Come Out From Among Them

II Cor.6:14-18 - Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
Where has the doctrine of separation gone? When did we ditch that doctrine for a more laissez-faire kind of attitude that clears a path that is much more accommodating to the culture and all its fallen machinations? I mean, does separation only mean not to enter into a business deal with Charles Manson? And when the Spirit commands us not to be in agreement with idols, does that only mean statues of Buddha?
For so long we have defined separation as avoiding smoking and drinking and cursing, while we play footsies with the fallen world of political sewage. And what does God mean when He says the “unclean thing”? Is He referring to something that needs a washing, or is He revealing His will about things much more sinister than some dirty automobile?
And God calls those things about which we should avoid “Belial”, or the actual personification of evil. This is no game of doctrinal hopscotch; this is as serious as it gets. And when the church ignores these commands she rejects God’s Word, brings disgrace upon the person of Christ, and literally shreds the gospel of Jesus Christ and reduces it to nothing more than manipulated wind pressured through a human larynx. And clothed in the fallen mess of the world, the church still has the audacity to claim she is doing God’s work.
And in the year of our Lord 2012 we are seeing a contemptible display of open disobedience to the very Word of God in the verses I shared. If politics isn’t idolatry and evil, then just what are we supposed to come out from? The Elk Lodge? The community swimming pool? Little League? I mean let us be honest, if we are not supposed to separate ourselves from the most self serving and vile system like politics, then from what are we supposed to separate? And not only do millions of believers spend more energy in politics than they do in prayer, but millions of dollars of God’s money is donated to the elevation of fallen man.
Of course we should not even have to use this current political year to make the point. But if there ever was a year in which believers with just a mere hint of discernment could see, it is this year. In fact, this year has filleted the entire system open and exposed the putrid underbelly that has always been the driving force behind the political system. Do you think I am too harsh? How then would a Holy God describe such a system that boasts in man while using the name of Jesus as political capital and to leverage religious votes? And if Jesus Himself scourged the Temple, what would He think of how the fallen world joins forces to create a humanistic utopia which is more hollow promise than spiritual substance?
The entire scene is most unseemly, and the participation of the church is a colossal compromise. The church of Jesus Christ is reduced to votes in order to affect change in the culture? Where is the power that in the early church swept the known world and turned entire cities upside down for Christ? And when Herod was praised as the voice of god, the Lord did not vote him out. He struck him dead. Where is that kind of power which not only brought the fear of God, but led many to Christ? We have traded the power of God for a mess of democratic pottage.
The issue is not the character of the men running for president, that is well documented. The issue is the character of the God we serve. We are commanded to separate ourselves from all that is fallen and antichrist except to bear witness of the Crucified and Risen Christ. I implore you, surrender the grave clothes of politics and burn them upon the altar of sacrificial discipleship. Listen to the still small voice within your heart that beckons us to come out from among them and seek the very face of Christ. He alone is the answer, and Christ does not need the systems of this world to bring forth His kingdom.
The serpent has once again offered the fruit of Cain’s hands and the church is faring sumptuously at the table of fallen scraps. But just like Cain, the Lord has refused this carnal sacrifice. God will not share His glory with another, regardless how moral the outcome or how beneficial it may be to the economy. God does not bow to the economy, and in the worst economic famine God does not worry. In fact, many times God is using economic hardships to draw men’s hearts to Himself.
Away with all this political revelry that excites the flesh and dishonors our Redeemer. And if you cannot see that there is something tragically wrong with the church of Jesus Christ, then you are deceived as well. There is more to the faith of Jesus Christ than just buildings and meetings and activities and membership and political involvement. Where is the Lord God of Elijah!? Where is the power that filled the upper room and drove the frightened believers boldly into the street to proclaim the wonderful works of God? Was that power only for them, or is it available for us today if we sanctify ourselves in God’s sight?
It is my prayer that anyone who reads this insignificant blog will not be able to ignore his spiritual conscience as he or she attempts to be involved with a system that is diametrically opposed to the kingdom of God, the everlasting gospel, and the person of Jesus Christ. It is very difficult for me to share the liberty that is to be found when we obey the command to come out from among them and be separate. Tradition and the advice of men make it all the more difficult to see things as they really are, but the Spirit is well able to perform His ministry upon those who will hear.
Perhaps this is the year when God does a miraculous work in His church, and while we return to seeking His face we are broken and spilled out for His glory. Perhaps this is the year that this darkened world will see the light of God's redemption through the called out ones who bear His name!
Let is be so Lord Jesus…