“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”
John 17:13-19 NLT
Who do we pilgrims identify with – those unbelieving people in the world around us, or the believers in our Christian communities and fellowships? Unfortunately there is no grey area in the middle. Jesus said that functioning believers, disciples and pilgrims like us, will be hated by the people in the societies around us, people who are soaked in their sins and heading for a lost eternity. And Jesus prayed that His disciples, and pilgrims everywhere by extension, would be kept safe from the enemy, the “evil one”. He made the statement that such people as us “do not belong to this world”.
But how do we pilgrims reconcile the Great Commission, to “go into all the world to make disciples”, with the need to keep ourselves separate from the world and, by implication, all of its ways? This was always a challenge to me in an office environment, where the behaviour of those around me was unacceptable for a Kingdom man, with the gossip, the blasphemous language, the flirting, the invitations to attend parties and join the team at the local pub after work, and so on. Sometimes I felt like an outcast, shunned by the people in my team, and assigned work that was less collaborative as a result. But how could a child of the King ever be involved in the ways of the world, a different kingdom, where their “king” was the devil?
Jesus said in Matthew 5, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world”. And He finished this section with “In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16). In a dark world we are beacons of hope but, as such, vulnerable to attacks from the enemy. Our behaviour is of course influenced by our relationship with God. As an example, in Daniel 1:8 we read, “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods”. The Jewish exiles and Daniel behaved in a way conducive with the Law of Moses. On the other hand, we read in Matthew 9:10-11, “Later, Matthew invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum?”” It is possible for believers to enter the border territory between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world, but with fear and trembling, and with much care. But after all, how else can we reach the lost with the Good news of eternal life?
Peter wrote, “ … for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). We are a people sanctified by the blood of Jesus, and because of that the devil can’t touch us – unless we let him!
Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your protection and care. Please lead us to those people in the world who You have chosen, and keep us safe in the process. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Being a Pilgrim 