TENSION...

This morning in the message at church, our pastor talked about the tension that Christians should anticipate feeling because we live in this fallen world, while our citizenship is truly in heaven.  We are to be IN this world, but not OF this world.  We shouldn't be chasing after fleeting things, goals, and pleasures.  Instead, we should be seeking after Christ and being a witness to everyone around us.

He said that there are 4 ideas that will certainly bring about opposition in our world today as believers and nonbelievers interact:

1)  Belief in the exclusivity of Christ in a pluralistic world.

Acts 4:12 "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." 


John 14:6 "Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.'"

The world tries to tell us that all roads lead straight to heaven...we will all get their somehow.  That's not what the Scriptures say.

2)  Belief in the absolute truth and authority of Scripture in a relativistic world.

Isaiah 45:19  "...I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right."  

Again, there are so many people in our world that just think we should all base our decisions off what we think and feel is best.  I'm glad that my worldview is not based off of what I think on any fleeting day.  My emotions and feelings are just not stable.  This one is not hard for me to wrap my head around.  I know there are so many people that have trouble believing that Scripture is God-breathed and inerrant.  This is definitely an idea that can bring tension among believers and non-believers.

3)  Belief in contentment in a materialistic world.

1 Timothy 6:6  "But godliness with contentment is great gain."  

This one is pretty self-explanatory.  Our world says that we can never have enough, be enough, or get enough.  If a little is OK, then a lot is even better.  We are just never satisfied.  I'm learning how to find my contentment in Christ alone.  You can't put a luggage rack on a hearse after all...

4)  Belief in holiness in an immoral world.

1 Thess. 4:7  "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life."

I'm not perfect by any means, and the idea behind this is simply that we can strive to be holy even in a fallen world.  We don't have to be in bondage to sin any more...we can be set apart by the grace of God.  To some, this concept is foreign though.

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I only post these 4 ideas to spark your thinking...they are for no other reason... 

What do you believe?
Is your salvation sealed?
Are you ready for opposition in this life?
Are we living dangerously enough that these tensions are even displayed in our normal, daily life?