Set Apart

Sorry its been so long since I've posted. I got married since I last posted! I'll no doubt post more about that later. Of course, I say this as if someone is reading this. Which is probably not the case. Anyway, I feel like God has been putting some things on my heart lately and this is a good avenue to kind of talk my way through what I'm hearing.

This idea of holiness, or the thought of being set apart, has been a present one in my readings and studies lately. God has called us to be set apart as believers. I have always viewed being set apart as being righteous. That is surely a part of it, but I think there is more to it than that. God has called us to be different. Not to pull ourselves out of society but simply be different in society.

There are many aspects that I think contribute to this but the two that God's been teaching and showing me most lately are service and faith. As for the first one, service, I have been reading some different works by different authors about Kingdoms. There are two different Kingdoms in particular that I am referring to: the kingdoms of the Earth and God's Kingdom. And they are drastically different.

In "The Myth of A Christian Religion," ( http://tinyurl.com/ddgt96 ) Dr. Gregory Boyd points to the fact that in the earth's kingdom, authority comes from ruling over others. Be it by military might or political influence, the key is that others are submitted to the power of the leaders.

By contrast, Christ came to establish a new Kingdom. His Kingdom would be built on service of others or as Boyd puts it "ruling under others." Separating from the way the world and its kingdoms view power, believers are now called to lay their desire for importance, power and authority at the foot of Christ. He must be our sufficiency for all that we feel we are owed or that we have earned. He wants to accomplish amazing things through us but only when we step out of the way and submit to His Spirit in us can He do all He wants to.

You see, the early church in Acts served in this way. It wasn't only their powerful words or defenses in the synagogue that drew the masses. Through the example of Christ, they cared for those around them that no one else did. The orphans, the widows, the sick, the crippled, the weak. The testimony of that service went hand in hand with the preaching. There had been a Savior sent to this world. And He desired not to just save us from our sins but also from our attachment to ourselves so we could be free to serve others

I heard a beautiful testimony yesterday about what it means to truly serve. My pastor and an elder at my church are going to India to visit some missionaries that our church supports. They have planted multiple churches through their work. But its not just great bible studies and preaching that are drawing the people to come to know Christ. Its the pastor's willingness to wade through sewage in the streets of the slums to share the love of Christ with a shop owner. Its the willingness to open orphanages when the money isn't available to. It's renting a room to provide free day care for 20 special needs children in the slums so their parents can work, even though the church still rents a basement in another building for Sunday services.

This is the type of being set apart that I want to be a part of. But my fears of rejection or failure to often prevent this from happening. I have to lay those at the feet of Christ who has removed those already and allow Him to work through me. I want to look different, not ruling over but ruling under.

Do we as a church in America look different? Do we have different goals than the typical American Dream? Do we wish to serve under or over those in the margins, those who no one cares about or even our enemies? We want to look all around us at everything that's wrong with everything, but are we any different? Am I any different?

Ok, that's all I have on being set apart or holy. I will talk about faith later.
Thanks for listening!