My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. (John 17:15-16)
When we understand the dictionary definition of the word camouflage—“to disguise personnel or equipment to make them blend in with their surroundings”—we know, beyond a shadow of any doubt, that there must be no such thing as Christian camouflage!
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15-17)
To be sure, Christians are still in this world physically, yet we are not of this world. Having been raised from death to life, we are called to stand out from the world, not to blend in with it. We are saved to serve and to make an eternal difference in this world by being different from this world. We are not to submit to the corrupt values and evil systems of this world. The world says, “Take!” The Word says, “Give.” The world says, “Pay back evil for evil.” The Word says, “Pay back love for evil.” The world says, “Success at the expense of others.” The Word says, “Success is the service of others.”
In order to put the Gospel on display for the world to see, we must be both salt and light. The salt of the saint is designed to slow the corruption of the surrounding world and preserve what good is left. The light of the saint points the way to the Light of the world. But the world must see this salt and light in us. We cannot be camouflaged Christians! To stand out is to stand up for our Lord Jesus Christ. Remember, even the unbeliever knows that “by their fruits you will know them,” so we should be doing everything we can, by God’s grace, to put the pure, unspoiled fruit of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us on display.
There is no greater need in the world today than for our God to become more and more visible. Yes, God is visible in the natural world around us. He created everything and wrote the book of nature. The beauty, creativity, and order of the universe clearly points to our Creator. But we must add our witness to the witness of creation by incarnating (that is, embodying) Christ as we live out our Christianity before the watching world.
How do we incarnate Christ? One word, four letters . . .
LOVE!
So . . . have you been blending in more and more with your surroundings, or have you been standing out for the glory of your Savior? Do those who come in contact with you in this world see the Word that is in you? Can they see how much you love the Lord and others?
The more you do this, the more you will stand out from the surrounding culture and bear witness for the One who died on a cruel cross to save your soul. There must be no Christian camouflage for those who have been bought, sought, and caught by Jesus Christ.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 