Devotional: Come Out My People

Revalation 18:1-8 “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive her plagues’” (Rev. 18:4, NASB). In Nashville Tennessee, Mayor Megan Barry has called summits to address the increasing teen violence that pervades our great city. She has called on pastors, civic organization leaders, community leaders and teens to meet to discuss and discover ways to combat the problem of teen violence. I too have been on committees that have sought to find solutions to this problem. I learned that I did not agree with many of the people that I worked with. I began to think about reasons that we did not see eye to eye on the issues especially since these people were good people in their own right. The differences I discovered were the results of the presuppositions that each came to the table with, and that is to be expected and accepted.

My idea is that as a preacher of the Gospel I must make God the standard that I must abide by in my decision making. At the same time many of these people wanted to leave God out of the equation. For me, this would mean lowering the standards. The text stated above addresses a situation in which God’s people are living among people who do not recognize God and live as they want to. John hears a voice that tells the people not to work with people who reject God; rather they are warned to come out from among them so that they do not participate in their sins and suffer from the plagues that is about to come upon them.

The church and Christians, especially pastors must consider what they are being asked to do when they sit down at the table with unbelievers. God has already told us how to solve many of our problems, but we reject Him. Instead, we try to find solutions in ways that are contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ. All too often we are seeking the praise of men for our own glory. We are called to seek the glory of God by making Him known in the earth. Don’t lower the standards.