Spiritual Warfare: The World Outside and Within

"It is possible for both individuals and churches to become devoted mainly to personal spiritual culture and forget outreach, especially if the process of reaching our involves touching those who may contaminate us. Thus many Protestant churches have in effect become closed systems for the nurture and servicing of the inheritors of a denominational tradition." 

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life.

"What is the salt loses its saltiness?  It is no longer good for anything.  It should be thrown out!"  

Jesus (Matt 5:13)

Throughout all of church history there have been renewal movements that emphasize the importance for believers to "not be of the world."  This emphasis has been the cause of several revivals when the Church became corrupt and lost its vitality.  In the place of lazy, non-engaged spirituality, people have been drawn into a deeper knowledge of Jesus by following him instead of the ways of the world.

It should not be a surprise that the emphasis to "not be of the world" has brought proper revival.  Scripture is full of commands that warn us of the world contaminating influences.  One of the clearest examples is found in 1 John 2:15-16, "Do not love the world, nor the things of the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."  Another clear, but often missed example comes from the whole of OT history.  Throughout the pages of the OT, the Israelites are warned against the evil world that exists outside of its borders.  God knew the Israelites would wander away from faith and trust in Him if they witnessed and engaged in the pagan religious practices of their neighbors.

In my experience, many churches and many Christian take these warnings to mean that they cannot associate with the evil world "out there."  This emphasis has lead some churches to deny the need for fellowship with other believers and churches because they judge them worldly.  I have also seen individual believers, particularly those who God rescued from deep-seated sin tendencies as well as with those who grow up with performance-oriented religion, flock to churches that maintain such a rigid condemnation of the world.

Given these reactions to clear scriptural commands, how should believers understand and engage with the world?

First, we must define the world.  In scripture, the world is a system of structures and values that makes true godliness look foolish and wickedness righteous.  It is empowered by the Evil One, and it works in tandem with our flesh to bring about a lack of faith and trust in the grace of God.  The world is attractive to our flesh, and thus it is deceptive.  It has a sensual side that we are warned often about.  This should be avoided because it is destructive to our souls!  

The problem is that it also has a religious side that is equally destructive to our souls.  This religious side promotes self-righteousness that can be clearly seen in an holier-than-thou attitude.  It breeds within us an "us against them attitude" that can be smelled a mile away.  In the individual Christian or Christian family, it promotes a certain "weirdness" that everyone else can see, but the individual or family cannot.  Unfortunately, this "weirdness" does not look or smell like the person and ministry of Jesus, but it looks and smells like religious self-righteousness and judgment that says, "Come, be converted, and be like me."  For 99% of those not yet believing, this proposal looks and sounds horrible.

In other words, the world we are to avoid is not just outside the church and Christian community, but we bring it with us everywhere we go.  We need to repent of our attraction to it, and our embrace of it.  It is the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees that will spoil the whole batch (Matt. 16).

A second question that is should be asked by individual believers is, "How do I share this great discovery of Divine grace?"

In the context of 1 John 2 15-16, verse 17 states, "And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever."  What is the will of God?  I would think that Jesus and the apostles state it well.  Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into every area of the world that he touched.  He ate with and associated with "sinners."  He set people free.  Why would we not do the same?  How can we witness to God's faithfulness and love if we do not?  Paul and the apostles took the message of the gospel to the very ends of the known world.  Even the OT states that the purpose of the Jewish nation was to be a blessing to the entire world (Gen 12: 1-3).

I think what is needed is a change in focus.  What if we as believers "contaminated" the surrounding culture and individuals with the incredible love of God found in the gospel?  Why are we scared to share this good news?  My guess is not our fear of rejection (what is often claimed), but our lack of real, life-changing faith that this message is great!  If we drink deeply of the gospel and the grace of the Lord, the world, in all its forms, is not attractive.  In fact, drinking deeply of the love of God is the only thing that will break the power of sin in our lives.  When we are healed and changed, we praise God and declare His love.

Unfortunately, many of us live like the 9 men healed of leprosy who did not thank God in a loud voice with joy.  As a result, our faith has not made us well.  We are still soul sick.  Soul sick people do not witness to God's life-changing power that is working daily in their heart.  They might witness to what God did years ago, but they do not have a new story to tell.  Often their life begins to focus on their needs and wants instead of doing the will of God.

If you find yourself in this place today, repent and believe!  Confess your lack of love for those still bound by sin.  Confess the fact that you are bound by the sin of self-concern and self-righteousness.  Ask that God will help you to do as Jesus did: engage and love sinners while believing and resting in the Love of God.