Separation from the World III — Spiritual Growth for New Believers
- spiritualwalk
- Apr 5
- 4 min read
II. What to Separate from the World
You may ask, "What should we separate from? What constitutes the world? What should we be different from in relation to the world?" Before addressing this, we must first recognize that our hearts and spirits must be separated from the world. If a person wants to remain in the world, there is no need to discuss the matter further. Because even if you separate from a hundred things, if your person is still in the world, it is of no use. Therefore, the separation from things comes afterward, but the separation of the person, spirit, and heart from the world must happen first.
One must thoroughly come out of Egypt and separate from the world. Do not fear that others will say we are peculiar people. Then, we must have a principle to deal with matters. There are some things where I should be separate from the world. And there are other matters where I should maintain peace with the world. It is not our intention to cause trouble with others. In our family, in our office, or wherever we are, we should be peaceful and not contentious. Now, we will address five points:
1. Things that the world thinks Christians should not do
Anything the world considers that Christians should not do, we must separate from. To be a Christian, one must first separate from what the world does. The world has set standards and norms for Christians. If you fail to meet even this basic standard, it is a serious problem. For example, if you do something and outsiders notice and ask, "Do Christians do this too?" and they criticize, then that is already a problem. It is the least requirement that we should avoid doing things that the world considers inappropriate for Christians.
Some young people may be saved while their parents are still unsaved. Sometimes, the children ask for things at home, and their parents may ask, "You believe in Jesus, and still want these things?" I tell you, the behavior of Christians being corrected by unbelievers is the most shameful thing in the world. When Abraham lied and was rebuked by Abimelech, it was one of the most shameful moments in the Bible. So, we must avoid doing things that the world considers wrong.
2. Things that disrupt our relationship with the Lord
Furthermore, anything that disrupts our relationship with the Lord must be removed. The Lord was dishonored on earth; we cannot expect to receive honor here. The Lord was crucified like a criminal on earth; we cannot seek to be popular. When the Lord walked the earth, people slandered Him, saying He was possessed by a demon. We cannot expect others to think highly of us or say our thoughts are the best. The path that the Lord walked is the path we need to follow.
The Lord says that a servant is not greater than his master, and a student is not above his teacher. If they treated our Lord this way, we should not expect them to treat us any differently. Therefore, we must follow the Lord in humility, knowing that our relationship with the world must align with His.
3. Anything that will extinguish our spiritual life
What is the world? It’s difficult to list everything because it’s endless, but we can grasp a basic principle: anything that will extinguish your spiritual life before God is of the world. If something causes you to become cold in your prayer life, that is of the world. If something causes you to lose interest in reading God’s word, that is of the world. If something makes you ashamed to testify about Christ before others, that is of the world. Anything that causes you to feel distant from God, that is of the world.
4. Anything that prevents us from demonstrating that we are Christians
Another point to note is social relationships. Any social interaction, gathering, or banquet that requires us to hide our light is of the world. Many social situations force you to smile on the outside while feeling oppressed on the inside, agreeing with things that you know are wrong. We cannot participate in such situations. Many of God’s children are gradually dragged into the world because they cannot distinguish between social engagements and their Christian identity.
5. Things that weaker believers think should not be done
Lastly, anything that causes a weaker believer to stumble is also of the world, and we must avoid it. We previously spoke about what the world considers inappropriate for Christians, but now we speak about what the most immature believers consider inappropriate. If an unbeliever says something is wrong and you do it, you lose your testimony. If a weaker Christian believes something is wrong, then we must also avoid it for their sake. This is a biblical command. It’s not that a strong Christian cannot do it, but if a weak believer stumbles because of it, we must refrain.
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