In It But Not Of It
We Christians can get off track pretty easily. We get caught up in doctrinal quibbles, then we get inward, then we lose touch with our world... and poof, instead of being sanctified, "in it but not of it", we are segregated... "not in it, but of it".

There is a big difference between sanctified and segregated! If you are segregated, you are living by world standards because segregation is always based on mistrust, fear, judgement, condescension, and rejection.

Jesus was certainly not living by the world's standards, but He was definitely "in it". He loved loved loved people. Jesus said, "You are my friends if you do what I command." And what are His commands? That you LOVE God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and that you LOVE your neighbor as yourself.

Someone immediately tried to get around the huge implications of what Jesus had just said by asking, "Who is my neighbor?" That is where most of the Christian Body is today.

The biggest reason we don't see "revival" is that the Christian Body isn't known by the world as loving, but rather as judgemental. But when we are judgemental, we are "not in it, but of it"!

We need to begin to see people through God's eyes. This is exciting! It is the key, not only to the revival of nations, but also to personal revival! It is the key to the joy, and peace that seems to be missing from so many Christians.

Jesus was God Himself come down in a body... the Son of Heaven and Earth. Yet He lowered Himself all the way down to death for us. Remember He did this while we were still in our sins!

Paul said he endeavored to place himself lower than everyone... not in humiliation, but in humility and servanthood.

Just imagine being able to see everyone, Jew, Greek, female, male, young, old, rich, poor, respected, rejected... all the same before God. Imagine being awake every moment to everyone around you from check-out man, to girl scout cookie sellers, to paper boys, to phone sales people... hmm, well maybe not phone sales people.

Hey! This is what it's going to take - the ability to see the infinite value in every person who walks this planet and to treat them as the royalty they were created to be. That is what it means to be "in it, but not of it".