Last week we established that believers are not of the world. When Jesus saved us, He saved us from this failing world and translated us to His own kingdom. Therefore, we must put away everything that makes us attached to the world, as well as the corrupt practices it celebrates. We also established that there is another extreme of people who, in a bid to live every day as though it would be the last, have failed to live in the world.
In the beginning, God encouraged man to enjoy and flourish in the world He created. So, while we are not meant to get carried away with frivolities, it is still delightful to God that we enjoy what He has given us. Summarily, we do not live for the world. Instead, we live in the world, for God. (Jn. 15:19, Php. 3:20, 1 Pet. 2:9-12)
This week, we dig deeper into the relationship between the believer and the world.
I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.
John 17:15 BSB
Jesus does not ask the Father to take His disciples out of the world, He asks instead that God should keep them from the world. For Jesus to pray that the Father should not take us out of this world, it means there is a purpose for which believers are to serve in this world.
In Matthew 28:19-20, we get a clear picture of what the purpose is. The reason why we are not removed from the world is that we are sent to it—and that sets the tone for how we relate with it.
As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.
John 17:18 BSB
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
John 20:21 NIV
We simply cannot isolate ourselves from the world with the intention that we do not get corrupted by it. Instead, we must act on the identity that we have in Christ. We are called the light of the world (Matt. 5:14-16). Not the light of heaven. Not the light of the kingdom. But the light of the world. Therefore, a believer must see the world as his place of assignment. Light does not get overpowered by darkness. Scripture says the light shines in darkness and the darkness cannot withstand it. (Eph. 5:8-11, Php. 2:14-15)
So what exactly are we sent to do? We are sent as Christ’s representatives. The early disciples in Antioch had this understanding. They lived in such a way that their association with Christ became unmistakable, and it was at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
Not everyone will pick up a Bible before they come to Christ, but when they see us, they should be able to see the Bible. Ephesians 4:1 encourages us to walk in accordance with the calling which we have received. We no longer live for ourselves, but for the One who saved our souls. As good ambassadors of the Kingdom, we must live with consciousness of the position in which we are. Like Paul, we must come to a point where we declare that we live for Christ alone (Php. 1:21). This is how we live out the purpose for which we have been kept in this world.
In the same vein, there is no talk about representing God if we do not demonstrate His love, for He is love. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us”. The right response to God’s love that saved us is to love others. There is no possible way to claim to have the love of the Father while consistently refusing to love others.
And we understand from John 3:16 that love, in the way God demonstrates it, gives. Like Christ gave Himself to the world to save it, we too must be willing to give ourselves for the purpose of sharing the love of God. We must be able to give resources of time, emotion, money to give ourselves to the purpose of the Kingdom. A true follower of Christ cannot fail to be generous.
When that young man came to Jesus, eager to follow Him, Jesus exposed the thing his heart was most attached to and asked him to give it up. And this circles back to where we began in last week’s post, that we must be able to let go of worldly attachments for the sake of Christ. (Lk. 18:18-23)
In demonstrating His love to the world, a believer is expected to extend a hand and heart of kindness to others. It involves reaching out to the sick, praying for them, defending the helpless, feeding the hungry, and clothing the destitute. In a world full of cold and mean people, a Christian must be the love and warmth needed. (Jam. 2:14-17)
The world is in desperate need of what believers carry. We are embodiments of the peace, sanity, love, and order that God desires to bring into a broken world. And until He calls us home, we must faithfully function as His representatives in it. Moreover, representing Christ goes beyond demonstrating His character, it also means sharing His message.
When Jesus described His purpose on earth, He said He came to seek and save that which was lost (Lk. 19:10). He sends us after that same order. He tells us to go into the world to tell people of this good news; the news that the Saviour has come and has reconciled us to God, and that whosoever believes will not perish but have everlasting life. He instructs us to preach this gospel. He sends us to be His witnesses, testifying of the God who saved our souls and transformed our lives. He sends us to the world to proclaim the salvation of God through Christ Jesus. (Acts 1:8, Mk. 16:15, 2 Cor. 5:19-20)
Yes, we are disciples of Jesus. Yes, we help the needy and give to the poor. But we must not stop there. He has sent us out to the world to make disciples. What we are ultimately sent to do is tell people about the Jesus who saved us and the hope for eternity that He has given us.
We are not of the world, we are sent to the world.
Faith + blog 
Leave a comment