“When the world hates you, remember it hated me before it hated you. The world would love you if you belonged to it, but you don’t. I chose you to come out of the world, and so it hates you.
John 15: 18-19 NLT
In this scripture, Jesus tells us that to love only those who belong to our group is the character of the world. He also states that he chose us to come out of the world. In other words, don’t act like they do, and although say we don’t, our actions don’t always back up our words. Here’s one example. God had led my wife and I to leave the fellowship we were at and were searching to find our place. During our second visit to a new fellowship, the Lord spoke and directed us to go to a fellowship on the other side of town. After the service was over the pastor invited us along with the other new comers to dinner. At the restaurant the pastor and another elder moved around the group of new comers, talking and getting to know a little about them. When they came to my wife and I, we began to share with them about the ministries the Lord was doing through us and they seemed to be very interested. Then I told them that the Lord had directed us to attend a fellowship on the other side of town. Although the pastor was pleasant, he suddenly became uninterested in my wife and I, and quickly moved to the next couple. We have not heard from him since that day.
One thing that stands out in this incident is that as long as we were potentially a part of their fellowship they demonstrated love towards us. But as soon as we mentioned that we were directed to another fellowship, the demonstration of love stopped. In looking back at some other similar encounters, I see the same character demonstrated. It’s the character or spirit of the world that is being displayed when this happens. Jesus said, “ the world would love you if you belonged to it.” It is not the character or Spirit of Christ. Jesus loves us even when we are not part of him. Even if we reject him, he just demonstrates his love more. We have a friend who pastors a fellowship and even though we don’t attend there they all love us and treat us like family and this is a good demonstration of Jesus’ character.
So let the fruit speak for it’s self. Jesus said in Luke 6:44 that every tree is known by his own fruit. In the incidents mentioned first, it was undoubtedly the sprit of the world at work. It’s the world’s attempt to organize a system or religion that in some way resembles the Church that Jesus is building, the body of Christ. But it is a very cheap imitation!
John said, “ These people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of Truth or the spirit of deception.
1 John 4:5-6 NLT
Seems pretty simple, because it is. God is not the author of confusion. So let’s get a hold of this very simple truth and use it. Soon you will be able to identify the work of Christ and the work of the world. You will discern the difference between the Church Jesus is building and organized religion. Because of it’s origin, organized religion can never be the body of Christ. Now don’t try to identify the body of Christ by appearance alone. Remember what Jesus said, know the tree by it’s fruit. So find out where Jesus is working and help. Keep in mind that what Jesus is doing may not be the most popular, but it is the most rewarding. Jesus didn’t say that you had to be on television or preach to thousands, he said just give a cup of water in his name, and remember what you do to the least you do to HIM.
John 15: 18-19 NLT
In this scripture, Jesus tells us that to love only those who belong to our group is the character of the world. He also states that he chose us to come out of the world. In other words, don’t act like they do, and although say we don’t, our actions don’t always back up our words. Here’s one example. God had led my wife and I to leave the fellowship we were at and were searching to find our place. During our second visit to a new fellowship, the Lord spoke and directed us to go to a fellowship on the other side of town. After the service was over the pastor invited us along with the other new comers to dinner. At the restaurant the pastor and another elder moved around the group of new comers, talking and getting to know a little about them. When they came to my wife and I, we began to share with them about the ministries the Lord was doing through us and they seemed to be very interested. Then I told them that the Lord had directed us to attend a fellowship on the other side of town. Although the pastor was pleasant, he suddenly became uninterested in my wife and I, and quickly moved to the next couple. We have not heard from him since that day.
One thing that stands out in this incident is that as long as we were potentially a part of their fellowship they demonstrated love towards us. But as soon as we mentioned that we were directed to another fellowship, the demonstration of love stopped. In looking back at some other similar encounters, I see the same character demonstrated. It’s the character or spirit of the world that is being displayed when this happens. Jesus said, “ the world would love you if you belonged to it.” It is not the character or Spirit of Christ. Jesus loves us even when we are not part of him. Even if we reject him, he just demonstrates his love more. We have a friend who pastors a fellowship and even though we don’t attend there they all love us and treat us like family and this is a good demonstration of Jesus’ character.
So let the fruit speak for it’s self. Jesus said in Luke 6:44 that every tree is known by his own fruit. In the incidents mentioned first, it was undoubtedly the sprit of the world at work. It’s the world’s attempt to organize a system or religion that in some way resembles the Church that Jesus is building, the body of Christ. But it is a very cheap imitation!
John said, “ These people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God, that is why those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of Truth or the spirit of deception.
1 John 4:5-6 NLT
Seems pretty simple, because it is. God is not the author of confusion. So let’s get a hold of this very simple truth and use it. Soon you will be able to identify the work of Christ and the work of the world. You will discern the difference between the Church Jesus is building and organized religion. Because of it’s origin, organized religion can never be the body of Christ. Now don’t try to identify the body of Christ by appearance alone. Remember what Jesus said, know the tree by it’s fruit. So find out where Jesus is working and help. Keep in mind that what Jesus is doing may not be the most popular, but it is the most rewarding. Jesus didn’t say that you had to be on television or preach to thousands, he said just give a cup of water in his name, and remember what you do to the least you do to HIM.
