Living Faithfully for Christ in a World Opposed to Christ – Part 5 (John 17:14-19)

  1. We must be in the world…
    Living in a world that hates us
  2. …but not of the world…
    Informed and transformed
  3. …for the purpose of witnessing to the worldWe must not respond in
    – Isolation
    – Assimilation
    – Sinful Confrontation
    – Apprehension (fear and worry)

    Main Focus: We are on a mission to witness; and that witness is seen in our unity.

    A. A mission to witness
    – Our mission should help us understand and see life more clearly
    – Examples: We see people through the lens of mission; we see circumstances through the lens of mission
    – Our mission should help us to live more purposefully

    B. A witness of unity
    – Christian love for others – An unconditional commitment to an imperfect person, that seeks another’s highest good, even at the cost to self

    John 13:34–35
    34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

    Our witness isn’t that we don’t have any differences; it’s that we love each other despite our differences. It isn’t that we love people like us, but different than us. It isn’t that we think our ideas are more important than others’, but we consider others as more important than ourselves.