Being Set Apart
4/27/16
The topic of this article is a unique one in that it focuses on a specific group of people or at least it gives the impression of such. We have many examples of this type of person and group but for the most part instead of trying to understand their differences we condemn them and place them into a derogatory composition. Through these actions, we clearly portray our lack of knowledge concerning who actually is set apart and why they have been placed in this setting. And if we are honest, we have lost our true concept that this phrase pertains to our individual lives and our nation as a whole. God has given us the hope and trust through Him and ironically through our own self-indulgent idolatry have thrown the only way to safety to the wayside. Our situation shall not change until the Church and our societies realize that we are in dire need of a return to God.
God has repeatedly shared with us that each one of His children has a specific and divine purpose for their life and there has never been any person that has fallen outside of this state. Many people doubt the fact that God exists or that God is the originator of our lives but it is difficult for anyone to ever believe that people do not have a reason for their existence. All of us have been impressed or influenced by someone in our lives. Whether it be a father or uncle, a president of a company or a past person in history all of us have people that influenced our lives and whether we know it or not these people direct our pattern of thinking that dictates our future. It is important that we find good role models to follow and to pattern our lives after for if we do not our enemy has an easy path to our heart and will cause havoc amongst our lives.
I honestly believe that God is the best example for this type of following because on every level God calls us to be separated and different from those around us. There is a reason He states this truth to us over and over in His Word, it is because He wants us to stand out from the world and to be a sign of difference than what the world has to offer. In order for us to understand this truth about our lives we must know why the world is so full of commonality and selfishness that presents harm to our lives. This is a vital area of our lives that we have forgotten and even the Church has pursued a common bond with the world all the while ignoring the reason why God said to separate from the world. I find it amazing that while the world screams for separation of church and state they do not fully comprehend what that type of existence would really present if applied; another lie and false claim that the world preaches but cannot fulfill.
The entire Bible is filled with examples of how God wants His children to be separate from the world and on the other hand, the Bible is filled with just as many examples of people trying to include themselves in the world with the consequences of both hands being demonstrated in plain text. One of the most famous examples is that of Adam and Eve when God created them and placed them in the Garden of Eden. God’s Word makes it very evident that He created a special and separate place for Adam and Eve to live and to have dominion over, a land where there was no problems, sin, anger, hate, weeds, etc yet after a while the mechanisms that God gave to them began to be manipulated by an enemy and eventually choices were made to override this perfect state and life. And anyone who has studied this setting understands that the consequences of their actions still rule our lives today.
Another example that we have is when God begins to speak to Abram and guides him into a covenant relationship with Him. Of course, this is all new to Abram and there are quite a few new concepts and living conditions that must change due to the status of separation that God has for Abram; this is evident when God personally changes Abram’s name to Abraham which has a total new root meaning than what he was given at his birth. This divine covenant and all of its terms sets apart Abraham from the world and it serves as the foundation of a new people called Israel. This covenant sets the nation of Israel into motion and gives them a life separate from others that inhabit the same earth, as it sets into play another type of separation that we shall study later in the Bible. God wishes for His people to be separate from the world and it is clear as to why this needs to occur; I guess there must be something horrific about being separated from God – another example of a separation.
The Bible gives us a great example of the concept of people that wish to be separated from God, remember God is a complete God and when He is giving examples of His existence He shall never tell just one side of His existence. There came a time inIsrael’s existence that they had come to the conclusion that they were tired of God ruling them. They had taken a poll, gone out to their neighboring nations and took notice of how their lives were run. They pooled the information together and then spread the results around to the people of Israel. Over time the people decided that God was not good enough for them so they went to the prophet – I find that so hilarious – and demanded that God no longer their King but be ousted for a human king. God provides us with a huge answer here about the condition of mankind and how He is a loving God and not a controlling deity. He reassures Samuel that the people are not sore with him but with God instead and then grants the people their wish but with a divine statement attached, you are not going to like it. Do you want to have a very eye-opening study session? Read the existence of Israel before they made this decision and then end the study with their lives after this decision.
Another example of God’s separation desire for our lives is evident in the era of the prophet Elijah when he instructed the prophets of Baal to conduct a fire offering to him. The prophets cried out to Baal to come down and to consume the offering but nothing happened. Elijah stoked the fire by taunting the prophets into “heavier” action but still nothing occurred. Elijah then built his altar to God and placed his sacrifice to God and prayed. God came down in the form of fire and consumed both offerings in a holy order that can only be completed by God. This example states that God and all that follow Him are set apart from the world and all of its false beliefs and that there is none higher in existence that Him; a true testimony that God is a complete God and one that cannot deviate from His order and consistency.
The perfect example of separation that God has provided us is through His Son. Emphasis has been placed on many aspects of Jesus’ life including everything from His mother to His immaculate conception. While these two portions of His life are very important and contribute to His authority they have their own reasons for being, the one all-inclusive separation factor of His existence is that Jesus represents the eternal sacrifice for all mankind, past, present and future. His existence, life, death, and resurrection also prove that mankind would not totally understand what God meant by living a complete separation from the world which only His separate created Son could provide.
Many other religions claim to have a leader who represents to have the truth about life. All of these religions have one thing in common, a complete human or symbol as the one who guides their practices. They inform to be one with the world and to supply nature with their goodness in order to obtain special conditions that will flourish their existence here on earth. The amount of variables that these religions offer are countless yet countless people fall into these religions believing that the answers will be provided to them; all they produce are dead ends that frustrate these seekers more and further drive them away from the real and life-giving truth of God.
Jesus is separate from any other religious belief in that He was created by Spirit and delivered by a human. His blood is holy and unadulterated by sin; therefore, He can be the only claim to restoration and covering that is required by God for our redemption from the world. The process of sacrifice in the Old Testament reflects this truth and provides us a concept that cannot be broken. This tradition of sacrifice was carried out by Israel but became a religious event to them just as God predicted it would back in the Garden of Eden. Through the creation of Jesus, God proved once again that He is totally separate from the world and the ways of mankind and through this state of His, cries out to His children to live like Him.
Want a New Testament example instead of the Old Testament ones? Ok, did you know that one of the New Testament churches actually believed that the people who attended that church were humanly superior in thought than other churches? And, in another church it was believed that God told women to withhold sex from their husbands after they were married; of course, they did not have sex before marriage either. These examples are ones of inclusion into the world and not separation from the world. These practices were believed to have come from God, clearly lies from Satan instead because God cannot deviate from His Word for any reason or at any time. For if He ever did, His claim to be all Creator, the beginning and the end would be a lie. His Word would be deemed a lie and His Son would rightly be proclaimed as a fraud.
So, the question that begs us today is as follows: are we living a separate life from the world? The first article that God showed me to write was about the separation of church and state. It was a very simple article that had a powerful message to it. The concept of separation is one that many of us take for granted and when fully completed usually marks us for the remainder of our lives. In all truth, a total separation of church and state would create an entirely new nation or secession from the entity that it claimed as united with before, so when we use this term we must make sure that we know all of the contents involved first. We need to live our lives according to this concept all the while keeping Jesus’ words of give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. It is a fine line but it can be done only if one keeps God’s Word true in their heart completely.
With all of the news headlines that grace our eyes today it is clear that this nation has no plans to change her course and to include God again in her presence. God shall allow this to occur and to give us our choices but we must consider the consequences because God is a complete God and cannot change His ways. So, this means that the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament is the exact same God of today. Therefore, since God is following His patterns of the past by allowing our choices to rule our lives then at some point in time our lives shall totally change because we are following in the footsteps of all those people in both testaments in His Word.
How dare I say such a thing? Read and study God’s Word, take copious notes and then organize them into a book of your own. Then read and study the patterns that God has provided and then come to an honest conclusion of that content. I am not saying these words to you, God is! He loves us so much that He has provided us a direct path of light to help us get through the world and its issues yet we push this light aside with every worldly step we take. I hear so many people say that they hate God and that they wish people would stop shoving God down their throats. What is hilariously sad is that we are proving God’s Word correct with every step that we take to push Him out of our lives.
Now, that brings me to the last portion of this topic and that is the identification of the Church and where she stands in this being set apart command that God established a long time ago. Remember, that God is a consistent God and cannot change so His standards way back when are still in effect today. With that said, should I even address the situation or can it just be assumed that the Church is not following God’s command in being separate from the world. For this is exactly what is occurring and I can use the present tense here because her inclusion into the world is alive and it is growing at a steady pace. The Church has willingly allowed this to occur because she has no defensive mechanisms in place that would tell her otherwise.
Instead of the Church desiring to be separate from the world, our enemy has convinced her that she needs to be separate from God. There is nothing wrong with having doughnuts in a church building, but when that concept becomes more important than the war that is going on for your eternal setting then that is a problem. There is nothing wrong with going to a homeless shelter and feeding those who are in need but when feeding them physical food becomes more important than feeding them the salvation according to the Bible there is a HUGE problem. Church, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG with allowing sinners into the church for that is what we are here to complete, but when we allow that sinner to sit in the pews and NOT teach them that sin is sin and it will send you into an eternal damnation setting from God that definitely means that an eternal problem exists.
Church, the time has arrived that we finally place our hearts in God’s Word and understand its entire message. God calls us to be separated from the world even though we must walk on this earth every day that we draw breath. We have no one to blame but ourselves because we have been content with conditional readings up until now. Look around you and see what state the world is in, it has not changed. Look around you, and see what state Jesus’ Church is in and it will be evident that we have missed His command completely. Yes, even the Church is proving God’s Word to be correct – we did in the Old Testament and the New Testament and we are continuing that path today.
God is calling every single person within the world to repent and turn to His face for salvation and redemption. It does not matter if you have ever known God before, He is willing to forgive you for all you have done and restore you to a complete person. Church, God loves you but you know that already, God wants you to place Him first in your life in all areas so that you can once again present the holy command of Jesus to the dying world. Just think about what would be going on in our world today if the Church was doing what she was commissioned to do, in complete given authority. Presenting the true gospel salvation through Jesus enables the lost to understand their purpose that God has for their lives. Want to solve the problems of the world and delay this nation’s complete destruction and scattering? Separate yourself from the world, turn back to God now, repent Church seek out the lost plant the Word of Salvation in their hearts and watch what God will do. For God cannot work with an embolden worldly church but He can sure operate through a set apart Church.
DLB
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