Us vs Them: "Us"

We live in an ‘Us vs Them’ world. (See last week’s blog.) Those who follow Jesus have been born again. They are alive in Christ. All others remain dead in their sins. So, what does God expect of 'us' while living among 'them.'

Before His death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus prayed for believers. He described His disciples to God by saying “they are not of the world.” Then He prayed, “I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” (John 17:15)

Why has God left disciples of Jesus in the world?

Primarily, it is for the advancement of the kingdom of God. There are direct and indirect ways in which 'we' can each help:

Advance the kingdom: 

Paul makes it very clear that not every Christian is a missionary or evangelist or preacher or teacher. Even when people were receiving spiritual gifts of a miraculous nature, the ‘speaking’ gifts were given priority. The ‘speaking’ gifts (prophecy, speaking in tongues, interpretation, teaching) were miraculous gifts given to spread the gospel message and teach the word of God. (See Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 & 14.) In the book of Acts the primary role of the Holy Spirit was the advancement of the kingdom of God. After all, God desires for all men to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) So, some people are directly involved in spreading the gospel message and teaching God’s people.

Support those who do: 

Not every Christian is a preacher, teacher, missionary or evangelist. Those who do not fill those important roles can certainly support those who do. For many, support is about financial support. Indeed, those who speak God’s word full-time need financial support. And yet, participation in the advancement of the kingdom also includes prayer and personal support for those who preach and teach. When reading about the missionary journeys of Paul in the book of Acts it is clear that he depended on others for lodging, protection, moral support and sound advice. Seldom do you read about Paul being alone. In his letters he often mentioned by name many people who provided support of various kinds. Entire congregations also participated in the gospel with him as they sent gifts of support and supported him in prayer. You can support the gospel.

Explain your hope: 

God expects every Christian to be able to say something to explain their hope, that is, their expectation of eternal life. (1 Peter 3:15) You don’t have to be an apologist who has an answer for every question, from the existence of dinosaurs to the doctrine of the Trinity. You may not be able to explain why certain things are in the Bible. But you should be able to explain your conviction that your sins have been forgiven and that you will be raised from the dead when you die to live eternally with God.

Good works: 

God created us for good works. It is His expectation that every Christian engage in good works (Ephesians 2:10). Jesus said that we should let our light shine so that people see our good works and glorify God (Matthew 5:16). God knows that we may sometimes become weary of doing good. So, he provides encouragement so we will not give up. God is a kid of cheerleader for continuing in good works. It might not look like we are making a difference, but God see what is going on. (See Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 12:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; Revelation 2:3.)

Love one another: 

Love for our fellow saints in Christ is one of the most important attributes of a Christian. Jesus said that the world will know that we are his disciples if we love one another. (John 13:35)

Your contribution to the kingdom is important to God.


Mark Stinnett

June 7, 2026

Born to be Righteous

The 1969 song Born to be Wild suggests that some people are born into a specific way of life, and that is, according to the song, to be wild. It suggests that the nature of wildness is simply encoded into their being at birth. “It’s in their DNA,” or “They are just wired that way.” For them to be anything different is to suppress the way things were meant to be.

Jesus was born to save the world.
John the Baptist was born to prepare the way for the Messiah, Jesus.
What about you? You were born to _________ ?

Did you know that Adam and Eve were created to live, not to die? Death was never God’s purpose or intention in creation. Yet, the sin of Adam and Eve brought death into the world. Their sin separated them from God, a spiritual death. That is why the Psalmist wrote that no one does good (Psalm 53), or as the Apostle Paul quoted,

There is none righteous, not even one.

—Romans 3:10

In dealing with man’s death relationship (think about that phrase), God intervened to give life. We use words from the Bible like salvation, redemption, reconciliation, sanctification, forgiveness, and others. They are all ultimately linked to life. God wants us to live.

Sadly, the phrase born again has become almost cliché. Yet, when Jesus first told the prominent Jewish teacher Nicodemus that he could not enter the kingdom of God unless he was born again (John 3), He was referring to mankind’s death from God and his need for new life. Jesus was emphasizing God’s intention for man to live...and that is just the beginning.

Reconciliation is the restoration of a friendship relationship. When writing about our reconciliation to God, the Apostle Paul said:

He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 

 —2 Corinthians 5:21

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus also spoke of righteousness. He described a standard for righteousness; warned about false righteousness; and spoke of a reward for righteousness while in this world. Yet, the verse quoted above tells us that our reconciliation to God had purpose. We were reborn for righteousness.

In the next chapter of 2 Corinthians Paul described his ministry in Christ: his labors in the Lord and his service in Christ. He was not boasting, but simply describing his ministry of reconciliation. He went on to say that it was accomplished “by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left” (6:7).

Now, there is something else that you should know about righteousness. When explaining the Parable of the Wheat and Tares, Jesus said:

So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous. 

--Matthew 13:49

Jesus later described the final judgment by saying that God, the King, would send unrighteous souls away into eternal punishment, yet the righteous would enter into eternal life.

God wants you to live. Just remember that in your rebirth in Christ, you were born for righteousness. It’s in your spiritual DNA; you’ve been rewired. How can you do anything different?

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. 

—Ephesians 2:10

Mark Stinnett

April 24, 2022