Romans 12:1-2
[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. [2] 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.
John 1:10
[10] He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
John 8:23-26
[23] And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. [24] I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he , ye shall die in your sins. [25] Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning. [26] I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
How you view the world will be based on how you view creation, the fall and redemption.
John 17:3
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Eternal life is to know God.
Your house isn’t your life. It’s where you live your life. In the same way, Heaven is not eternal life. It’s where you’ll have eternal life.
We’ve compromised God’s Word in many areas because we didn’t have a biblical world view.How you see the world determines your values, convictions, behaviors.
The Word of God should establish your world view.
Acts 17:22-28
[22] Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. [23] For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD . Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. [24] God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; [25] Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; [26] And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; [27] That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: [28] For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
God is the author and authority of all things. We can’t let the world be set the narrative of our life. The narrator controls the emotion and emphasis of the story. Allow the Word of God to control the narrative of life.
There shouldn’t be a separate standard for “church things” and “world things”. For example, imagine that you picked your child up from children’s church. You ask them what they learned. They tell you that they learned about evolution, and they tell you that they were told God did not create the world. Hearing this would probably upset you. You would be outraged. You might call the pastor or even take them out of that situation. Is this any different from what many schools are teaching our children? What are your children being taught 5 days a week at school? We must have the same standard all the time. We can’t have one standard for Sundays and another for Monday – Friday.
Ask yourself, do you have one standard for church and another standard for everything else?
John 17:6,14-17,25-26
[6] I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. [14] I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [15] I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. [16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [17] Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. [25] O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. [26] And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it : that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
John 18:36-38
[36] Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. [37] Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. [38] Pilate saith unto him, What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all .
We are meant to be ambassadors of The Word of God in this world. If we are living by two standards, we are salt that has lost it’s savor. We’ve lost our purpose. The Word is meant to influence how we live in and out of church.
We must stand as a voice of truth inside the church and outside the church.