Friendship With the World

Scripture:

Matthew 7 v 13: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be that go in thereat."

James 4 v 4: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."

Not everyone understands what "the world" actually is. They sing beautiful songs like 'We are the world, we are the children' unaware that "the world" is not "The Earth our planet" but it is the people who do not know Almighty God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

The world is full of religion, laws, conditions, rules, ambition, control, leadership, systems, selfishness, corruption, greed, lust, adultery, unfaithfulness, pornography, paedophilia, sin and all its consequences.

Christianity is not a religion. It is a conscious individual choice to follow Jesus Christ and obey God's will to reach out to those who are sick of the world and want to live a pure, clean, honest and humble life.

The world mocks Christians as wimps needing a crutch while they get drunk and beat their wives to show how manly they are. Jesus says in John 15 that we must not be amazed if the world hates us who follow Him, because it hated Him first. Why does the world hate Him? Because He exposed their sin.

Consider the woman caught in adultery about to be stoned. If she was caught in the act, where was the man? And why wasn't he being stoned with her? Perhaps when Jesus wrote in the sand it was the names of all those men who had committed adultery standing with rocks in their hands to kill her. They hated Jesus for knowing their evil hearts.

Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit have the same effect on sinners as Jesus had. Sinners feel very uncomfortable around saints. The Holy Spirit within us convicts them without a spiritual word being spoken. He disturbs them and they reject you for shining a light into their dark hearts.

In 2 Corinthians 6 v 14 we learn: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?"

To be unequally yoked is like trying to pull a cart with a donkey and a horse yoked together. One plods one races. Christians should only marry Christians. Christians should not stand proxy for anyone's debts. Christians should be wary of business partnerships with worldly people. They may be good friends but the spiritual difference will surface sometime and create problems.

Christians need to become familiar with the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to help us discern truth from error. Whenever your pride leads you to lean on your own understanding you are prone to make mistakes in judgement. When you pray for guidance and are led by the Holy Spirit of Truth, everything will work out very well.

The world consists of those who choose to be full of the flesh ie self. Self image; self-righteous; selfish; self-centred etc. They are ruled by an unseen and largely unknown being, whom Jesus called Satan, the god of this world. While they submit to the lies, deception and evil of Satan they will hate the goodness and honesty of Jesus and His followers.

Our Father says come out from among them and separate yourselves to Me and I will protect you from harm. The world says do your own thing, kill, steal, rape and destroy until you get your way. You have a free will to choose your own destiny.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, we strayed and fell into horrible sins but You sent Jesus to rescue us and bring us back to Your lovingkindness. We thank You for saving our souls. Help us to reach those who are still lost in the wilderness of sin. Let Your light shine through us so they can see the way back to You. In Jesus' name. Amen.