Date: 09/11/2023

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to Him be the Glory, Power, and Dominion forever and ever and to the Holy Ghost that is yet abiding in the body. This month’s key phrase is “Be Different”.  Second Corinthians 6:17a tells us, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, …”.

Often Christians are no different from the world in the way we think, talk, and dress. Clearly this was a problem with Ephesian Christians. Paul writes “that they must no longer live among the Gentiles. “This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind” Ephesians 4:17. He teaches the Ephesians that they must be different.

Why must we be different from the world? Because God commands it. God calls believers to be different from the world throughout the bible. The Lord instructed Moses saying, “Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy” Leviticus 19:2. God gave the Israelite over 600 laws to teach them how to worship Him. This applies to us as well. We live in a society that is perverse, ungodly, and full of sin, and we must be different. Like God we must be separate, holy, and righteous.

In 1 Peter 4:3-4, Peter said this to the scattered Christians throughout the Roman Empire; “For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries. Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you.” In concurrence, Paul said to the Corinthians, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” 1 Corinthians 6: 9-10.

In closing, the Ephesians, Romans, and Corinthians were saved out of a sinful lifestyle to worship the living God, and God called them to not go back. Similarly, many of us were saved out of all kinds of sin: drunkenness, sexual immorality, deceit, pride, rebellion, and selfishness, and we are called to not return. Until next week, remember, “…with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

In His Service,

Bishop Dr. Calvin Worthem

General Chief Overseer/Senior Bishop