John 17:15-16

Yo, today I was going to be going to a Chinese school and helping out with promoting the Vacation Bible School (VBS) that will happen at the end of August at OCBC, but right after my first alarm went off (let's just say I snooze a lot) my boss called and wanted me to work for a few hours. 'Produce emergency'. lol. I am not very productive in the first few hours after I wake up, so work is kinda slow then. haha Ended my shift with packaging cookies. (y)

After work I went home and didn't do all that much while I had lunch, answered some emails, whatever. My brother came home and we went to play tennis, but the courts were locked. After I went to school for the prayer meeting which was sweet.

Anyways, the main point of this post is this continuing struggle with the concept presented in John 17:15-16 where Jesus is praying for his disciples then and to come praying that they not be taken out of the world, but be protected from the evil one and he continues to say that they do not belong to the world. All of this which as been boiled down to "Christians should be in the world, but not of the world". How do you do that?

I come back to this question a lot more when I consider one of my friends. He definitely has a heart for God, and discipleship, and missions, and sharing Jesus with those who normally people don't, but he also ends up in many situations where I begin casting judgement on him.

Now, the issue is where is the balance, to being in the world, but not of it? How can you participate in the world's events while at the same time not agreeing with worldliness? Because there are two ways to do this wrong: to take yourself out of the world, and to be so much in the world that you start to belong to it. The examples that come to mind are that of a monk, secluded and separating himself from the world as much as possible so he can better know and understand the greatness of God and fellowship with him; and maybe 'Christian hipster culture' that almost waters down the gospel to fit in.

Because I see the benefits of both, but to both extremes you lose out on what God was saying. We are to be in the world: there is no other way to share with others and witness what God has done. We are to not be of this world: to be consecrated wholly to God and to stand out in a crowd because of God in our lives helping us to reject sinful or destructive actions / habits.

So, I think I may be too quick to judge my friend based on the outward appearance, but I pray that his heart is in the right place and that I'd be able to encourage and support him through these things rather than sitting and judging him as he attempts to reach others with the good news that Christ died for them.

Ttyl.

D.Fa