Being "in the world, but not of the world" seems so contradictory. Really, how can you do that? How can you be "in" something, but not "of" it? It's like they are wanting to have one foot in the "awful world" and one foot out. It sounds like they are saying that they want to be just enough in it, and get as close as they can to the bad things without actually doing the bad things. If the world is so bad, then why be in it at all? Why is it okay to be in it, but not of it? At my last cOC, we were discussing this one Wednesday night. Preacher man had just been to an Atlanta Braves game that day. Preacher man was and still is a HUGE Braves fan. In fact, he doesn't even live in the state of Georgia, so he travels two plus hours one way to see his precious Braves play. So, he's up there doing the whole "in the world, not of the world" thing while wearing his Braves jersey and sitting on the podium is his Braves hat. I mention that sports would certainly be considered something "of the world". He disagreed! He said that being in the world and not of the world just means that you shouldn't do bad things. I then pointed out that being a sports fan could be not only "of the world" but a "bad thing" as well. He asked me how I came to that conclusion and I replied "well, there are the athletes that get paid obscene amounts of money to play a game, there is the fact that they use performance enhancing drugs, there is the fact that there are alcohol sales at the games, gluttony is encouraged at the games". He got really upset and said that he saw no evidence of any of that and that I just wasn't a baseball fan, so all I was doing picking on his hobby! He then decided to "change gears" and discuss something else, LOL.
If we are not supposed to be "of the world" then why do ANYTHING that is associated with it? Why have a job? Why vote? Why file tax returns? Why go to restaurants? Why purchase season ticket packages to major league baseball games? Are any of things of God, or are they of the world? I used to really rile some folks up with this.
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"HE HAS GOTTEN PULLED AWAY!!"-The cOC's go-to answer whenever someone leaves.