Hot Topic: Dealing with the World

There were a lot of questions about dealing with "the world". This is terminology from the Bible when speaking of everything and everyone on planet earth that is not submitted to Jesus. Things like old friends, some family relationships, movies we watch, things we read, music, websites we surf, certain conversations at work . . .

There is a real tension when helping a new Christian sort through this stuff. On one hand, there are parts of their lives that they need to flee from because they are destructive. Verses like the following come to mind:

1 Corinthians 15:33
³³Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."

1 Corinthians 6:18a
¹⁸Flee from sexual immorality.

On the other hand, there will never be a more opportune time for a new Christian to share their faith. It is likely that they will never have more friendships with preChristians than they do in the first few months after becoming a Christian. So how do you navigate this tension in the area of relationships as well as everything else that makes up the world.

Here is a helpful scripture for making these choices:

John 17
¹⁴I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. ¹⁵My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. ¹⁶They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. ¹⁷Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. ¹⁸As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. ¹⁹For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Jesus paints a pretty grim picture of his disciple's relationship with the world. He says they will be hated by the world just as Jesus was. That doesn't sound like too good of news seeing as how Jesus ended up hanging on a cross. You'd think that his next instructions would be to run away as fast as you can. Build a compound in Montana and only listen to Michael W. Smith music from the 80s.

This isn't what He says. He lets them know that even though they are not of the world, they are still staying around for a while. He then lets them know how they and all of the Christ followers after them are going to make it in such a hostile environment. If anyone would know, Jesus former occupant of heaven, would know about such an unnatural existence.


First he prays for the disciples protection - protection from the evil one. The reason that the environment is hostile is because of what is going on in the supernatural realm. That in that realm there is an enemy and he is out to get every Christian. The Apostle Peter describes it this way:

⁸Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1 Peter 5:8,9)

This real enemy is no one to be afraid of but is to be taken seriously and in that seriousness we should pray for ourselves and others that we won't be "devoured" by him . It's also a reminder that people are not the enemy. The Apostle Paul says it this way:

¹¹Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:11,12)

This keeps us from falling into an us vs. them mentality when dealing with the world and keeps our alert vigilance aimed in the right direction - at the face of evil.

Jesus also mentions another means for living in the world - truth. He prays that God would sanctify (set apart, make holy) his disciples with the truth of his word. Again, Jesus makes it clear that it is not ones distance from the "bad people" that keeps them holy but prayer and exposure to the truth of God's word.

So when it comes to interacting with the world, the goal is to develop a good spiritual skin. A skin that is a boundary to be sure but is also permeable and can let some things in. What it lets in will be different for each Christian and will even change as he or she becomes more mature.

The job of the disciplemaker is to walk with the young Christian as they develop this skin. You should pray for them what Jesus prayed for His disciples (for protection for the evil one) and help them navigate their decisions about what to block out and let in by searching the scriptures for guidance. Never give them a extrabiblical list of dos and don'ts but help them search the truth and allow it to make them a holy person in an unholy world.