In but not of

I've been thinking about John 17 for the weekend and a seminar I'm doing on godliness as opposed to half heartedness. What is really striking is that Jesus prays that his Father would protect his disciples who the world hates, because he has given them God's word, and then sends them out into the very world which he says hates them(v18).

It's not how we do protection is it. We do protection by bubble wrap, bouncer or padlock. If you fear for your children and their contact with drugs and alcohol you keep them safe at home and try to limit their exposure to those pressures and dangers. We spend most of our lives protecting ourselves and those we love from dangers, from the effects of hate. But Jesus says he is sending the disciples off into the world which hates them BUT they go with the Father's protection(11).

There is no safer place to be than protected by God no matter the situation they face, its a lesson I need to remember and keep being reminded of.

But it is also striking that he prays that they would be "in" the world but "not of" it. That they would not absorb the worlds values but live in the world sanctified by God's word of truth (17). It is a prayer echoed in the next section as he prays for all believers.

So what does it mean to be "in" the world but "not of" it? It is a difficult balance to strike and sometimes we go too far one way or the other, either being of the world or not being in the world.

So what does it look like to be "in" the world but "not of" it sanctified by the truth? Where will it see us living our lives? It is certainly a call to be relationally involved in the world around us. It is a call to be engaging with the culture around us not sat in meetings or too busy for people.

Do you ever find yourself having to say no to someone because its this or that church meeting on that particular night? Is that being "in" the world? There is a balance to be struck and it is a hard one to maintain, but maybe being "in" but "not of" means spending as much time in the pub as the prayer meeting?

Reaching everyone

It is the churches responsibility to tell the gospel to everyone regardless of any differences in background, education, or socio-economic factors. So how do we do it? Where do we do it? When do we do it?

I've been thinking about pub and curry house evangelism. How can we reach the people in those places? Are they places we could take 'church' to those who don't do church? What would it look like to do that and not drive them away? Could we hire out a local curry house and have a bring your friends evening? How could we then address their issues?

Am I prepared to make the sacrifices necessary in what I like to do so? That is the main questions. We all nod assent to the idea that the gospel is for all but what are we doing to reach them all. It was OK 30 years ago to invite people into church, but what about those who will never come in. How do we get the gospel to them?