And Be Ye Separate

Today’s Passages – 2 Corinthians 6 – 10

(Second Milers also read –Psalm 26 – 30; Proverbs 6)

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” – (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)

We have gone too far. Christianity has become too much like the rest of the world. We have somehow seriously misinterpreted and misunderstood the doctrine of separation. We have flooded our homes with worldly philosophies, through television, social media, and other forms of entertainment. The results of our lack of separation are evident everywhere we look within the churches: we dress like the world, and we act like the world. Our churches are replete with immoral behavior and all other kinds of sins, and we just pretend its not happening. We need to wake up! We are living in complete disobedience to a crystal clear commandment of Scripture. The Bible is perfectly clear – we are not to love the world (1 John 2:15 – 17); yet we are completely infatuated with all that the world has to offer. We need to make an “about-face”; we need to get turned back around.

I am not advocating that we isolate ourselves in an “Amish” type of culture, but I must confess that there is much about the lifestyle of “plain” people that I admire. I do believe we need to simplify our lives, and I also think it is imperative that we remove many of the influences that have permeated our homes. Preachers used to preach against television and the movies, but now these things are a big part of our lives. Think about it: the average Christian spends, at best, a few hours per week in spiritual exercise and activity, but may spend several hours per day in front of the television or computer. The world is flooding in, when the Word of God is only trickling in. It has slowly changed the way we think, and instead of being transformed into the image of Christ, we are subtly being conformed to this world’s mindset. I don’t know if I have all of the answers, but I know we need to do something to get back to where God wants us to be. It’s no wonder that the church has lost its power and influence in the community. We are no different than they are. Just a thought.

“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.” – (Romans 12:2)