The Image - Part Two

THE IMAGE
To Who's Are You Conformed?
from NCW 68, May-July 2000
Part Two
They show him as being a meek and lowly man to the world, not as meek and lowly to his Father, doing the Will of his Father at every turn. Having an answer ready for every man that came up to him. He answered every question that was put to him using the Word of God. And what is it that the bondman of Christ is supposed to be doing? Having that answer ready for everyone that asks of him. Not speaking as the world speaks, but speak as our master, who sent you into the world to bear witness of Him.
To speak as he speaks, you no longer get involved with the words of the world. When you stop speaking the words of the world, then you are no longer joining yourself to the dead. You're evidencing the fact that you serve a living God, an omnipotent Father, a satisfied Christ, a victorious Holy Spirit, who has given you the victory over the world (1 John 4:4), because Christ himself has overcome the world (John 16:33), and we are more than conquerors with him in the world (Romans 8:37). When you join yourself to the dead, how can you conquer? Dead things don't conquer, they only smell, they stink, they're putrid.
This verse has to do with joining the living unto the dead. Revelation 3:1, "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead." Out of Vines New Testament Word Study, the term 'dead' here is from the Greek word 'nekros' and means "a church�in that state is inactive and barren." So 'barren' would be where Christ comes along and sees the fig tree there and it has its leaves and he looks on there and he doesn't find any fruit. What happened to the fig tree? Matthew 21:19, "...Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away." It dried up right in front of them. And 'inactive' would mean everybody's out doing their 'recreational' thing, being re-created in their own self will. Preaching that gain is godliness and that sort of thing (1 Timothy 6:5). And "if you give to us, the Lord is going to bless you and he will give you all the material possessions you ever desired."
If you're speaking His Word and you're doing His works, you have separated yourself from the dead. You're no longer in civilization, you're no longer a part of society. That's not saying you don't witness to the world, because that's one of our purposes here, to witness to that world, but that doesn't mean you become part of it.