in Devotionals, Evangelism, Faith, Hermeneutics, Parenting, Spiritual Warfare, Testimonies

Not Of This World

by Billy Ray Parrish January 21, 2021, 7:41 pm 59 Views

Hagiazo is a Greek verb that translates to sanctify or set apart and while most Christians understand that there is a process to living a Christian life, too many of the same Christians let me know that they do not understand what is meant by sanctification as well as set apart. This is where the verb hagiazo comes into play for a Christian as we are consecrated by God and as God’s people, we must be dedicated to God Almighty.

Most everyone has heard and/or read Romans 12:2: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” This is a very important verse for Christians as Paul is urging Christians to pay attention to God’s nature including His mercy and by doing this, we are able to become more. This, then, results in us being able to do more.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
+Romans 12:2

By not conforming to this world, Paul is telling us not to live or to conform to the norms of this worldly system. What is meant by the worldly system? 1 John 2:16 reads “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” Paul’s words may confuse some Christians because we can enjoy ourselves while in this world but we are to be careful to avoid making the normal ways of this secular world system our regular ways.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
-1 John 2:16

The ways of this secular world system are not the ways of God. God’s Word is clear about what He expects and nearly every sector of our country, and world, has gone away from God and adopted ungodly practices, behaviors, and/or customs. It may be hard to believe but many Christian churches have taken Christ right out of Christianity which does not many any practical sense whatsoever but the modern Christian church is more about flare and flash rather than the basics of God’s Holy Word.

In 1963, AW Tozer remarked “Religion today is not transforming people; rather it is being transformed by the people. It is not raising the moral level of society; it is descending to society’s own level, and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smilingly accepting its surrender.” Many church buildings may be full and the pews are filled from one end to the next but too many of these churches are not preaching the rightful word of God and too many God filled churches are only half full (at best).

It is true that we cannot gauge the value of a church by the size of its congregation but when I look at the current state of the Christian church then I can’t help but be concerned. There are too many people in church pews only because they are there for appearance sakes and others have accepted that they do not need to go to church because they feel it is not necessary. This is a thinking that I had for a while but it resulted in me feeling flat, empty, and void of something and this is one of the worse feelings an individual could feel but we never have to: “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13).

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.”
-Romans 15:13

We do not have to look too far to understand just how evil this secular world system is. At first it looks wonderful as it is full of excitement and adventure but as you grow in Christ and have your discernment matured, things begin to appear differently. Many people in this country including Christians love Hollywood movies and it was not long ago that I was the same way but with what I have learned about half of Hollywood and its connections to human trafficking including notorious child abuser and exploiter, Jeffrey Epstein, much of Hollywood is nothing more than a cesspool. For this reason, and many others, we must remove our desires from worldly pleasures: “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:12).