In it, Not of it – Our Place in the World
Later this Spring the AGC will celebrate our National Conference with the theme; In it, Not of it – Transformed. As I thought through the implications of what it means to be in the world, but not of it, I concluded that there is a greater purpose for us as believers to be here, at this time, wherever God has placed us. That purpose is eternal and therefore we must have an eternal perspective rather than an earthly or temporary one.
Too often we fall into the danger of short-sightedness, of only seeing current circumstances and we fail to see God’s bigger plan. In the immediate, we see difficulty, hardship, illness and suffering. We see broken relationships and a world that seems to be spinning out of control.
Shortly before Jesus went to the cross He prayed for His disciples, and for those that would follow Him as a result of their ministry; you and me! We often call it His “High Priestly Prayer” (John 17). It is a beautiful prayer and worthy of much study. In John 17 verse 15 Jesus prays; “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one”. Our place is in the world. However, we are not of the world because we have been transformed through the power of the Gospel. We don’t belong to the world, this is not our home, nor our destiny. We are just passing through, and while we are here, we have a purpose.
As we move through this year, I’d like to focus this blog on the theme: In it, Not of it, as a challenge to understand ourselves better, our purpose and our mission wherever God has called and placed us. We are here for a purpose!
Jesus said in John 8:12; “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Those who have put their trust in Jesus no longer belong to this world, we have an eternal hope. Yet, we also have a place here and now. Jesus never prayed that our Heavenly Father would remove us from this world, rather, that we would be kept from the power and influence of the evil one. Our purpose here is to reflect the light of the Gospel to those that dwell in darkness, who are lost and without hope.
Understanding our place in the world is a starting point. We must engage with that purpose while we have the opportunity. Let me suggest three common activities that help us engage our purpose in the here and now:
Allow the transforming power of the Gospel to reorient our understanding of why we are here.
Allow the prompting of the Holy Spirit to help us boldly share the hope we have in Christ with others who have no hope.
Allow the truth of the Gospel to be our vision when difficulty and discouragement come, remembering that we are only pilgrims here, this life is not a destiny, it is a starting point!
Learning to live eternally in the here and now!
Rev. Bill Allan
AGC President