When we were growing up in a conservative, legalistic environment, one thing we were often cautioned about was “worldliness.” We didn’t want to be “worldly.” And in our tradition, you were worldly if you participated in any of the “filthy five:” smoking, drinking, card-playing, watching Hollywood movies in the theater (at home on your own television was apparently OK), and dancing. Consequently, we avoided being worldly by avoiding all those activities.

Incidentally, in a sermon I preached three different times at a single church one weekend I mentioned card-playing as one of the non-nos we grew up with. After each service, someone came up after and asked was I a member of _____________ church because that person wasn’t allowed to play cards either. The funny thing is that all three mentioned different traditions, none of which was ours!

Turns out there are more and more important ways to avoid worldliness than that.

I was talking to my friend Ray Bandi, former pastor, now a pastor-coach and disciple-maker the other day. We’ve both been reading 1 John which has a clear caution about being worldly:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2.15 – 17, NKJV)

Ray decided to see what the scriptures had to say about worldliness, and he came up with a set of characteristics of those who have been:

…rescued from the domain of darkness, and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son… (Colossians 1.13, 14)

I’d like to explore some of these characteristics with you over the next few days. (Interestingly, none of my “filthy five” is on this list!)

• We have a different ruler.
• We have a different spirit.
• We have a different source of wisdom.
• We fight with different weapons.
• We have a different value systems and desires.

We have a different ruler. Chuck Colson used to say, “Salvation does NOT arrive on Air Force One!” Sometimes, many of us live as if it does. No matter how you voted last year, our ultimate ruler (even if you are a U.S. citizen) does NOT live at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

In addition, we have to be careful what ruler and what spirit we’re following. More about that tomorrow.

Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. (John 12.31, NASB, emphasis mine)

And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. (John 16.8 – 11, NASB, emphasis mine)