Staying Safe
It doesn't take rocket science to work out that organized crime is dangerous. And before you jump to any conclusions, I do not know that from personal experience, but from reading the paper and watching the news on TV! Did you read about the fallen tycoon in the Media recdently - worth about $100 million one day, and a pauper the next?
Seems he made his money from organized crime - and when faced with a 75 year jail term, became an informant to tell US government officials all he knew about the corrupt US/worldwide on-line gambling syndicate. But to help officials gather this evidence, he had to disappear - the now informant couldn't just live like an ordinary citizen in the community - it was too dangerous! The kingpins of this organized crime syndicate would do anything to find him and eradicate him to prevent him from handing over the evidence that would send them to jail for a long time.
Recently a man involved in this "Witness Protection Programme", was asked if they had ever lost anyone under this protection programme. He replied, "Well, we have never lost one person who stayed within the rules of the Programme." What happens is that they are given certain rules to follow - rules in relation to family contacts, financial dealings, and how to handle all those things. When asked: "What about someone who didn't stay within those rules?" - he answered, "Well, some of them are dead." What he was saying was this: "no witnesses need ever get hurt, as long as they stay within the rules."
Let me take you to another Witness Protection Programme - to John 17 - that portion of Scripture known as the Lord's great High Priestly prayer. In this passage, we first see Jesus praying for His disciples. But then He prays: "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message." And guess what? Those words "who will believe in Me" refer to you and me. And then listen as our Lord continues to pray: "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. Sanctify them (that means, set them apart for the Lord) by the truth. Your Word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world."
OK yes, it is a little heavy and perhaps not that easy to follow, so let's look at it in sections. Now, if you're a believer in Christ, there are two dangers you face. First danger - isolationism - that you convince yourself that you don't go out there into the world. After all, there is so much evil out there. It's nice and comfortable and relaxing to sit back safe and sound in the safety of our "spiritual trenches" (church family), sing choruses, and feed upon the Word, and not get out hands dirty - not get involved with non-Christians, and not do battle with evil. We abandon the lost world. If those out there want to know about Christ, well....they can come to us. But of course that's the opposite to what our Lord did. He was totally involved with lost people - prostitutes, lepers, tax collectors, Roman soldiers.....
The other danger is that Christians will let the world get into them. To win the world - you have to be like the world - boots and all. But notice what Jesus taught. He talks about Christians being sanctified - that is, set apart to serve Him in a lost world. Certainly Christians are to engage meaningfully with lost people, but not to let the sins of the world take over and so become our thinking and living pattern, and turn us away from the Truth. Jesus is saying, "I want you to be My witnesses. Get close to sinners, but don't get close to sin." That's His witness protection programme. Witness for Me, but make sure you stay within the rules.
Now, Jesus says to be involved with the people for whom He died; but in going into their world , not to let their world infect you. It's okay if the ship is in the water; it's not okay if the water is in the ship.
The way to keep from being infected by the world is to be with the Lord every day before you go into that world. Be alert to little compromises in your life. Take a "spiritual" shower in terms of washing off anything where the world has stained or polluted you. Make sure you are "Christ-minded" - thinking, believing and speaking the Truth - the Truth as revealed in God's Word the Bible. And fight the growing tendency to get too used to it; to get hardened to sin because you see so much of it. Stay special, stay sanctified, stay in the truth.
You need to go out there and be a witness for Christ. The more you're with lost people and the more you're in lost places, the more tightly you need to hold on to Jesus. Stay within the rules. Never flirt with sin so you can continue to be His faithful witness. Flirting with sin is a trap. Have you given up on going to Church, Bible reading or prayer? Are you weakening on such issues as abortion, same-sex marriage and the need to give God first priority in your life? God's Witness Protection Program says, "Go witness, but always stay safely inside of God's rules." Go into the world, but keep the world out of you. Grace and peace....