KOSMOPOLITAN OR KINGDOM

Now I really like the Apostle John. Did you know the word "prayer" does not appear in the Gospel of John nor in 1st, 2nd., or 3rd John, and nor in the Book of Revelation. But those seemed to be a solemn prayer coming out of his heart. You know we make all of our wonderful prayers with mighty swelling words and a stirring meaning, but I am not sure how God looks at all of that. I think God is more concerned about if our words and meaning of our prayer are in our heart and I think our best prayers have no words at all. This is what I see in John's writing an open prayer to those lost in the world and to those Christians who are struggling to keep their head above water. In 1 John 2:15-17 John speaks to our hearts out from his in ways that we need to hear today. John writes, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2:15-17) Now John was not talking about the third planet from the sun, that big beautiful blue marble where God put man to dwell and to come to know Him. Here in these verses many people get confused to what John was talking about. The world is not the earth oh no the world is a system that is anti-Christ. It is political, governmental, global, religious (idol worship, etc.), media, and financial system. It is a consolidated collective system of anti-Christ entertainment and distractions (sports, social media, TV, the arts, musicals, acting, etc.) that would prevent us from coming to know God in a deep and meaningful way. The world is lost and can never be redeemed, only people are redeemed. Jesus came not to save the world, but so that the people in the world might be saved. The world is everything outside of Christ and His word. Some day the world will be defeated and destroyed, but not the earth. We read in Psalms, "The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein." (Psalms 24:1) So we see there are two things here one the earth and the other "the world." Please know God owns the earth, the world, and "they that dwell therein" (that would be us) make no mistake all souls are God's. John uses the Greek word "kosmos" (Strong's #2889) for the word "world" here and if you add a few letters and change the "k" (Greek spelling) to a "c" you get the word cosmopolitan or a person of the world. Why we even had a famous magazine named "Cosmopolitan" that tells of all of the wonderful things the world offers to people who identify with their thinking of the world. Christians must never identify with the world yet I hear and see Christians with a love and respect for the enjoyment and pleasure the world offers. Either we are a citizen of God's kingdom or we are a cosmopolitan a citizen of the world, and if the latter then "the love of the Father is not in him." To be able to tell if you are of the world all you have to do is turn on your TV or hand held device. What do you like? What do you enjoy? Do you look forward to the latest movies, yearly TV award shows that flaunt "self" over God. Do you support global warming? Globalism, Abortion? Homosexuality? Transgenders? Liberalism? Socialism? Do you support animal rights groups while caring nothing about the innocent execution of human life in the womb. Do you believe there is no God? Sadly the list goes on, but if these are what you support then you are a cosmopolitan a citizen of the world and "the love of the Father is not in him." Remember if it looks, acts, and sounds like the world (to include the church) then it is the world. I need not guess what type of tree I am looking at all I have to do is wait for the fruit to grow and then I will know for sure. And if you cannot tell if something is of the world then you yourself are of the world and need to have your heart and mind dealt with by God. It is God's dealings and judgments in our lives that gives us the ability to have Godly discernment. This is why the world's thinking and entertainment has overtaken most denominational churches that lack a real desire for the truth. Only God, by His Spirit, can give us the wherewithal to know what is of Him and what is not of Him. All you have to do is turn on your TV or hand held device and see the world on display. You know Howard Reckley was right. Back in the late 1960's we were going to an Assembly of God Church (he was the Pastor) in Wiley Ford, WV and Pastor Reckley refused to have a TV in his home and he said it was ungodly and would lead America to destruction, well he was right. His church said, oh no get with the times pastor we want a TV, well they got a TV (how did that work out?), but that did not change the fact Pastor Reckley was right. The truth is either we have a love for the world or we have a love for Christ. There is no middle ground here. Either we are drawing nigh towards God or we are moving away from God. If we claim to be a Christian (not sure what word means anymore I like the term Believer) we are not, according to the word of God, to be a cosmopolitan, but a citizen of the kingdom of God. Here again many Christians can get off track because many Christians apply a worldly thinking and believe the kingdom of God is some place with a wall and towers like a castle where the king resides to rule and reign, well some of that is true, but the physical features are dead wrong. Many Christians like this type of worldly thinking because they can get a good paying job in the kingdom of God, start a good career, build a big church or ministry, enjoy the good life, and even retire. When other Christians hear about the kingdom of God they think of the time after the millennial (1,000 years) reign of Christ after the tribulation and judgments at the Judgment Seat of Christ (for Saints) and the Great White Throne Judgment ( for sinners), but that is not the kingdom of God that the word of God talks about. Jesus was not talking about job opportunities or some palace in the sweet bye and bye, but a heart condition where we allow Him to be seated on the throne of our heart and lives and we allow Him to fulfill the word here of Paul, "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men." (Romans 14:17-18) The kingdom of God is, "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" not some worldly or religious concept to lead man away from God, but it is the core of our inward strength in God that allows us to stand against with a steadfastness, virtue, and a valor of the world and all who think like the world. Now that is not denying the world. We are in this world, God put us there, but our relationship with the world must be real in Christ and we must never become a part of that worldly system in action and especially in thinking. When we do we lose the right to our citizenship in the kingdom of God. The writer of the Book of Hebrews got it right when he said, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Hebrews 11:13) Sadly too many Christians have moved into the world and cannot see their promise of a home afar off. Their eyes have been dulled and blinded by the "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life," and all the cosmopolitan world offers and no longer feel as if they are "strangers and pilgrims on the earth." They have taken up residence on 5th Avenue, New York, New York and look to enjoy all the world offers. And why? Well maybe they really do not believe what the word of God says and are hedging their bets trying to get all they can now just in case God's word is a lie. Well if this is you please enjoy your fleeting life it soon will be over and know this you will never be able to enter the kingdom of God now and forever. Our future home and life depends not on our abilities, skills, talents, wealth, intelligence, but our heart condition now and what is stamped on our passport either a cosmopolitan citizen or a citizen of the kingdom of God. Make no mistake my friend you are betting your eternal life on it. Lastly remember how John ends his thought, "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." Did you get that? Written by David Stahl