What's the difference?

Is it ok if I unload something off my chest?  This may be a bit touchy, but hear my out.  It may sound harsh, but it's really meant in love- as a correction to those who need to hear it (including myself sometimes)

Why is it that so much of the time you can't tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian?  They do the same things- good and bad, they eat and drink the same things, watch the same tv shows and movies, talk the same, get into the same trouble- have the same rates of divorce, teen age pregnancy, drug use, etc.  So what is the difference?  Outside of a label stuck upon some of them, it seems that much of the time there really isn't one.  Is it any wonder we're called hypocrites so often?  And that's not a good thing.  (or a God thing either). Especially in light of what the Scriptures say.

In John 15: 19 Jesus tells us, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you." 

The world hates us?  Well, it's pretty obvious all to often that there is a lot of disdain for the Church, for "Christians" as a whole, and oftentimes for Christianity in general.  But how often do you hear about people who are ok, even though they are Christians?  Or even more so, people who may or may not go to church or call themselves Christians, but outside of the name or the occasional Sunday morning you'd have no clue.   Who are they belonging to, Christ or the world?

You may be wondering where I'm coming from with this, so I'll lay it out for you.  I was talking to my brother in law today and we're both frustrated- not just with the people filling the seats in the services, but also with a number of people leading them.  Church leaders and ministers who have no problems- and often encourage people- to watch, view, or listen to programs, movies, and music filled with vile language, sexual situations, nudity, blood, gore, violence, racism, and other garbage.  And not only not understanding what's wrong with it, but thinking that it's more than ok.  Christian leaders that tell their kids to listen to filthy music so they can "understand" the others more, sending their kids down instead of teaching them to lift the others up.  And completely ignoring the admonition in Philippians 4:8
"Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things"

or 1 John 2:15-16 "Do not love the world or anything in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For everything in the world- the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world."

 And yet all to often we have Christians pursuing and following the same things that non-Christians are:  copying music without paying for it (it's called theft!), or software; fascinations with majic, vampires, horoscopes, seances, palm readings (it's called the occult and all of it's condemned as sorcery and evil in God's eyes), ses, divorce, and so on.

Now before some of you get to upset- I'm not calling out non-Christians on those things, but I am calling out those who would call themselves Christians- especially leaders, and then indulge in the like.  What does it mean to be a Christian?  Literally, it's "Christ like" and when you call yourself one you are to strive to live and act like Christ would- to uphold the standards that God has outlined.  We are to love, serve, reach out to, minister to, be kind to those around us- Christian or not.  But that doesn't mean we are to live the same way they do.  We have been called to live by a different standard.  As humans it's expected that we would slip sometimes, to make mistakes- and again, that's not what I'm talking about.  I'm referring to those that are knowingly indulging in what they know they shouldn't and don't care.  And are leading others along the same path.

How serious is it in God's eyes?  Deadly serious.  James 4:4 "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?  Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God."  And you know what happens to enemies of God, don't you?  Yeah, I thought so.  I don't know about you, but I don't want that to be me.