Jesus said that the way which leads to life is narrow, hard, and few find it: the gate is small, Jesus is the Way! If the Lord Jesus wanted to take us out of the world, He would have done so, but for now - in this life - we are presently here living in the world, but no longer of the world. Those who've received Jesus, have received the light of the world, in Christ, and upon Jesus' ascension into heaven, have themselves become the light of the world, shining brightly amidst an impossible darkness: shining all the more through the darkness.
Those who call themselves Christian, know what it's like to wander through the darkness, to be so very lost. This enables us to both empathize with the broken, and yet be uncompromisingly founded in truth and reality. The truth being that man's greatest issue is sin. The reality that there is only one way to be forgiven of sin, through the blood of Jesus Christ. The truth that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and resurrected 3 days later - seen by many witnesses! The reality that believing this Gospel: that Jesus is the Son of God who died for the sin of the world, and was blessed with life which overcame death - that faith in this message, will bring about a righteousness that leads to eternal life, through this substitutionary atonement for our sin. The truth that salvation is a gift, from God. The reality that we can do nothing to earn righteousness by our own works. The truth that we are mere vessels of clay, formed by the hand of God. The reality, that our bodies are not our own: we are slaves to righteousness.
"Who am I? I am a new creation in Christ Jesus!" We emphatically proclaim! This is a hard life to live among a world which is opposed to us, fundamentally, yet Jesus said His burden is easy, and His yoke is light. The world hates us, because the world hates Jesus. We live in this world, and we are not of the world, and the world recognizes we are not of its own anymore, because of our new nature. The cultural rivers of the world flow in one direction, yet the Spirit of God poured into our heart through the new creation swims against the flow of the world's cultural river. This is a hard swim, yet we are given the Spirit of Christ who is greater than he who is in the world, and He directs us to ALL truth, empowers us with power from on high to do what seems impossible. What would seem to be impossible, would be to live in the world, but be completely opposed to the world - to be saved from from sin and to receive righteousness and redemption, directing all glory to the truth, in Jesus Christ. We can take heart, because Jesus has overcome the world!
God bless,
Eleazar