City Life Starter

1 Corinthians 6:7-11 (NIV)

7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.

9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men

10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

1 John 2:16 (NIV)

16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

By Stefan Johnsson

Why did you choose to follow Jesus? Was it for money? For power or glory? Did you look at your relationship with God has a transactional one? Did you think that accepting Jesus into your life was just to gain eternity with him, but your life would not need to change?  If you consider yourself to find life with Jesus, then it should be because you saw the ugliness and sinfulness of this world. That you recognized that being born again meant you would need to give up your old habits, your old ways, and your warped view of the world in order to follow the path that Jesus has set before you.

So why are you living in your old ways? Do you not know that those who commit sinful acts and live in rebellion against God will not inherit eternal life with God? Then why do you continually live as if you think there’s nothing wrong? The world wants to justify their own sin and condemn us for the life we try to live. So why do you accept the ways of the world over the ways of God? Why do you seek the love of man and not the love of God?

The world encourages greed, and so you believe it is okay to make money at all costs. The world does not see sexual immorality or pornography as wrong and so you justify your own behavior to do it. You get drunk on the weekends and do so thinking that as long as you’re sober for the church, you’re fine.  You stand up to defend homosexuality, and then turn around and criticize fellow believers for saying that this behavior is not for a Christian who is born again. Do you not know what being born again means?

You have been tied to Christ in his resurrection for eternity. So, we need to understand that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are not from God, but from the world. You have to let this go and fight against the deceitfulness of the enemy. You have to love your brothers and sisters, and not look to get back at them for any wrong that they did. Forgive and make amends with each other. For why would God listen to your prayers if you hold hatred against your brother in your heart?

You are the salt of the Earth! You are the light of the world! You are meant to shine and live in such a way that glorifies God. If you lose your saltiness or light, what use are you to God? So, as Paul says, we need to understand that this life is what we used to be, that it is the one we left behind. You are washed by His blood! You are sanctified through the name of Christ! So, let us live for God, because either you are a slave to righteousness or a slave to sin.

The only way you can decipher between what is from God and what is from the world is through reading the word of God and prayer. We are to be warriors of social justice, including the poor treatment of people who are part of the LGBT community and refugees fleeing persecution. We are to be warriors of truth, to defend the gospel at all costs. We are to stand on the firm foundation of Jesus, to seek Him first in all that we do.  The more you spend in the Word and in prayer, the less the world will affect your actions and your mind. Love those who persecute you, seek those who are lost, speak words of wisdom, and do not compromise the truth that we hold so dear.