Jump Start # 3425

1 John 3:13 “Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.”

On Tuesdays, I’ve been teaching a special class on 1 John. I teach it twice a day. Once in the morning and again in the evening. Some who work can’t come in the morning, so the class is offered a second time for them.

In our walk through John’s first letter, we came across this passage. Two words particularly stand out. First, surprised. Don’t be surprised. I think of an eight-year-old who hides behind a door and spooks the life out of you when you walk by. You are surprised. There are surprise birthday parties. I’ve had more than one in my life and I’m not a huge fan of those. The main reason is that everyone knows what is going on and what is going to happen except me.

Peter used this same word when he wrote, “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you.” Don’t be surprised.

The second word from our verse today is “hate.” The world hates you. Jesus said this often. They will hate you because they hate Me. They will hate the light because they love darkness. If you follow Jesus, the world won’t invite you, include you, like you, or want you. The world hates you.

And, what mystifies us is that we haven’t done anything to the world. We are kind. We are generous. We are servants. We are helpful. We make the world a brighter place. If anything, you’d think the world would like having disciples around. But that’s not the way it is. The innocent, much like Abel, are hated, and killed because the world hates them.

While these thoughts are nothing new to good Bible students, the unnatural conclusions that some make are. Consider:

First, some are wanting to make the church more community friendly. They want to serve the community. The modern church had done that for decades. Ignoring what the Biblical pattern is for what the church is to do, they have fed the hungry, clothed the needy, educated children, helped with taxes, run shelters, offered fitness training and have done all that they could to make the community like them.

The preachers in these places dress as if they have just cleaned out a garage. They offer free coffee, baby sitting and have backed off the offensive words such as “sin,” “Hell,” and “judgment.” The crowds come and they laugh, feel good, and are convinced that the rough edges of doctrine have been smoothed off. The leaders have found a way to make the church and the world like each other. Maybe they will date. Maybe there will be a wedding someday.

And, what is missing are these bold statements found throughout the N.T., the world hates you. So, rather than trying to get the world to move closer to the cross, the moderns have moved the church closer to the world. No accountability, which means the same folks in a bar on Friday, laughing and having a good time, will be the same folks on Sunday in the church, laughing and having a good time. The distinctive lines between the world and Christ have become blurred. A merger has taken place. And, to accomplish this, a whole of of compromising has been done. And, it isn’t the world that is moving or changing. It’s the modern church that has shifted and that shift has been away from the cross and towards the world.

Second, there is a reason why the world hates us. It’s because of our non-compromising conviction that Jesus is the Christ. His way is the only way. We will be judged one day. What we think and what we believe matters. One cannot live like a sinner and die like a saint. Righteousness, the letter John says, is to be practiced. Practicing sin is of the devil. So, a choice has to be made. Jesus or the world. Jesus or sin. Jesus or the devil. And, those blinded and deceived only see the fun in the devil, they’ll stand right behind him.

The world isn’t moving. It’s staying with the devil. So, for the relationship between the church and the world to get better, discouraged leaders decide to move the church closer to the world. That never works and only the devil wins.

Third, some see that the mission of the church is to do just what Jesus did. The Lord fed 5,000, so the church should. In some ways that seems logical, but remember the Lord is the head and not the church. The Lord also healed people. Should the church build hospitals, clinics and have doctors on staff to care for people for free? Jesus also turned over tables of those He thought were doing wrong. Should the church be doing that as well? Do we rush into a synagogue and trash the place? Do we get whips and drive people out?

The authorization of the church must be found in what God told the church to do. Jesus never owned a home. Can disciples? Jesus was never married or had children. Can disciples? The actions of Jesus were to demonstrate that He was the Messiah and that He had all authority. The church isn’t the Messiah and the church doesn’t have all authority.

As individuals, we do serve. Passages such as Galatians 6:10, James 1:27, Matthew 25:40 show that. The mission of the church is to glorify God and prepare people for eternity. This is done through teaching God’s word.

The world hates you. That’s a reality moment. One by one, as we show the gospel to others, hearts are changed and lives are saved. Changing just to get people to like us is actually selling out. The Proverbs tells us to “buy truth and do not sell it.”

Things to remember in these times.

Roger