Grace Thoughts
GraceLife Thoughts – Which Way Should Christians Run?
This world can be a tough place for Christians to live. We are often misunderstood, ridiculed, even persecuted. Does that mean we should run away from people who don’t like us? who don’t like what we believe? who don’t understand our commitment to Christ and His message of repentance and forgiveness?
Here’s what God thinks we should do.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations.” Matthew 28:18-19
“… you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
What about the Lord’s apostles? What did they say about how to live in an immoral world that hates Christ and His people?
I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a person. 1 Corinthians 5:9-11
To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Ephesians 3:8-12
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16
Which way did Jesus run? Which way did Paul run? Which way did Peter run? Which way did John run?
- Jesus left the comforts of Heaven, took on flesh, preached His Gospel to the lost, died for their sins, and rose for their future.
- Paul left his coveted position as a Pharisee and preached the Gospel to pagans across the Roman Empire.
- Peter and John left their livelihoods and followed Jesus into suffering as they preached the Gospel. They went toward those who needed Jesus most – the lost.
Christians have only one direction to run – toward the lost, toward the needy, toward those who are suffering, toward those who believe they have no hope, toward those who believe they have everything, toward those who are lost but do not know it.
“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” John 17:18
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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Published by gracelifethoughts
Founder & Director of GraceLife Ministries View all posts by gracelifethoughts
