Strangers and Pilgrims

For some reason, over the past several days, my mind has been on a foreign country where I have ministered in the past. I have found myself, several times over the last week, or so, stopping to pray for the missionaries that I know there and the church that has been established there. I've got Asia on my mind and that's where my thoughts are flowing from today.

Taiwan, and Asia at large, is a unique place with a rich culture. The people are different, the language couldn't be further from English and the customs have a character and flavor to them that are unique to that region of the world. One of my favorite memories from my first trip to Taiwan was sitting down with Bro Richardson and a Taiwanese gentleman and learning the ritual and culture involved in the brewing of tea. Just the sharing of a casual, common drink was a ceremony of sorts that had significance and meaning wrapped up in each step of the process.

Over the years I've been privileged to make several trips to Taiwan and minister there. Early on, even before the first trip, I began to study the language and the culture in an effort to acclimate myself to what I knew would be a totally different kind of place. Being a consummate reader, I read everything I could that dealt with China and Asia at large. I hired an Air Force translator to teach me Chinese and later I enrolled in a college level Chinese course where I learned not only to speak Mandarin but to read and write some of it as well.

When I was there I did my best to fully embrace the experience, making every effort to adopt the customs and practices that were native to the land. However, no matter how hard I tried, it was always going to be painfully obvious that I was a stranger. I could speak enough Mandarin to get around on the streets, but not without a pronounced western accent. I could honor the customs and attempt to say and do all of the right things but never would I get it perfectly right because, the simple truth is, that I never fully grasped the significance of each thing. As hard as I tried to blend in there was no way to conceal the fact that I was still a foreigner. I felt comfortable and at home in Asia but the simple truth is that I was a stranger, and that is all I will ever be in a foreign culture.

In the second chapter of his first letter to the church, Peter felt led to remind us that we are strangers and pilgrims in this world. "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims," he said. (1 Peter 2:11) The next two chapters contain real world advice on how we should live our lives based upon the understanding that we are strangers. As strangers in this world, we are reminded that we will never quite fit in. As strangers in this world, there will always be something different about us. It will show up in the way we talk. It will show up in the way we dress. It will show up in our manners and customs.

I simply want to remind you today that we are strangers and pilgrims. This world is not our home. We were never meant to blend in. If and when the church becomes just like the world, it ceases to be the church. The reason for this is that our citizenship is not of this world. We serve another king. We are subjects of another kingdom. We answer to a different, higher law. Our lives are governed by a greater authority than the system of this world. We would do well to remind ourselves of that truth often.

Peter recognized the fact that it is in our nature to want to blend in. It is in our nature to want to fit in. Nobody likes to stick out like a sore thumb. For the same reason that I endeavored to learn as much as I could about the culture of China and assimilate it into my life, we feel compelled by our flesh to fit in with those around us. If we aren't careful we will begin to measure ourselves by the standard of this world. If we aren't vigilant we will begin to adopt the thinking and viewpoint of carnal flesh. So Peter warns us, in the same verse, to "abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul."

The passions and desires of our flesh war against our soul and strive to compel us to conform to this world. Our own human nature will endeavor to mold us into a form that is acceptable to this world. But Paul warned us in Romans 12:2 to "be not conformed to this world." Instead he urged us to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind." What a great piece of instruction. Our flesh wants to conform to this present world and so it wars against our soul. But we must understand the simple premise that we may be in this world, but we don't belong to this world. As a result of that understanding, it falls to each of us to insure that, each day, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds.

Each day, we must get into the presence of God and renew our minds. Each day we must find the time to go before the throne of God and be reminded of our true citizenship. It is absolutely critical to our soul and our salvation that we maintain the distinction and separation that identifies us, both to the world and to ourselves, as strangers and pilgrims in this world. Because, one fine day, He's gonna split the eastern sky and call us home to be with him and on that day I'm going to be glad that I never made my home down here.

I want to encourage you today. Heaven is our home. We are the children of the King. We belong to Him and we were never meant to "belong" in this old world. The old songwriter got it right, "This world is not my home I'm just passing through, my treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue…"