Living as an alien

We went to Kunming, China a few years ago. My husband walked from where we were staying to meet our friend who was working in another part of the city. He describes how he felt as he realized he was the tallest person on the busy sidewalk, the only Caucasian, and very likely the only one who could speak English. He felt alone, even a little nervous as a stranger in an alien place.

All Christians are strangers in an alien place. This world is not our home and we feel it. Some of us try to fit in and sometimes appear as if we do, but practicing the ways of this world is much easier than growing a few inches or learning another language. However, the Bible warns us about the spiritual danger of trying to fit in, or of letting fear determine how we relate to others.

The New Testament says this is a real danger. Paul wrote, “In the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.”

“The last days” also known as the “end times” began at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down. We are living in those days and Christians are strangers in this alien place. Like my husband walking in a foreign city, I often feel that alienation combined with a tingle of fear. How do I behave in this place? How do I relate to those who cannot understand me?

This part of Scripture goes on to say that I must not live the same way they do, or even think the same way. It also says some of them will “appear godly” but have actually denied Christ and His power. Paul offers two solutions with each one depending on the other.

First, he writes, “Avoid such people” meaning those who are faking it. He then describes their subversive activities, such as deceiving weak people who are looking for answers to life. I’m not to prey on others as those “religious” people might do. This is related to the second great commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Those who take advantage of weak people will “not get very far” and eventually be exposed as frauds.

Second, he commends Timothy. His commendation is advice on how I also should live as an alien: “You . . . have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings . . .  which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.”

The implications are plain: live as a godly person and accept the consequences. He says it like this, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Paul followed Christ with all his heart. He escaped the spiritual dangers of going along with the lifestyle of those who opposed Christ, but then wound up being persecuted by them. This persecution was far more severe than letters to the editor, rebukes for politically incorrect language, and sneering laughter at what he proclaimed. Those frauds continually tried to kill him.

For all of this, he told Timothy (and he tells me) that we aliens need for the Word of God: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (all of the above is from 2 Timothy 3:1–17)

I cannot live here as an alien and love people who hate me — without the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. I cannot love of God when He allows me to suffer persecution and other severe challenges — without the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. His Word is my source of faith —and the Holy Spirit is the One who enables me to exercise it.

Going too far?

About a year ago, a long-term friend gave me opportunity to share with her what the Bible says about faith in Christ, forgiveness and eternal life. Because she is a tender soul, I was careful in what I said, but she became very angry. She said that she’d suspected I was “radical about my beliefs” and because of my “religion” she would never speak to me again unless I apologized to her for talking about Jesus Christ.  She came to mind as I read this verse today.

So Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” (Exodus 8:28)

Moses told Pharaoh that his people needed to go out of country to worship. He didn’t say that God intended none of them would ever return to that place of bondage. Pharaoh said they could go, then changed his mind. He feared losing his slaves, but he also knew that the God of these people had power. He had proven it with plagues every time Pharaoh changed his mind. Now this ruler said they could go, but not too far.

Eventually, they were able to leave, but only after the final plague. In this one, the firstborn of every household would die. However, those who killed a lamb and put the blood on their doorway would be safe. The angel of death would pass over those homes where he saw the blood.

Christians identify with the experience of God’s people in Exodus. We were in bondage to sin, but have been set free from sin’s penalty by the blood of Christ. Further, Pharaoh and Egypt typify the world that we have left, a realm of bondage to sin. As the Israelites were to flee that place and never go back, so also are we to flee the philosophies and lifestyles we once lived and never return.

However, in the eyes of that world, our fleeing is seen as “going too far.” Much like Pharaoh, the world is okay with us going a little way into our faith, even asking that we pray for them, but a full break meets with scorn and ridicule.

For instance, I’ve friends and relatives that have told me that Christians must love everyone. This is biblical, but in their minds, loving everyone also means looking the other way at sin. For them, “good Christians” not only accept sinful lifestyles but affirm them. I’ve been told that I must love sinners as Jesus did, but I must not go too far in condemning sin. I can safely reject the same things they reject, but I cannot let the Bible tell me what is right and wrong over and above what society accepts. That is going too far.

Perhaps the biggest conflict concerns the way of salvation. The world is fine with Christians being “good people” but when we say that no human goodness can earn salvation or merit favor with God, they become upset with us. We have become radical and our faith is unacceptable.

When I shared the gospel with my friend, she decided that the only way to deal with me was total alienation. Unlike Pharaoh, she cut off all communication and eagerly kicked me out of her life, all because I told her about the delights of my life as a believer in Jesus Christ. For her, the definition of a Christian (which she claims to be) is being “a nice person who would never try to convert anyone.”

Jesus said, “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.” (John 15:18–20)

The one who decided to end our friendship is firmly convinced that she is okay with God because she is a “good” person. She is also firmly convinced that I have gone too far because I talk about Jesus. Even though she didn’t ask me to, I still pray for her.

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Father, You called me out of bondage to sin. Staying free of it means refusing to stay close to it and giving myself in total dedication to Jesus Christ. This means obedience even when the world around me thinks that I have gone too far. The Bible says that there are ways that seem right but lead to destruction. It also says that Jesus is the way, the narrow way that few will walk. I don’t deserve to be on this path, but here I am, and I am grateful that You are holding my hand as I walk with You.

An alien with Jesus

For the most part, I am at home all day without the same contact with the world as someone who works outside the home. I’ve very little experience with the everyday world unless I choose to venture out in it. For the past little while, through various avenues, I’m finding out what it is like “out there” for the average Christian.

Last night, I told my husband that I felt like an alien. This world is not my home, literally and spiritually. Spurgeon expressed the same thoughts today as did David in this psalm:

Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not your peace at my tears! For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers. (Psalm 39:12)

A sojourner is a temporary inhabitant, a stranger, an alien. I am a stranger with the Lord. (Thankfully, this is not a stranger to the Lord; for by grace I am in fellowship with Him.) I walk this earth and live in it with Jesus, as an alien in a foreign country. The New Testament even calls me, and all who believe, an ambassador for Christ. We represent Him here, but we do not call this place our country.

Jesus came to this world to His own people, the people God had selected to represent Him, but “His own received him not” (John 1:11). However, “to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (verses 12-13).

That describes my change in family and in citizenship. Even though I still have my old family, I am a member of the family of God and the body of Christ. Even though I live in this world, I am no longer part of it. My home is now a heavenly destination.

This new family and citizenship also include living a new life in Jesus Christ. That life makes me a foreigner; I am unknown and an alien in this world. Never have I understood that more as I investigate the reactions and responses of this world’s people to Christ’s ambassadors.

Those outside of God’s family do not understand our language and lifestyle. However, this isn’t a problem of ignorance. No amount of explaining can make it clear. Only spiritual people can understand spiritual things.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

For this, I find myself a stranger in the land, experiencing a similar sense of alienation as when we were in China. To those people, our speech was garbled nonsense and we struggled to be understood.

The similarity ends there, because as a Christian who came from a life of sin and selfishness, I am fully aware and do understand the ways of this world that I am in. I was once part of it. I know what it is like to look at Christians and think they are strange, even that they do not belong here.

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Lord, I agree with Spurgeon in that there is sweetness in this: I am a stranger with You. You are my fellow-sufferer, my fellow-pilgrim, my fellow-traveler. We wander this place together, You holding my hand, speaking comfort and encouragement, always giving direction to me. Because of Your presence, I can live in this foreign place and yet know deeper fellowship than afforded by all the contacts, workplaces, clubs, organizations and social networks of this world.

Add to that, I a part of a body, a large network of like-minded ambassadors who also walk this earth as strangers, because together we walk with You. Together we are blessed and can encourage one another in how to be in this world but not of this world.

May the sense of isolation that I feel not drive me into any folly or worldly behavior so as to have a false sense of communion. Instead, may this odd alienation always draw me closer to You as the One with whom I walk, and closer to other sojourners who also know this reality of being only visitors in this place.