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Akiane

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The Watch Maker

It's not just for kids

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The World Loves Its Own

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.

John 15:19


News Flash! "Christians sometimes act like jerks".

It's true. I'm thinking right now of a particular radio host who gives the faith a bad name. Not uncommon to "intellectual" wannabees, when he runs out of mental steam he raises his voice and talks over his guests in increasingly shrill intonations. Quick to speak, slow to listen, obstinate and loudly opinionated, I pray my non-Christian friends never stumble onto his frequency. It's embarrassing. I know he means well but I can only imagine what the "world" thinks of this brother.

Other Christians alienate the world through stunning lack of discretion. I can think of any number of authors peddling pop-theology with books about the rapture and fanciful versions of the world's imminent end. Or well known pastors paraded through the media because of their infidelities. Aside from the public figures are the many well meaning Christians who nevertheless bludgeon non-believers with spiritual platitudes that serve to alienate rather than woo. And who can ignore the televangelists, who year after year continue to line their pockets through the donations of the undiscerning. Is it any wonder why the world shows scorn for Christians?

But it's not the whole reason. Christians, after all, don't own the market on stupidity. The world has no lack of its own fools. In fact it loves them. Check out any magazine rack. Media companies make billions feeding the world's appetite for the details of celebrities' lives. No excess of sexual license, financial squandering, drug abuse, or public intemperance can diminish the world's worship of its cultural icons, from Madonna to Howard Stern. Among youth culture, particularly, the lemming like clamor to mimic the "I'm bad" look is so pervasive that exposed underwear, disheveled hair, butt tattoos, and pierced body parts are now just the standard. Its becoming unusual to see anything else. The absolute worst thing is to look non-threatening or meek.

The reason you never hear anything about the millions of believers humbly following their faith is because quiet character is not what gets the world's attention. It's true that a fair number of us are hypocrites, but there's a better answer of why the world rejects Christians.

The real reason, as Jesus pointed out, is because when someone decides to follow Christ, they are at the same time deciding not to follow something else. To borrow an apt metaphor, they decide to break free from the Matrix. Just as in the movie, its a decision of enormous consequences. Whatever the world's exhortations for tolerance there's a limit and Christians have definately crossed the line. As in the Matrix, Christians may look like the world, act like it, and sometime wish they were again part of it. But they're not and it's only a matter of time before the world catches on. The moment a man or woman identifies with Christ everything changes: values, perspective, allegiance, identity. ("Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The simple admission, "I'm a Christian" can be enough to repulse those around you. In fact the more you identify with Christ the more rejection you are certain to face.

Before the world crucified Him Jesus said to His disciples, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil" (John 7:7). Expounding on this theme James in his epistle declared, "friendship with the world is enmity toward God". James knew that you can't have it both ways. You're in one camp or the other. Jesus said that if you belonged to the world it would love you. By converse, not to belong to the world is to incur its suspicion and potentially much more harmful emotions.

If you've not already figured it out the "world", as Jesus used the term, stands for a system or culture in natural rebellion to God. That system is global. Like the Matrix it controls all human activity, embracing every tribe, tongue, and culture on earth despite their cosmetic differences. Sure the world identifies itself with a great variety of human endeavor, but underlying all of them are two common compulsions: Pride (self worship) and rejection of God. Consider the following list:


Gratuitous foul language,
Self promotion,
Crude Humor,
Belligerence,
MTV,
Slasher Movies,
The almost universal admiration of violent men,
Porn,
Disobedience to parents,
The worship of money, intelligence and power,
Greed,
Smugness,
Ingratitude,
Unforgiveness,
The belief that God thinks you're a good person,
The teaching that there are many paths to heaven,
Lusting after what you don't or can't have,
Terrorism,
Class distinctions,
Jealousy,
Gossip,
Arrogance,...

... are all earmarks of the world system that elevates pride and rejects God.

Pride assumes that the self is deserving of all that it desires. In this it elevates self beyond reason. Pride resists anything that would undermine its preeminance. It always seeks to satisfy its own appetites. It is easily offended and quick to seek reprisal. Pride is what most animates the "world". And rejection of God is what most animates pride.

This explains why prideful Christians, like that radio host, are particularly distasteful. Despite the world's antipathy for Christians it does look to them to behave differently, more like their Master, less prideful. The world is quite right to have this expectation and Christians are called to oblige. Just don't expect to world to love you for it. It never will. If you're a Christian, you've left the Matrix.

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