Resist the Culture and Indulge the Holy Spirit

Have you ever found yourself refraining from asking some people how they are doing?

 
As a lover of Jesus Christ, there are times when I don't want to ask Christians how they are doing or what they are doing because I am sure about what I will hear, and I would rather not hear it.

 
People are dishonoring God in many ways and sharing it as though it were good and normal. They are boasting of the things they are buying, the vacation trips they are taking, and many other useless things, but never mention Jesus Christ.

 
When we speak of Christ and what God is doing in our hearts, they act disinterested and even irritated because they don't think in these terms, it bores and convicts them even when the shares are Biblical and meaningful.

I expect non-believers to act this way, but I expect believers to be blessed and engaging when Christ and His work are being shared and even share in return.
Non-responsiveness is common these days because Christ is not the most important person to most "Christians"; He is an add-on to make them feel personally safe and superior, but they do not possess the first fruit of His Spirit, which is love.

 
I hear Christians in gatherings speaking non-stop about the political scene, the political celebrities and all the evils in the world with hearts full of anger and fear at what is going on in the world, but never the name of Jesus Christ.

 
I have to wonder if these people have any hope of eternity at all when they are more focused on the world than they are on our Savior.

 
Hebrews 13:1: "Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters,"

1 John 3:14: "We know that we have passed from death to life because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains dead,"

 
Romans 12:10: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor".

 
Because of these days of apostasy, many people who say they are Christians are cultural rather than transformed by Christ. They have many human rules they have concocted that are not Biblical and have little understanding of the principles of Christ as written in the Bible.

2 Timothy 4:2-4 "…2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. 4 So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.…"

They will tell us that we couldn't know the truth because we do not have a seminary degree. They will forbid a woman from expressing her Christianity because she is a woman. They will invoke the silence rules on those who love to speak of Christ.

 
2 Timothy 3:1-5 "Difficult Times Will Come
3 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good,
4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these."

Matthew 24:11-12 "and many false prophets will arise and deceive many. Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold."

The love of many has grown cold as the world has grown darker. Because of this we know the end of the church age is very close and those who love Christ will be going home.

 
Our mission on this earth, before we leave, is to speak and live the truth, encouraging fellow believers as they navigate through this hateful and mindless world full of deception and brutal loathing of those who love Christ.

 
We will be alone a lot because of the rejection, but we will never be completely alone because Christ Who lives in us, is enough if He is all we have. But He is not all we have; we have one another through various means, the internet being God's blessing for believers to connect with one another from hundreds of miles away.

 
Romans 16:17-18 "Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive."
1 Thessalonians 5:11 "…10 He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with Him. 11 Therefore, encourage and build one another up, just as you are already doing."

Most of you have lost the love of family, fathers, mothers, children, brothers, and sisters because of your faith. I am here to tell you this is normal for those who follow hard after Jesus Christ. Some of these people who have rejected you claim to be Christians; sadly, they do not have the love of Christ, or they would not act this way.

 
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 "4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.

5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

We can love those who reject us through prayer, but we must remain separate from them to keep our souls from becoming like them.

 
Proverbs 26:4-5 "4 Do not answer a fool according to his foolishness, or you will also be like him.

5 Answer a fool as his foolishness deserves
So that he will not be wise in his own eyes."

As soon as we reply to a provoker with irritation or anger, we have become like them. The most valuable lesson we can learn is to ignore any feelings and respond without emotion or learn not to respond at all when we are being mocked or dismissed.

 
There will be no irritation or anger when we don't care what others think of us or do to us. Anger emerges because of our own insecurities and a need to be loved and accepted by others.

 
Give up all expectations of being loved by others and just love others as Christ loved us. No expectations, then we will be able to ignore those who attempt to provoke us and be free from guilt when we have to avoid them.

 
Do not listen to those who would intimidate us into remaining with those who have been proven to be a hindrance to our walk with Christ. Anyone who pressures us to remain with those who hate Christ are not obeying the Bible and do not know what it is to hear from the Holy Spirit.

 
Walk in freedom from the culture around us and indulge in the blessing of the Holy Spirit.