“Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?” (Gal. 4:16)
I do not mean to offend, but this truth must be expounded upon, and that frequently at times. If you have been born-again, you are no longer of this world, you are now a citizen of the Kingdom of the Living God, and you and I are to behave ourselves appropriately as such.
Some short verses for you, all in context with our opening one.
“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.” (James 4:4)
“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” (Romans 12:2)
“And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.” (Luke 21:17)
“If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed:” (2nd John 1:10)
“And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” (Matt. 18:17)
There are more, many more that command us to no longer follow after the ways of this world, to hate its ways, to not associate in a deeply personal way any longer with those who deny the Lordship of our Savior.
This is rarely mentioned even in Evangelical churches anymore, the marquees outside many of them have quaint phrases, not Scripture verses of love or damnation, they read “All are welcome,” but have removed 2nd Peter 2:13b from their vocabulary. “Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselves with their own deceivings while they feast with you;”
We are told that if we want to offer Christ to them, that we must become their friends first. And what do the Scriptures say?
“For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.” (2nd John 1:11)
But the consensus today seems to be that then we would not seem polite, that we would not be expressing the love of Christ to them, would we?
This walk, this path we have been placed upon is not supposed to be one of loneliness, it is to be shared in every conceivable way, but only with those who have also been crucified with Christ. We do not belittle or look down upon the wicked, we pray for them, we speak with them, but not at length about anything other than their soul. Every other conversation is short and to the point, and it takes very little time, very few of those short meetings, to comprehend whether or not they are listening.
If you are doing your job.
But this is not what those who sit in the pews each Sunday morning are being taught in most places, love of acceptance no matter what their lifestyle is.
Many are leaving what is called the “organized church” because of this, it is not only because they are not being fed strong meat, but because those in authority in those churches have denied the truths of the Scriptures, they have invited the world in.
“And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.” (Jude 1:23)
It is one of the reasons the phrase “hate speech” is so prevalent around the world today, it is why we are being told that everyone deserves to be loved, no matter what, and if you do not love them, then you will be hated. It is an ingenious plan of our adversary and has found its way into nearly every building with a cross on it.
Treating them like a Gentile does not mean hating them, but it does mean that until you see some change, some proof of conviction within them, they are not to be a part of the inner circle of your life. They are not to be your close friends.
How long before you are to stop casting the pearls of the Word of God before them the Holy Spirit will let you know. But then you must listen.
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27)
Sometimes the Lord Jesus Christ calls a man to walk with Him alone, apart from the crowd. This is happening at an exponential rate today; you must be the one to choose which world you are going to live in.
