Protest

Have you ever been part of a protest?  I suppose the closest I came was walking out of a tenth grade geometry class when the substitute teacher accused me of something I did not do.  When I objected to the charge, he told me to take it up with the principal so I left the room to do just that.  Guess you could say I “protested.”

 

As Christians, how diligently do we protest conformity?  Swimming upstream isn’t natural!  That go-with-the-flow-don’t-rock-the-boat suits us much better.  It should not, however, ever describe followers of Christ!  The writer of Hebrews challenges us: “Therefore let us go to Him outside the camp and bear the reproach He endured.” (13:13)  Outside the camp – that sounds scary and cold and lonely and unpopular!  Believers are not called to a conformed life but a transformed life: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2)  How far will you go to avoid conformity?  What are you willing to put aside for transformation: friends, books, music, movies, career, habits, lifestyles, church?  There is absolutely nothing in this life so sacred, so “off-limits” if it leads to conformity.  There is a call for Christ’s followers to be separated, to stand on holy precepts, and eternal Truth.  Spurgeon wrote, “The crown of glory will follow the cross of separation.”  We must decide what it is we seek -- the praise of man or the glory of Christ?  Well, I didn’t quite make it to the principal’s office: the teacher followed me into the hall and admitted he may have been mistaken and kindly asked me to return to the classroom, which I graciously did.  Now, I don’t advise acting like that foolish teenager, but we do need to be willing to step “outside the camp” and deliberately separate ourselves from ungodliness.  For the sake of Christ’s honor, we can effectively live IN this world but not be OF this world.  I challenge and encourage you for the good of Christ … live in protest!