We Christians love the world’s people, because God the Father did so in John 3:16. But we do not love the world’s ways, because they are at enmity with God the Father, as in James 4:4.

Jesus’ first (and longest) Sermon on Record is written for us in Matthrew chapters 5-7. Twice in that single Message did Jesus mention coming persecution for the saints of God.

Matthew 5:10 … “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:11-12 … “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Two Beatitudes!

The community of religious scholars that gave us the Dead Sea Scrolls taught each other to love their friends and then to hate their enemies! Not Chrisitan!

Jesus taught us … “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44, very Christian!

Here is New Testament James, Jesus’ half-brother, opining on the world and our relationship to it …

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4, pretty bold!

The noun “world” (in a negative sense, a pejorative sense) is used by John more than any other Gospel writer! Matthew employs the word 18 times. Mark only 5 times, and Luke utilizes the word 10 times! But John, in His Gospel … 80 times! I counted! (Add another 22 times for John if you count his first Epistle!)

Truly for this dedicated Disciple (John) we are not “of” the world! Not “locked into” the world!

To get more information, just watch the class now …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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