6.18-Should we as followers of Jesus be friendly with the world?

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6.18-

I was warned as a youngster to be careful about being too "worldly".   Then I came to realize that Jesus spent time, quite a bit of time with the known sinners in His town.  I read more and came to know that He came to save all us sinners.  


Jesus is the chief forgiver.  Jesus Christ came into the world to save people from the effects of their sins and failures.  The guilt.  The shame.  The ball and chain of shame.  To do that He left heaven and came to earth and hung out with sinners.  

He did not yoke up with the Pharisee hypocrites.  He did not align with those who lived low moral lives.  In fact He called them to leave their way of sinful, destructive living.

Yoking two oxen together means that they must move in the same direction.  Jesus and His followers are moving toward the light.  They are focused on serving God, not money.  They have this direction.  The thing with Jesus is that love is the driving motivator, not fear and not anger. 

As followers of Jesus He did not pray that we would be taken out of the world, for that is where the work is needed.  God’s love must be taken to the lost, confused world.  That means the salt and light must influence the darkness, but not be overtaken by darkness.  This is a constant danger for us.

Luke 23
33 When they came to the place called [i]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 [j]But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

John 17.
15 I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them [d]from [e]the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

2 Corinthians 6.
14 Do not be [j]bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with [k]Belial, or [l]what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean;
And I will welcome you.
18 “And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.

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