Unmistakable

1st John 2:15-17
Recently at work, while waiting for my shift to start and reading my Bible, I overheard a couple of soldiers discussing who they thought the greatest singer of all times was. They argued back and forth for almost half an hour. Then one of them looked at me and said, "Hey, Sergeant, what kind of music do you listen to?" Without hesitation I replied, "I listen to Contemporary Christian." This is no exaggeration when I say they both looked at me as if they had just recognized my picture hanging up at the post office; as if I had just confessed to mugging little old ladies in the park at night, or to stealing money from the "Feed the Hungry" jar down at the corner store. As their mouths hung open drooling in utter confusion, I quickly realized that I had just taken that step over the proverbial line. I was no longer simply a Christian, I was now one of them; the ones in the "Other" category. I became one of the sold out; the holy rollers; the "FREAKS." Before this they could still relate to me, but not now; now I went too far. It was okay that I was reading my Bible, because that was educational. It was okay that I went to church on Sunday, because that was traditional. It was even okay that I wore a cross around my neck, because that was fashionable. However, it was not okay that I also listened to Christian music, because that, for some unknown reason, was just fanatical. At that moment it became clear to me that the world does not hate Christians; rather, the world hates the non-compromising Christian. The world hates those that allow God to take control of their entire life, and not just areas of their life. Why, because it convicts them. You can see it every day. People sport the cross, but won't go to church. They teach Sunday school, but curse like sailors. You can even see those who are promiscuous Saturday night just to become choir singers on Sunday morning. It's not okay. Far too many so called believers fall into this "traditional", "fashionable", or "knowledgeable" category of our faith; approaching the line but refusing to cross it; claiming the name of Jesus, but denying the life He chose for them. They ignorantly travel the fence between sinner and saint as if it were a four lane highway. The sad truth is they are only Christians by mere technicality; nothing more than nominal believers.

In the Apostle John's first epistle, he was writing to believers who found themselves in a very similar situation. They were falling victim to a form of Gnosticism, a fallacy that taught material objects were the only things evil, not the breaking of God's law. Therefore fulfilling the desires of the flesh was of no moral consequence. Because of this they had compromised their walk with the Lord to such an extent that there was no longer a notable distinction between them and the world around them. John addressed this issue when he wrote, "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever (1st John 2:15-17)." James refers to such people as "adulterous" and "enemies of God (James 4:4)." The bottom line is simple, you can not be a servant of God and a friend to the world (Galatians 1:10b). Nor can you serve two masters (Matthews 6:24). For, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (2nd Corinthians 5:17)!" Therefore, have nothing to do with the world, or the worthless things within it. Rather, make the distinction unmistakable; for faith is not an issue of fashion, tradition, or even music; it’s a matter of conviction, and it needs to be seen in every aspect of our lives. The line has been drawn at Calvary. Proudly cross it, and rejoice whenever someone places you into the "Other" category. [mp]

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Michael D'Urbano
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