Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord. “Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” – 2 Corinthians 6:17
The church’s mightiest influence is felt when she is different from the world in which she lives. Her power lies in her being different, rises with the degree in which she differs and sinks as the difference diminishes.
Continued in Comments
Ian Vincent 
July 27, 2011 at 5:04 am
THE CHURCH – DIFFERENT FROM the WORLD – by A.W. Tozer.
Therefore “Come out from among them and be separate,” says the Lord. “Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.” – 2 Corinthians 6:17
The church’s mightiest influence is felt when she is different from the world in which she lives. Her power lies in her being different, rises with the degree in which she differs and sinks as the difference diminishes.
This is so fully and clearly taught in the Scriptures and so well illustrated in Church history that it is hard to see how we can miss it. But miss it we do, for we hear constantly that the Church must try to be as much like the world as possible, excepting, of course, where the world is too, too sinful….
Let us plant ourselves on the hill of Zion and invite the world to come over to us, but never under any circumstances will we go over to them.
The cross is the symbol of Christianity, and the cross speaks of death and separation, never of compromise.
No one ever compromised with a cross. The cross separated between the dead and the living. The timid and the fearful will cry “Extreme!” and they will be right. The cross is the essence of all that is extreme and final. The message of Christ is a call across a gulf from death to life, from sin to righteousness and from Satan to God.
(-The Set of the Sail, 35, 36). -From the book, ‘Tozer on Christian Leadership’, published by WingSpread Publishers.
July 27, 2011 at 7:55 am
Ian
thanks for another great piece of wisdom from Tozer.Does he ever run out of pertinent things to say?
I was thinking on this issue recently. The lust to be like and liked by the world is a curious thing in the church world. Muslims have on the other hand made great inrods into our culture by being different. Sometimes the people of light have their disobedience exposed by those who have no allegiance to Christ. How I pray that the church of the living God would harken to the words of men like Tozer. Or more importantly to the words of Jesus. Thanks mate
July 28, 2011 at 6:04 am
Thanks mate.
Free people are different by virtue of their freedom. The free shine among the slaves.
When people met the LORD Jesus as He walked around the towns and villages did they think He was different?
Straight up they knew who was very different to the Pharisees.
Here was a different type of teacher.