In the
final analysis this is what it comes down to, Christ or the Culture.
For
many it is Christ or the Family.
In
this World Ruled by Satan [1 John 5:19] everyone must choose.
There
is No Neutral ground.
Christ
Jesus told his disciple this Parable:
'No
one puts a patch from a new garment on an old garment;
If
he does, he will both tear the new one,
And
the patch from the new [one] will not match the old [garment].
And
no one pours new wine into old wineskins;
If
he does, the fresh wine will burst the skins
And
it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined (destroyed).
But
New Wine must be put in fresh wineskins;
And
no one after drinking old wine immediately desires new wine,
For
he says, The old is good or better.
(Luke
5:36-39)
We
have all grown up in a particular Culture
And in
a particular Family
That
has its own Ways and Traditions.
The
Way of Christ is always in Opposition to the Culture
That
is Ruled by Satan.
And
unless a Family is a Christian Family,
The
Family lives in Opposition to the Way of Christ;
And
the Two can never be Melded.
Once a
person Surrenders to Christ Jesus and His Way
They
will Never Fit in the Culture they were raise in,
And
unless their Family is a Christian Family,
They
will no longer fit in the Family.
This
is the Hard Reality of Surrendering to Christ Jesus.
It
makes you an Outcast.
The
only Place you fit then, is in the Family of God;
When
it is Truly the Family of God.
Christ
Jesus was an Outcast to His own Family,
Before
they came to know Him as the Christ of God.
They
though that He was “out of His mind.” (Mark 3:31)
When a
person Surrenders to Christ Jesus
The
Culture thinks that they are “out of their mind.”
The
Word of God is Irrelevant to them;
They
remain in their Sin Nature and Evil. (Luke 11:13)
Because
of this Inherent Conflict,
Many
end up Turning Away from the Faith.
Christ
Jesus said this about such a person:
'What
was sown on rocky places in the man who hears the Word
And
at once receives it with Joy.
But
since he has No Root, he last only a short time.
When
Trouble or Persecution comes because of the Word,
HE
QUICKLY FALLS AWAY.'
(Matthew
13:20, 21)
For
any Christian who lives In and For Christ
There
will always be Trouble and Persecution.
Christ
Jesus said:
'In
this World you will have Trouble.
BUT
TAKE HEART! I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.'
(John
16:33)
'Blessed
are you when men HATE you,
When
they Exclude you and Insult you
And
Reject your name as Evil,
REJOICE
IN THAT DAY AND LEAP FOR JOY,
Because
Great is your Reward in Heaven.
For
that is how their fathers treated the Prophets.'
(Luke
6:22, 23)
WOE
TO YOU you when all men speak well of you,
For
that is how their fathers treated the False Prophets.
(Luke
6:26)
ALL
men will HATE you because of Me,
But
he who Stands Firm to the End will be Saved.
(Mark
13:13)
If
the World HATES you,
Keep
in mind that it HATED Me First.
IF
YOU BELONGED TO THE WORLD,
The
World would love you as its own.
As
it is, you Do Not Belong To The World,
BUT
I HAVE CHOSEN YOU OUT OF THE WORLD.
That
is why to World HATES you.
(John
15:18, 19)
Every
person and every Christian has a CHOICE!
CHRIST OR THE CULTURE!
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