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Monday, November
10, 2008
A Non Conformist
Romans 12:1-2 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. (2)
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. (KJV)
You know, as Christians (those that are
Christ like and are supposed to be imitating Him) it’s amazing how many
still try to conform to the things of this world and not the things of God.
Instead of taking the things of this world and discarding them, many in the
so called church realm actually try to literally one up them; just a twist
or turn here to try to make them fit into the realm of the Spirit. Well,
you know what they say about trying to drive a square peg in a round hole,
yeah, it just doesn’t fit because it was never meant to; but try and try as
many do they end up making more of a mess. Music is one example that comes
to mind, rock music especially, although I now hear that some have
incorporated rap and hip hop into the mix as well. Come on folks, can you
really picture our Lord and Savior standing on a stage with a guitar and
gyrating around like He had a hot foot, you know like when someone sticks
matches between your toes and lights them? Sound silly? Maybe, farfetched?
Well, stupid is as stupid does; because it seems like for every fad the
world comes up with, many so called Christians try to imitate it or one up
it rather than being separate from it.
2 Corinthians 6:16-18 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. (17) Wherefore come out from among
them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing;
and I will receive you, (18) And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be
my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. (KJV)
Do you wonder why your walk with the Lord
seems stale at times; doesn’t seem like you are growing but rather
regressing, going backward instead of forward, backsliding would be another
way of putting it? Instead of discarding the things of this world many
still embrace them; just change a few lyrics, throw a few scriptures in
there and now it is Christian, yeah right! Holidays are another example of
how lame and weak the so called church is; man-made holidays, rather than
discard them many embrace them whole heartedly as truth because others say
it is ok. It’s not until you come out from amongst this nonsense and be
separate, which means you are no longer partaking of it, that you are then
able to draw closer to God and He will draw close to you as well. That’s
why it says touch not the unclean thing; like holidays, dead works that
mankind has dreamed up and then think they can put God’s stamp of approval
on it. In the Old Testament if the people came in contact with a dead thing
they were deemed unclean and had to be separated from the camp. Spiritually
the same principle holds true; if you are touching and partaking of dead
things you too are considered unclean and outside the will of God as well.
Ephesians 5:5-7 For this ye know, that no
whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath
any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (6) Let no man deceive
you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God
upon the children of disobedience. (7) Be not ye therefore partakers with
them. (KJV)
A whoremonger is not some person standing
on the corner looking to turn a trick, but rather it is also referred to as
Godly people who are still too friendly with the world and its ways, being
described spiritually as adulterers. Thus the warning in verse 6 not to let
anyone deceive you anymore, but rather to take the time to rightly divide
the Word of truth for yourself so that you can prove, or approve what is
the will of God and what isn’t of God. Rather than trying to one up the
world the Bible is quite consistent in telling us that we should not be
partaking of these things.
Ephesians 5:8-11 For ye were sometimes
darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (9)
(For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and
truth;) (10) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. (11) And have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
(KJV)
Oh every time a holiday season comes
along (you know like that one in December where so many get goose bumps and
excited) rather than being separate, many so called Christians jump on
board and go for a ride thinking God actually considers this time of year
special. Hey after all, the titanic looked like a great ride also back in
its day, but in the end it had a big gaping hole in it and took a lot of
people down to the bottom with it; and guess who is standing around trying
to get people to board another ship heading for disaster which comes in the
form of holidays; yeah it sure isn’t God is it?
Galatians 4:8-11 Howbeit then, when ye
knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. (9) But
now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye
again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in
bondage? (10) Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. (11) I am
afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain. (KJV)
Whether it is a bunny in the spring or
some fat dude in a red suit in December, we all did service to this junk
because we didn’t know God or His plan of salvation personally. But what
excuse is there now that you know God, and are known of Him as well, to
keep hanging on to this stuff rather than letting it go? “Oh but we don’t
do it that way, we change it a bit to make it look more Christian”. Well
you can put all the makeup and lipstick on a pig that you want, but in the
end it is still an abomination to our Lord no matter what phony title or
covering you put on it. Know this also, those of you that hang onto weak
and beggarly things, guess what that makes you?
James 4:3-4 Ye ask, and receive not,
because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (4) Ye
adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world
is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is
the enemy of God. (KJV)
Again, you wonder why your prayers don’t
get answered; well from what I am seeing in the above verses you are not
answering God’s call, but rather the world’s beckoning. When you’re
friendly and fond of the world’s way more than God that makes you an
adulterer; cheater is another way of putting it. I challenge each and every
believer in Christ to pray about everything they do or have been taught
from their past, and ask the Lord if it is really something that is
pleasing to Him. You have the opportunity to be a non conformist; the
question is, ‘are you nonconforming to the world, or to the things of God?’
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