Out of This World

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” –John 15:18

These words forge upstream in a world where our natural inclination is to be the most well-liked, popular person we could be.

But Jesus spoke these words without hesitation or shame. He spoke them right before He was to be crucified on a cross. He spoke them knowing most of the men hearing His words that day would one day be martyred for their faith in Him. He spoke them knowing that they would be written down for people like you and I to read and marvel at how difficult those words are to embrace.

He spoke them so that we would not be disillusioned when people reject us for following Him with our whole heart. He spoke them so that we would not be surprised when people don’t like us talking about Him. He spoke them so we would count the cost before we make a stand for Jesus in a world where people don’t want God.

He spoke them so that we would know they aren’t rejecting us, but Him.

He then said, “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” John 15:19

If you were of the world… This begs the question, are you of this world, Christian? If you truly are a Christian, the answer positionally is no. But we as Christians have to be so careful not to join the world in its lusts –the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes and the pride of life. These lusts kill the love of God in us for the people He puts in our lives to reach.

If we are of the world, the world will love its own. If our lives don’t make the world uncomfortable, could it be that we have joined the world in its lusts and pride? Could it be that our hearts have been swept up in the current of making self our idol and pushing God to the side? 

Do we only have “follower of Christ” as a part of a much longer list of things we call ourselves by? Or is “follower of Christ” the defining point of everything we do and say?

“..I chose you out of the world,” Jesus says. In other words, you and I don’t belong in this world. The world has no claim on our lives, so we shouldn’t live in the fear of man, and we most certainly shouldn’t live to please our flesh.

Jesus wants us to understand that because He chose us out of the world, “…therefore the world hates you.” That doesn’t sound pleasant. He’s not saying that every single person we come across is going to spit on us and crucify us. He’s just saying that if the odor of Christ is all over our lives because we are consumed with Him, those who are against Christ will resist us, and we need to learn to be ok with that. In fact, we need to rejoice when it happens!

Paul put it this way: “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death… and to the other the aroma of life…” (2 Corinthians 2:15-16)

Maybe this sounds too scary to accept. Christ knew that, which is why He later said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Child of God, Jesus is our peace. Jesus is the only way people are going to know God. Hide in Him, and let Him be all He is through you. Realize that the greatest joy, the greatest gift you can have is the pleasure of knowing Him and making Him known.

When He is known and seen in us, yes, there will be opposition, but there will be also those who are longing for life who would never see Life except Christ put you in front of them. Even if Jesus just put you in this world for that one, live as though that one were right there in front of you in the form of the person who hates you, the person who is spitting on you, rejecting you, and calling you names, because Jesus’ love is in you even for them. <3