regain my focus and footing. It's a time to re-energize to face the battering once more.
It is good to be heaven minded and realize that this earth is not the end, but merely the beginning. But I try not to get so lofty-minded as to forget or ignore the hurting and oppressed here and how that we, as Christ followers, are instructed to help.
As kaykay, a friend of mine, used to say "It's all about balance"
Hi dojilynn, I'm the OP. I'm a Christian. Your first paragraph sounds as if we're in tune here.
My post asks other Christians on this forum to discuss/give examples of how they resist, or if they feel they should try to resist, the distractions scattered in their paths by the world, that tempt them away from Jesus's overriding exhortation, to love one another - as simple and as impossible as that can be. Whether, and under what circumstances, we remind ourselves that the world will continue sinful no matter what we do or in what age we live, that the best we can do is to set Christlike examples, and that our home is not here but in Heaven.
When we're born again, we see the world, and our reason for living, differently. The things and values of the world drop away - become petty and meaningless. Yet because this new difference is in such sharp contrast to the way other people are living their lives, we can see much more clearly where they're going wrong. And that's a very smart temptation from the Devil, because it can lead us to wade right back into worldly behavior - anger, exclusion, criticism and so on.
I'm not trying to start a fight if that's what you mean - it's a legit question and something we all of us face all the time, unless we're walking very closely with the Lord.
Quote:
Originally Posted by delusianne
Dont want anyone to be defensive or feel the need to argue in this thread, either. I guess its summary is, Im asking people to tell how they handle temptation, which obscures the Lord from us, and/or how their pastors advise on the matter.
As far as reconciling a Christian spirit with having to live in the world, I trade stocks for my daily bread
I don't feel attacked. I just didn't know your personal perspective. I'm glad we're on the same page!
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Welcome to the Christianity forum, Delusianne! It gets "interesting" over here at times, but it also has it's rewards.
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The Bible exhorts Christians to be wise as serpents but innocent as doves. I believe that means Christians need to have a good knowledge of what's going on in the world without joining the world in sin. By no means do I think we need to be fully informed about the particulars of sinful activity, but a general understanding will help protect us from the attacks of Satan and ungodly people because we will recognize the signs and tactics, thereby understanding where they're trying to lead us.
I would disagree with the notion that the Bible would have us disengage ourselves from the world. Paul apparently took a stroll around Athens because he was able to talk to them about the altars to many gods. He used the altar to an unknown God as a starting point to preach the gospel by telling them who the unknown God is. John the Baptist was beheaded because he engaged the world (namely, Herod). The apostles were beaten, jailed, and killed for the same reasons. The same thing happened to the prophets in the Old Testament. God's people must engage the world in order to be examples of His love and kindheartedness and also to admonish the world and encourage it toward a righteous lifestyle.
Rather than be distracted by the sin in the world, thereby growing angry and bitter, I think we can learn from the examples of Lot and Jeremiah. Lot was "a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)" (2 Peter 2:7-8) Jeremiah issued a call of righteousness to his people and lamented over the destruction of Jerusalem.
I think Christians can and should engage the world. We start by living out our faith and being a light on a hill. The world will never notice our light if we hide from it. As we grow in faith, there's nothing wrong with trying to influence public policy. In doing so, however, we need to be careful not to puff ourselves up because then temptation can enter in and we will be knocked off our pedestals and flaunted to the world as hypocrites. Ultimately, Christians should grieve over the sin that is so rampant in the world and the effects it has on humanity. It should distress us like it did Lot, and we should mourn like Jeremiah.
Verse 9 of 2 Peter 2 states that "the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment." Just as He delivered Lot, He's willing to deliver us from temptation. He's promised a way to escape temptation. We can protect ourselves by hiding His Word in our hearts and using it just as Jesus did when He was tempted. I really liked what Mams said in his post; he quotes Scripture when he is tempted. That is a good starting point. However, we need to be fully armored if we engage the world.
Ephesians 6:10-20
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Please note that arming ourselves takes action on our part. The armor doesn't just magically appear on our bodies. We have to be dedicated to the cause to obtain the armor; it will mean sacrificing our selfish desires to gain the armor. Then, it takes an act of will to actually don the armor. Finally, prayer and supplication will give us the strength to persevere and use the armor correctly.
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