Timely Insights into God's Word from Khandielese Reyes

Come Out Of This World

“But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are NOW the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but NOW have obtained mercy.   Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, Glorify God in the day of visitation.”  (1^st Pet 2:9-12)

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  And BE NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD: but be ye TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”   (Rom 12:1-2)

In the world today, it is often quite difficult to differentiate between the believer and non-believer as with many, unless vocal confession and declaration of Christ has been made in the presence of both, the two appear to be the same.   According to scripture those who are in Christ Jesus are of a “Royal Priesthood”, a “Holy Nation”, a “Peculiar People” and yet for some, if we were to place the two (believer and non-believer) together side by side without either uttering a word, one would scarcely be able to discern who is the believer, and who is not for without the speech and based solely upon conduct, BOTH appear to be the same for the conduct is the same. 

Many “professing” believers today are under the impression that their faith in Christ is made visible to the non-believer through their weekly 1 or 2 day visits to the “house of worship”, or their ability to quote a few memorized scripture passages and possibly the fact they make it known a bible is in their possession.  Yet, OUTSIDE of the sanctuary where behavior counts the most in the eyes of a “non-believer”, the conduct of most (believers) is as those who know NOT The Lord Jesus.  Thus, how can one tell the two apart?  How could it be that an unbeliever would desire what you have (spiritually), when all that you are displaying is something he has or have already known.   Nothing you are giving in the form of conduct is appealing enough that it would make him (the non-believer) desire to leave his “false” gods, and surrender his heart to The God you profess to serve.  In the presence of non-believers you dispute and argue amongst yourselves, are unkind, unloving, untruthful, EVERYTHING opposite of what the word declares you should be.  Rather than display TRUE Christianity you instead are making a mockery of it.  You speak of the LOVE of Christ, but through conduct display the HATE of the enemy in your foolish debates and arguments which serves ONLY to bring continual strife and division.  You declare the MERCY of Christ and yet you have shown little to NO mercy towards your fellow brother or sister.  You profess of our beloved Savior’s FORGIVENESS of our sins, while YOU remain unforgiving and resentful towards those you believed have wronged you.  All the while you continue to acknowledge yourself as a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ and a devout follower of his ways and of his commandments and yet if this were indeed so, you would represent him accordingly.  We are His representation, thus we must conduct ourselves in a manner that would display TRUE Christianity for it is neither a religion nor a denomination but a way of LIFE being FOLLOWERS of The Lord Jesus Christ.  When an unbeliever sees you, he should be able to see JESUS and not a replica of himself.  He should see something so different in you that it stirs up a desire within to want to know more about our Lord.  Your going to “church” will not help him see the light if when you exit from the building, your behavior is no different from his.  Your preaching and quoting scripture will do no good, if your conduct illustrates a love for this world and the things thereof, and not for the one you adamantly preach about.  We cannot with our mouths preach Jesus, and through our living be as those who know not Christ.  If we are TRULY followers of The Lord Jesus Christ, if our hearts are TRULY set upon the things that are eternal and not the things that will soon fade away, then WE MUST now turn away from those things that set us NOT apart, RENEW our minds, and “COME OUT OF THIS WORLD”.  For we cannot serve BOTH!  We must choose, either we are going to stop this hypocrisy and SURRENDER ourselves completely 24/7 to the Lord, or be as the unbeliever and surrender to this world.  We cannot have both for we cannot with our mouths confess ONE thing and with the flesh DO ANOTHER  if we desire to follow Christ and be an example of him to those who are presently stumbling in darkness.  For how can we lead one who’s lost, if we ourselves know not the direction we are going but are simply following after the crowd mimicking what they do and say and in doing so, becoming just as they are. 

The earlier “church” consisting of Paul and the Apostles of The Lord are great examples for the “modern day church” to follow as they not only preached the Lord Jesus, but LIVED BY His commandments!  They were prepared and did forsake ALL to follow Christ.  They had no desire for this world nor the things thereof as they were no longer CONFORMED to this world but was TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of their minds and have thus instructed we be the same.  If we are going to be as The Lord, then we cannot be as the world.  Being defined as a “peculiar people” indicates that we are to be “different”, not “common”, “distinctive in character and nature.  We are not to behave as the world but be an example of Christ TO the world.  When we speak of the love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness of the Lord, we must ourselves demonstrate this through love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness towards one another.  Or else, how will the world see any difference in us if we are living opposite of what we preach? The Lord himself said they (the unbeliever) will know we are his disciples IF we have love one for another.  If we have not love, how will they then know and how on earth will we differ from them?  If we are going to preach Christ, let us also demonstrate Christ, for GOD IS LOVE! 

Now is the time, without hesitation, that we must begin boldly displaying to the world through not only our speech but our WAY OF LIFE, Jesus Christ Our Lord!  That we may now differentiate the believer from the unbeliever and when one sees you, they see and acknowledge Christ IN you!  Let the “church” no longer be labeled by the world as a “house full of religious hypocrites” who say one thing and do another, but let them now say: “There go a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation….there goes “a peculiar people” I want what they have. I want to know more about the Jesus they preach.  I want to be as they are!”

Time IS winding down my brothers and sisters, and soon the Lord WILL be calling HIS CHURCH to “come up hither”.  COME OUT OF THIS WORLD and be not as they but be an EXAMPLE FOR THEM that they to may hear Him when HE CALLS for if you are not careful, you yourself may not hear…..

I Love you all so very much.  Have a blessed week in the Lord and remember:  Whatever we do, do ALL for the GLORY of GOD, who ALONE is worthy of the GLORY and the PRAISE!

The Lord be with you this day and always!  Shalom Uvracha (Peace and Blessings)

Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh,
Adonai Elohim Tzeva-ot
Asher Hayah Va-ho-veh VaY’vo

Holy, Holy, Holy
Lord God Almighty
Who was and is and is to come!

May the peace of the Lord be with you today and always……

Khandielese
Daughter & Servant
   of the Lord God