Should Christians Blend in? Do You?

Our hearts and our minds go hand and hand. What we think about and dwell on tends to set our mood and perspective. Working in negative environments leaves many people emotionally drained and frustrated. How easy it is to get pulled in.

Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

Statistically the majority of people with jobs and careers are dissatisfied with how they are maintaining a living. Almost every employee is looking for advancement and in these hard times, higher wages. That leaves a lot of grumblers in the work place to contend with. Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

As believers giving our lives over to Jesus Christ requires a lot more than signing an “Ethical Agreement” document. What keeps non Christians from breaking the rules if they lack a moral compass? Absolutely nothing. As born again believers we have a changed heart that sets us apart. Romans 6 speaks about how we are alive in Christ and that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

It depends on how one defines “blend in”.In some ways I look,and sound,like the typical middle class American.However,my sense of morality,for example,has stayed
constant in spite of changes that have occurred in the last 45 years or so.I have retained the basic morality instilled in me by my parents and my Church.

“If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

The `evidence’ used to refer to how well one follows Christian teachings in ordering one’s life.

Nowadays, of course, it’s nothing more than a Muslim pointing a bony finger and screaming “Allahu akbar!! Kill the infidel!!”

The true Christian Church consists of all who believe Christ Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for sin for all people for all time. It is comprised of such an outward variety that the Christian dare not pretend to know where this Church is with any detail, but instead the Christian seeks to be where those who know Jesus are to be found, and they are found in no other place than where the words of Jesus hold sway in regard to His saving grace.

It is plainly evident from His direct teaching there will be former whores, thieves, murderers, covetous people, and the like in the Kingdom of heaven. Why? Because such are those who have heard of one atoning sacrifice for the sin of the world, the Lamb of God. They are called repentant sinners, who carry on in this life with fear and trepidation when it comes to their standing before God, yet may blend in to the extent their status is hidden. It's not as if a criminal hanging on a cross is the Maker of Heaven and Earth, is it?

These are not facts to be regarded as a cheap ticket to sin, but as a solemn, awesome, declaration that God really is on our side, no matter how weak and sinful we may be. "In the world, but not of the world:" that explains it simply. Those who know the mystery of the Faith know *exactly* what that means, but their appearance in the world is like many grains of sand.

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