What kind of spiritual balance do we need to get along with this world

[Hall7]

Do you find it hard to know how to react around non-believers as a Christian while living in this world? I’ve been struggling to try to find the right spiritual balance in order to know how to feel and react about the non-believing world around us.

  How worldly should we be in order to fit in but at the same time to not be part of the world? I think we all have phases of being closer or more distant to God.

I’ve observed that the closer I am to God the more the world looks evil, the more God’s Spirit is strong in me the more evil makes itself known to my eyes. So what kind of balance should there be for a human being who is a citizen of Earth with a fallen human nature who is saved through the blood of Jesus Christ?

For example, you are at work and your coworkers always cuss around you and make nasty jokes. What is your reaction?  I’ve observed two personal reactions according to my state of spirit.
1- When I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I can see that it is evil that affects my coworker’s state of minds, I can see the evil in them trying to influence me into joining their worldly thoughts. I become upset at the evil that controls them but at the same time understand that it isn’t their fault as unsaved human beings to have this state of mind, and I realize that evil does try to use people around us to make us sin. So I walk away…

2- When I am low on fuel (the Holy Spirit) due to not being so much in the Word and prayer as I should be, and in the same situation, I don’t feel so annoyed by this kind of language but at the same time realize to not take part in this sinful act of profanity. I don’t walk away, and stay quiet without joining in the sinful laughter, but still feel annoyed by what comes out of their mouths.

I sometimes feel paranoid to leave my house into the outside evil world, not because I am scared of evil, just because we Christians are so different in the spirit and mind. It’s hard to fit in when you are transformed, and I’m realizing more and more how low the percentage of true Christians are in this world. So what kind of balance and thoughts should we have while walking this Earth?

Over-righteousness makes us judge/sin, to not be righteous in God’s law makes us partake in sin, to be over filled with God’s Spirit makes the world look more evil and harder to live in, and to not have enough of God’s spirit in us makes us become worldly.

How worldly should we be since we live in it?

[wingnut-]

Hello hall,

 

This may be the best topic I have seen come up on the boards for some time.  My response is really simplistic, but I truly believe that the issue is not so much about a spiritual imbalance as it is about our understanding as Christians regarding our role.  We are given a very simple directive, go out and preach the gospel.

 

Individual sin is a personal matter, based on personal conviction.  An unbeliever does not have the Holy Spirit, so for all intents and purposes they are a ship with no rudder.  For example, if God places it on a believers heart to go out and specifically reach murderers sitting on death row, what approach should be used to reach them?   If a believer goes forth and says to the murderer, "the bible says thou shalt not kill, repent you wicked sinner", is that fulfilling the directive?  The odds are, the murderer will instantly be on the defensive, after all, they were just basically verbally attacked.

 

It doesn't matter what sin a non-believer is caught up in, they don't know or understand what sin is, the word in itself is meaningless to them.  Our role is to present the gospel of Jesus Christ, period.  When Jesus told the woman at the well to go and sin no more, that was not an example for us to follow.  Why?  Because we are not God, we are flawed people just the same as the non-believer.  The only difference between us and the non-believer is that we are covered by grace.  We are not to judge those outside the church, no matter what sin they are involved in.

 

If the believer walks into that prison looking at this individual as a murderer, that is judging them.  We should not be doing that, what we should be looking at is a human being that desperately needs to know Jesus.  Love is the answer, not condemnation.  We are not supposed to conform to the ways of this world at all, which means, don't participate in what you personally know to be a sin.  So don't use foul language, don't murder, don't do anything that you have a personal conviction about because then you are being disobedient.

 

There is not a single person amongst us who can honestly say that the day they accepted Jesus as their Savior was the last day they sinned.  If anyone claims that, they are fooling themselves, this topic has come up a million times.  We should do our role, and let the Holy Spirit do His role, it is not our job or place to tell anyone else what is a sin.  Each person is to work out their own salvation with fear and trembling.  God bless you.

[Hall7]

Thanks Wingnut I agree with you. I don't know about having a loving passive attitude in certain circumstances though. For instance when someone uses the GD word, that always gets me very upset, it feels like it hurts God who is inside and part of me.

[wingnut-]

Thanks Wingnut I agree with you. I don't know about having a loving passive attitude in certain circumstances though. For instance when someone uses the GD word, that always gets me very upset, it feels like it hurts God who is inside and part of me.

 

 

Yes, it hurts my ears as well, so I know exactly what you are saying.  I would respond to it with this, and I want to say that giggling appy gets the credit for bringing this to my attention in particular.  But, when Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, would you say that insults are as applicable as that meaning being physical?

 

When you think about it, what would saying something to the individual accomplish?  They might apologize to you, but really it wasn't you they insulted.  They insulted God, but they are not going to apologize to Him as an unbeliever, correct?  I think maybe we have to toughen up our skin a bit, this world will only get more unpleasant going forward.

[Hall7]

 

Thanks Wingnut I agree with you. I don't know about having a loving passive attitude in certain circumstances though. For instance when someone uses the GD word, that always gets me very upset, it feels like it hurts God who is inside and part of me.

 

 

Yes, it hurts my ears as well, so I know exactly what you are saying.  I would respond to it with this, and I want to say that giggling appy gets the credit for bringing this to my attention in particular.  But, when Jesus told us to turn the other cheek, would you say that insults are as applicable as that meaning being physical?

 

When you think about it, what would saying something to the individual accomplish?  They might apologize to you, but really it wasn't you they insulted.  They insulted God, but they are not going to apologize to Him as an unbeliever, correct?  I think maybe we have to toughen up our skin a bit, this world will only get more unpleasant going forward.

 

I understand what you are saying, but I guarantee you that there are very few Christians who will turn their other cheek, extremely few, it's much easier read than done. I don't get upset in a way that I will shout at someone for saying the GD word, but they will feel my resentment to that word from the expression on my face. I've had some telling me sorry for saying that word, and my response was similar to what you wrote, I say it isn't me that you are hurting it is yourself and God. The thing is that there are people who hate God and enjoy talking bad about Him, evil people who knowingly prefer evil,  and those are the ones we have a hard time finding a spiritual balance for, because the evil within them will intentionally make them spew out words of anger towards God and Christians to try to get you upset. So this is part of what I mean as far as spiritual balance goes, you say turn your other cheek and be loving and passing, but at the same time to have a tough skin. Not an easy task... 

[Guest Butero]

I agree with the OP that the closer my walk is, the more evil I notice, but I don't behave different towards people using bad language, or just being themselves, based on my spiritual state.  I don't expect sinners to be saints.  The bigger question I have is more to do with how I see Christians trying to act as public relations people for Christianity, who tend to downplay certain things in the Bible so they will fit in.  I see this everywhere.  If you bring up certain topics that are diametrically opposed to the way society has evolved, you will immediately observe the fear in those who are trying to make converts at any cost.  That makes me wonder if as Christians, we should be completely open about everything we believe around sinners and lukewarm Christians, or if we should be public relations representatives for God, and shy away from hard Biblical topics, or even make them out to mean something they clearly don't so we won't look bad, or whether we should say that this is what the Bible teaches, take it or leave it?  I tend to take the take it or leave it approach, but it seems most I encounter are just the opposite.  I guess the question I would ask is what is the right thing to do in this regard, and why? 

[Ezra]

How worldly should we be in order to fit in but at the same time to not be part of the world?

Christians are not required or expected to "fit in" or be "wordly".  Be yourself and speak the truth in love.

[ayin jade]

I agree with the OP that the closer my walk is, the more evil I notice, but I don't behave different towards people using bad language, or just being themselves, based on my spiritual state.  I don't expect sinners to be saints.  The bigger question I have is more to do with how I see Christians trying to act as public relations people for Christianity, who tend to downplay certain things in the Bible so they will fit in.  I see this everywhere.  If you bring up certain topics that are diametrically opposed to the way society has evolved, you will immediately observe the fear in those who are trying to make converts at any cost.  That makes me wonder if as Christians, we should be completely open about everything we believe around sinners and lukewarm Christians, or if we should be public relations representatives for God, and shy away from hard Biblical topics, or even make them out to mean something they clearly don't so we won't look bad, or whether we should say that this is what the Bible teaches, take it or leave it?  I tend to take the take it or leave it approach, but it seems most I encounter are just the opposite.  I guess the question I would ask is what is the right thing to do in this regard, and why? 

 

Glossing over things wont win converts. The Holy Spirit wins them over no matter how poor our words are. I think we should be open and honest about everything the bible says. Of course there are different ways to say things. "You are going to hell" is a lot more in your face and not likely to get someone listening to you than "the bible tells us that sin condemns people". Both tell the truth but one is quite confrontational.

[Hall7]

How worldly should we be in order to fit in but at the same time to not be part of the world?

Christians are not required or expected to "fit in" or be "wordly".  Be yourself and speak the truth in love.

I try but I still have lots of growing to do before I can speak the truth in love. It's hard to know what to say when a non believer tries to engage in a normal conversation about worldly things, because I really dont care much about small talk. I can't help to feel people's spirits, I think that's one of the reasons I'm kind of an introvert when I shouldn't be, but maybe thats just a personal problem.

[RustyAngeL]

Sometimes we cannot be pleasant. We can be firm but not get a bad attitude.  When someone uses profanity in front of me I just ask them to please not use those words.  Most people will stop, the one's that won't I walk away from.  I let them know that yes I"m a believer and  don't like to hear those words. I really don't care if they get mad or not.  I'm not backing down from what I believe and I believe you can carry on a conversation without profanity.  What really gets to me is when I hear believers say that that type of language does not bother them. I worry about those people.