Temptation to sin and compromise Christian values are everywhere! Friends who claim to be “Christ-followers” really living their lives fundamentally no different than the pagan culture around them. Religious groups claiming to be “Christian” tolerating (even approving) things the Scriptures clearly teach as sin. And this week I read a statistical study that revealed fewer and fewer people are abandoning the Church and their personal Christian faith!
If you’re seeking to be a “devoted, obedient follower of Jesus” (a “disciple” – an authentic “Christian”) the challenge is getting greater every day… every year!
What to do? My Bible reading this morning during “coffee with the Lord” prompted me to jot a few key principles in the margin of my Bible under the title: “Walking with the Lord in a Pagan Culture”… Here are the principles…
1. Be careful about your lifestyle
2. Exhibit godly wisdom
3. Be discerning in your use of time and activities
4. Live a Spirit-empowered life
5. Worship the Lord continually
6. Give thanks to God always and for everything
7. Humbly submit first of all to Christ, and then to others
Where did I get that, you ask? Here it is right out of the Bible…
“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15–21 ESV)
As wickedness and apostacy increase, as the Bible prophesies, I’ve got to tell you I want passages like this to be my moral and spiritual compass before the Lord returns!
Coffee With The Lord 