John 17:12-19
This world, the domain of the devil, maintains a system whereby it works to perpetuate itself through an emphasis on all that’s human. Clinics and hospitals are beehives of activity for the healing of the body and extending life. Government programs abound which help feed, house and clothe the populace to provide a better life. Public schools provide secular education designed to support the existing society: the word of God is not taught, and increasingly prayer and even references to God are being forbidden. Through the media (TV, the web, social media, etc) the world pushes to remove all moral constraints with its continual offering of violence, provocative sexual images, and “alternative” lifestyles. Heroes are people who get revenge by their own incredible intelligence and physical prowess. Godly people are seen as weak, out of touch, and irrelevant. The message clearly presented is this: This world is all that matters!
In this milieu stands the church, the community of believers. In our text, we observe that Christians have been sanctified (set apart) from all that is the world (vv 18-19). The church is visible proof that there is another way to live based upon different values and goals. The church affirms that humans are spirit beings who are destined for yet another world, one which holds the promise of peace, rest and great reward. The church stands against the evils of this world for the church has another message: “Jesus Christ is all that matters!”
It is no wonder, then, that this world hates those who are of another world (v 14), and the evil one lurks about with full intention of destroying those who are of God (v 15). The church stands directly in the path of a self-serving world with a Word which will bring an end to all that the world stands for. The church is clearly counter culture. It is the roadblock on the world’s highway to self-destruction. Sad to say that so many are going around the roadblock without pausing even to ask why it is there.
The world sees the church as its arch enemy not realizing at all that it truly is its best friend.
><> Jeff