Look what the scripture says…..

2 Corinthians 6: Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

WOW! “Light has no fellowship with darkness.”  ”Come out from among them.” “touch not the unclean thing.” These are strong words from the Apostle Paul about our involvement with the world and the things of the world. BUT AREN’T WE SUPPOSE TO REACH THE WORLD FOR CHRIST? HOW THEN?

I believe the key word in this scripture is “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers.” In our quest to reach the world for Christ we will have to befriend them, share life with them, share truth with them, and even put up with some of their worldliness…but we don’t have to yoke up to what they are yoked up to. After all, this is what Jesus set us free from.

What is socially acceptable to the world may not be acceptable to the Lord.  The morals of the world, and the morals God has called us to live by are growing farther and farther apart.  The laws of the Lord are being challenged daily in the courts of this land.  Laws made by man are wrong if they contradict the laws of God.  James 4:12 says, “There is only one Lawgiver and Judge…”

It is the desire of the world to be socially accepted by their peers.  The pressure is great for young and old alike to be accepted, and they have to compromise their morals to maintain their social status.  We as Christians do not have to subject ourselves to these pressures, but we are called by the Lord to a social relationship with those in the world.  We are “in the world but not of the world“.

We are called to have compassion for each other as Christians, but we are also called to have compassion for those in the world.  When Jesus fed the four thousand at the Sea of Galilee, he called his disciples together and said, “I have compassion for them…” 

Lamentations 3:22 – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.”  We are compelled to reach out to a hurting world with the love of Jesus.

Christ had compassion for us and died on the cross to show that compassion.  That same compassion that Christ showed for us was for ALL men.  Christ has instructed us to have that same compassion for the world.  It is this compassion, placed in us by God, that drives missionaries to go into all the world.

Jude 23:23 – “Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear, hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”

If we show compassion and mercy for those in the world the Lord will show compassion and mercy for us.

Matthew 5:7 – “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

Back to unequally yoked…The phrase “unequally yoked together” is the translation of just one Greek word, heterozugeo, which is a compound word that means, “to yoke up differently; to associate discordantly; unequally yoke together.” It is used but this one time in the Bible.

This is talking about lack of harmony because of conflicting lifestyles, views and convictions. We are admonished not to yoke up with the conflicting lifestyles and habits of the unregenerate people around us. Period…but rather reach out to them with love and compassion. We are not to walk in their ways or yoke up with their unbelief and doubt…rather to show them a better way…lead them out of darkness into light. We are not to become like them to reach them…rather to help them become like Christ as we are like Christ.

Jesus died for sinners….we are His ambassadors to this world. Let’s reach them with the power of love and righteousness…snatching them out of the fire…without being burned.

Whatcha think?