Calling From God: To Be Seperated

I’m working through a seven part series on the callings from god

This is one of the harder things to write about, especially being an American where diversity and civil rights is such a huge part of our society. So right off the start I am battling world views.

And make no mistake about it, depending on where you grow up, and what type of religious system you come from, will determine how you relate to this subject.

But throughout the bible there is a calling from God to be separated. The question becomes, what are we suppose to be separated from. Is this a racial issue? Does it mean separate yet equal? Does it mean we should not mingle between classes of wealth? Is this a class warfare?

In the old testament, this calling from God was severe.

We know when the Israelites took ownership of the promised land, it was not a plan to integrate into society. It was a military campaign to rid everyone who was not an Israelite from the land.

But even in modern times this calling from God continues  However not in the way we see in the old testament. We are not called to gather all the christians in our neighborhood and eradicate everyone who isn’t!

To get a better handle on this let me break down some worldviews and how they play into this calling from God. It is only through the lens of worldviews can we gain a larger perspective of this calling from God and how we should apply it to our lives.

There are six major worldviews: (1) Judeo-Christian, (2) Secular Humanist, (3) Marxist, (4) Cosmic Humanist, (5) Postmodern, (6) Islamic.

Three of these worldviews, by their nature, compete to assert their dominance and influence in the world.

Three Major Forces Fighting for World Domination

1. The Christian worldview
2. The Secular Humanistic worldview
3. The Fundamental Islamic worldview

These three worldviews are incompatible – they cannot exist equally with one another. One will dominate.

The Basics of the Secular Humanistic Worldview

1. God does not exist.
2. The universe and all life was not created.
3. There is no absolute truth.

This view places man at the center of all things.

The Basics of the Fundamental Islamic Worldview

1. Allah is God.
2. Muhammad is his prophet.
3. Islam must dominate the world.

This view places Islam at the center of all things.

The Basics of the Christian (or Theistic) Worldview

1. God is (He exists).
2. God created all things.
3. God has revealed Himself to man, especially through Christ and the Bible.

This view places God at the center of all things.

So let’s make no mistake about this.

These three do not mesh together. You can not say there is no God and there is only one way to Heaven. You can not say Islam must dominate the world, yet there is no absolute truth.

One has to be right and the others have to be wrong. Let’s be honest, wars have been fought because of these clashing of ideas.

So these worldviews are separatist by default. Christians proclaim that the only way to salvation is through Christ. If that is not a separatist, I am not sure what is!

So we develop plans to dominate and make our way the way.

The Strategies for Domination

• Humanistic worldview – infiltration (conditioning) through:
  • Education and Secularization
  • Governments and Institutional Agencies
  • Entertainment, Trends, Technology
• Islamic worldview – subjugation (enforced submission) through:
  • Repression – cultural, political, jihad
  • Commerce – control through financial power
  • Reproduction – larger families
• Christian worldview – influence (moral affectation) through:
  • Planting Churches
  • Political Activism
  • Cultural Relevancy

This plays out on the world stage day in and day out. These forces of ideas are clashing everyday. Just look at the battles raging in the court system. Lawsuits are filed everyday dealing with the idea to live within our own beliefs and not be subjected by another.

Applying This Calling From God To Our Lives

When it comes to our faith and worldview the separation has always been centered on one thing. To be separated from Sin. Just an honest look at the cross and the mission of Christ reveals this at all levels.

One thing is certain: The world we seek to reach is the same world Christ died to save.

While the world has changed in terms of technological advancements, the universal problem of sin still rules the hearts of men everywhere and requires the same solution – the finished work of the Cross!

God’s answer to sin is the transformational power of the finished work of Jesus Christ. The power of the Gospel is that it transforms those who obey it (Romans 1:16-17; 1 Corinthians 1:18).

We must be very clear about the nature of ministry and the nature of how God works. God does not merely influence; He transforms!

The supremacy of the Christian worldview is tied to the ability of the church to transform the world, not influence it. This transformational power is not in our institutional structures or systems; it is in our living grace testimonies. Transformation is not the result of better management or programming; it is a work of the Spirit in the human heart.

All true Spirit-led ministry facilitates this work of the Spirit.

This Calling From God Has Ramifications

You might have heard the saying, be in the world but not of the world

I think I have preached it several times over the years, but really what does that mean for someone like me or you who may live in a city with over five million people. Does that mean to not associate or work among those who do not believe in Christ? NO

But we do need to be mindful of those we associate with. Who we allow to influence our life and actions.

I watched my daughter separate herself from a long time friend who turned on her and made her feel uncomfortable. As they grew up they both went separate directions. It was a place my daughter was uncomfortable going. So they separated…one believes in God and the other doesn’t.

This played out in my life when I gave my life over to the Lord. I was a drug dealer who went straight. I had to separate myself in order to follow the Lord. My world changed, I was transformed.

There is a New Testament Scripture that speaks about this calling from God

2 Corinthians 6:14–18 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a  believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “And do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. 18 “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”

Ephesians five speaks of not partaking in the deeds of those living in the darkness and goes on to say we should not partake in them and even expose them.

Theres a reference to the temple, explaining that our bodies are the temple for the Holy Spirit, who dwells within us. If this is true, we need to represent this truth in thought and deed.

Again I say that this is a tough calling from God! 

We need to submerge ourselves in scripture and learn how to apply this to our own lives.

1. Is there someone who always brings you down
2. Is there someone who is not good for you’
3. Are you caught up in things that represent the sin in our lives instead of the transformation we are supposed to be experiencing

I am pretty sure without much effort we can all come to grips with at least one thing we need to separate ourselves from. That there is something in our lives we need to leave behind. Something that keeps us from having a dynamic relationship with our God. If there is then pray and come up with a plan to separate yourself from those things.

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