Beginner's Online Bible Study: Jesus' Disciples And The World – John 15:18-16:4

Jesus’ Disciples and the World

¹⁸“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.¹⁹The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.²⁰Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.²¹They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.²²They would not be guilty if I had not come and spoken to them. But now they have no excuse for their sin.²³Anyone who hates me also hates my Father.²⁴If I hadn’t done such miraculous signs among them that no one else could do, they would not be guilty. But as it is, they have seen everything I did, yet they still hate me and my Father.²⁵This fulfills what is written in their Scriptures: ‘They hated me without cause.’

²⁶“But I will send you the ^dAdvocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. ²⁷And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.

¹“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith.²For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God.³This is because they have never known the Father or me.⁴Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning. I didn’t tell you earlier because I was going to be with you for a while longer.

If you want to be popular, you have the wrong leader. Jesus was rejected and ostracized, and we can expect the same. As a matter of fact, I’ve been told by some of my older Christian guides that if you are popular and loved by most the world, you better do some soul searching. It reminds me of a quote I keep on the front page of my prayer journal. “To inoculate me from the praise of man, he baptized me in the criticism of man, till I died to the control of man.” I wish I knew who said it, but I don’t.

But why, to this day is, Christianity so hated by the world? I think it is because it requires humility. You can’t be a Christian without admitting you’ve sinned and can’t save yourself. You can’t be a Christian and have “I Did It My Way” be your theme song. You can’t be a Christian if you won’t admit you need to change, and change a lot. Sadly, people have a lot of problems with humility. Pride not only can keep you from being a Christian, but it can keep you from being the Christian Jesus wants you to be.

Lord, help me to accept, rather to want, not being a part of this world. Help me to follow you and be a small candle of light showing other’s your way out of this world. Change me Lord, change me. *obbs*