Worldliness and Separation From the World |
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Bro. Mike Miller |
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WORLDLY, a. 1. Secular; temporal; pertaining to this world or life, in contradistinction to the life to come; as worldly pleasures; worldly affairs; worldly estate; worldly honor; worldly lusts. Titus 2. 2. Devoted to this life and its enjoyments; bent on gain; as a worldly man; a worldly mind. 3. Human; common; belonging to the world; as worldly actions; worldly maxims. Webster - 1828 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. - 1 John 2:15 …whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. James 4:4 God makes it perfectly clear in his Word that you cannot love this world, or even be a friend of this world, and still be on good terms with Him. What is He talking about? God means for us to identify with Him - NOT with the world. Therefore, WORLDLINESS is anything that would make people of the world think that we are one of them. Anything that would cause them to assume that we put the same level of importance on worldly cares as they do. We are citizens of another country and so anything about us that would cause people of the world to think that we are more concerned with the here and now than with eternity is worldliness. Does your appearance cause lost people to feel more comfortable around you? Is your appearance in line with God's divine order for male and female? Does your hairstyle resemble something you would see on the cover of a gay or feminist magazine, or is it modest, scriptural and God honoring? What about your clothes, are they modest? Your clothes say a lot about you to everyone. Honestly, who has more influence in your wardrobe, God and his Word, or the world? Do you dress to fit in with the people at work, at school, or what you see on TV? Or do you dress to please and honor God with your body? Do you dress to blend into the crowd or do you dress so that people will recognize that you are a Christian? If you dress to blend in that is worldliness. The same goes for makeup, jewelry, and everything else that people want to do to their bodies. Your attitude and mannerisms also can be worldly or godly. Just they way you walk, or look at other people can be godly or worldly. Our conversation should be holy and clean - not base and lewd. When we are bold to talk about things that should cause us to blush it is worldly and it is a disgrace to God. The world looks at this part of us as much as they look at our outward dress and adorning, and they are searching for something that will identify us with them. Then they can say, "Oh well, there's not much difference in them and me. They are about the same things I am about." If we give someone room to say that then we are worldly. What about the way you think? Is your thought life running with the world? Is your manner of thinking like theirs? I have found that being on God's side puts me at odds with the world in almost every situation - politics, moral issues, and just plain knowing good from evil. I see people who claim to be Christians, but they always come down on the same side of these issues as the most ungodly people of the world. They are worldly - they are not godly people. We are to have the "mind of Christ" and that means we will think like He thinks - not like this crazy, depraved world thinks. A Christian's mind is renewed and washed by the Word of God, but those who sit in front of a TV and listen to the world are going to think like them. You are going to be of the same opinion as them - and you are going to be worldly. A true Christian who loves God will resist, avoid, and flee these things. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; - Titus 2:11-12 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: - Phil. 2:5 |
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