In 1997, I was given the opportunity to lead a small group of youth pastors on a mission trip to India. We visited Calcutta, New Deli, and Agra, where we spent time in the Taj Mahal. But our mission was in the small village of Raghunathpur. This was my first international mission trip and I soon realized I was completely out of my element.
Although we were coached on cultural differences, language differences, the food we would encounter, etc., every moment brought a new experience. And quite honestly, most were not pleasant. Arriving at the Calcutta airport, I was greeted by customs officials who wanted a bribe before they would give me the materials we were taking for our project. Our trip through the city was hot and congested. Unlike the US, there were very few restrictions on those things that contribute to air quality and my eyes and lungs soon burned from the pollution.
I encountered insects larger than my hands and when we reached the village, we were warned to stay on the stone paths since the cobras USUALLY stayed in the grass. While the food was edible, the method of eating was new as they offered no utensils. Everything was eaten with fingers, including rice with curry. This not only created a mess, but also brought laughter from the locals who watched us struggle. In my first few days there, I can remember thinking, I do not belong here. Being a foreigner can be intimidating and even frightening.
When God created mankind, his intent was that we live in a world of comfort and peace, free from sin and its consequences. Through the disobedience of Adam, we were banished from paradise and forced to be foreigners and aliens in a dangerous and difficult land. But God in his grace provided a way of escape; a means of returning us to the position of God’s purpose. At salvation, we gain citizenship in the eternal Kingdom of God. Ephesians 2:18-20 says, “For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”
Our citizenship in God’s Kingdom has an interesting twist. Although we have many of the benefits of being part of God’s eternity, we are stuck in this world for a time. But this is not a reason for panic or concern. What it does create is the need to adapt to the situation. We are called to be in the world but not of the world.
There are three ways of dealing with this. One is to isolate ourselves completely from the ungodly to protect ourselves from their influence. The problem with this approach is that we become useless as salt and light. If we are going to make disciples, we need to interact with pre-believers.
The second approach is to compromise in some areas to get along. This is a defense mechanism to blend in and not rock the boat. The problem here is that once Satan gets a foothold, he digs in for the kill.
The secret to being in the world but not of it is to continue to interact with pre-believers but commit to living out God’s standards as we do so. It can be difficult; however, this is where we call on our citizenship for help. Jesus did not ask the Father to take His followers out of the world. In fact, Jesus commissioned them to go into the world as His ambassadors. Instead, He asked the Father to protect them from Satan and his schemes, to guard them from temptation, and to make them holy through the truth of His word. This is what they needed to fulfill their commission. Dependance on the power of God’s Spirit living in us and the truth of the Word of God allows us to be salt and light as we stand strong in our commitment to Jesus.