If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? “A slave is not greater than the master.” Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.” [John 15:18-20 (NLT)]
A century of dike-building, agricultural development, and population growth has destroyed much of Florida’s wetlands and threatened the survival of dozens of animals like Florida panthers, Snail Kites, and Wood Storks. The White Ibis, however, is an exception. Having adapted to the new urban landscape, large groups of ibis happily graze the lawns of subdivisions, parks, and golf courses. They’ve found it easier to poke at the soil for a predictable buffet of grubs, earthworms, and insects than to forage in the remaining wetlands for aquatic prey like small fish, frogs, and crayfish. Once wary of humans, these urbanized ibis pay little or no attention to people as they follow one another across our lawns.
While conforming to a world of diminishing wetlands may be beneficial to the ibis, the Bible makes it clear that Christ’s followers are not to conform to the world around us. As the salt of the earth, we are to bring a distinctive taste, look, and smell to the world rather than take on the flavor of the world in which we live. Nevertheless, like the ibis, Christ’s church appears to be acclimating and adjusting to the world surrounding it.
In an effort to fill the pews and keep the coffers filled, we’re seeing His church adapting and conforming to today’s culture. Social media, politics, fashion, popular music, celebrities, advertisements, movies, television, politics, and politicians seem to be infiltrating and influencing our attitudes, worship, instruction, and doctrine. We’re beginning to shape values, use words, understand events, and determine right and wrong through the eyes of the world rather than the Bible. Jesus, however, was anything but popular, politically correct, or entertaining and His Church was never meant to be cool, trendy, fashionable, or fun to an unbelieving world; it is meant to be like Christ!
Just as the Israelites were not to succumb to the influence of the pagan nations around them, we are to remain apart and distinct from the corrupting influences of the world around us. While sinners should be welcome in the church, sin should not. Nevertheless, afraid of offending anyone—we creatively reinterpret or ignore Scripture, turn a blind eye to sin, or refuse to speak of sin at all. Are we seeking the world’s approval or God’s?
If we go back to the beginning of the Church, it’s estimated there were only about 1,000 Christ followers in the Roman Empire. By AD 100, however, there were about 7,500. By AD 150, there were 40,000 believers and, by 350, 34 million people (more than half the Roman Empire) followed Christ! Although the early church grew by about 40% each decade, the numbers are going in the opposite direction today. According to the Pew Research Center, 90% of Americans identified as Christian just 50 years ago but, in 2023, that number was only 64%! While adapting to the world around them may be working for the ibis, it doesn’t seem to be working for today’s church. In actuality, the church the looks and acts like the world around it, is not Christ’s church.
The early church didn’t grow because it lived as Rome did—it grew because it lived as Jesus did. The early believers had an uncompromising faith that transformed the pagan world around them. Let us do the same!
When writing about giving God the glory and how we are but instruments of God’s grace in the world, I recalled a quote by Mother Teresa having to do with being God’s pencil. Wanting to quote it correctly, I Googled it. Along with the quote, I came across several versions of a parable about a pencil. Of unknown origin, it has been around for more than twenty years. Nevertheless, the parable was new to me and this is my version of “The Parable of the Pencil.”
It was while Jesus and the disciples were eating the Passover meal that the Lord instituted the Eucharist. The 1st century church followed His lead by celebrating the Eucharist in the context of a communal meal. The wealthier contributed the food and portions were set aside for the sick, poor, and widowed. Nourishing both body and soul while building a sense of community, these fellowship meals were known as agape or love feasts!
Pastor Chris recently shared a devotion she read in which the author gives his office globe a gentle spin each morning. After a moment or two, he places a finger on the globe, stops its revolution, and prays for the people wherever his finger lands. Chris said she’s adopted this practice but, to make it more than a quick uninformed prayer, she does some research on the country’s needs and religions to guide her petitions.
Skeptics love to ask how God could allow Jephthah to offer up his daughter as a burnt sacrifice. First, let’s note that it never says God approved of his sacrifice. In fact, Scripture makes it clear that such a sacrifice was abhorrent to the Lord. In His wisdom and mercy, God even provided a way out if someone made a rash or unrealistic vow. Leviticus 27 explains that such a vow could be purchased back with a 20% penalty and describes how valuations were to be determined. Although Jephthah displayed knowledge of Israel’s history when negotiating with the Ammonites, he showed his ignorance of God and God’s law with his rash vow. Moreover, there is no reason to think his daughter was sacrificed in the Tabernacle. It’s more likely that such a horrific event would have been part of a pagan ceremony.
Like Christians, Hindus believe that, when the body dies, the soul does not. Unlike Christians, however, Hindus believe that, after death, the soul lives on in an astral body until it is reborn in another physical body. This cycle is continually repeated until the soul reaches a certain state of perfection (moksha) and is released from the bondage of birth and death. At that time, like a drop of water that eventually merges into the ocean, the soul will finally merge into God and become one with its creator. Of course, once absorbed by the sea, the drop would cease to exist.
Devotions of the Heart 