The World and You
Fred Kinzie, Robert Henson, Wayne Mitchell

Getting The World In Proper Perspective
•	What do the world and the Christian have in common? 
•	We must live in this world, yet we must be as pilgrims and strangers to it 
•	Abstain from all appearance of evil
•	Disassociate from questionable practices that Satan could take advantage of
•	He longs for this type of influence in our lives 
•	Too often, people expect God to keep them from questionable or dangerous things
•	The power to do or refrain from doing is within our own will
•	You must come to grips with the world and recognize it for the evil system that it is

Participation In Questionable Activities
•	In many areas, a thin line separates right from wrong
•	Separation from the world is not always easy and is sometimes difficult to explain 
•	Some things could be controversial
•	We must ascertain the general principles of the Word of God
•	Make practical applications to our own time, place, and circumstances
•	There are scriptural principles from which we can obtain guidance and draw a reasonable conclusion

Drinking, Smoking, And Drug Use
•	The Scriptures are not silent on the practice of drinking
•	It is wrong because it leads to drunkenness and addiction, both of which the Bible condemns
•	This habit leads many to despair, disgrace, and destruction
•	It should be one of the first things to go when one obeys the Scriptures and gives his life to God
•	Should a Christian smoke? 
•	The practice is entirely contradictory to the spirit of the Scripture
•	The use of tobacco in any form is addictive
•	It is a health hazard
•	Should a Christian partake of something so flagrantly destructive and injurious? 
•	No one under the influence of such an intoxicating force could possibly see things correctly
•	Such practices are foreign to the Word of God and should be avoided as evil by every convert

Dancing, Parties, And Mixed Swimming
•	The modern dance was not designed to glorify God
•	Regardless of the form it takes, its appeal is to the lower nature of humanity
•	Its lure is to the lust of the flesh and is purely physical in its excitement
•	No Christian belongs on the worldly dance floor
•	The body of the Christian belongs to the Lord, is His temple, and should never be made a party to the evil associated with the dance
•	We were bought with a very dear price
•	A party can be either good or bad
•	It depends on the purpose, people, and place
•	Where will it be held? 
•	Who will be there? 
•	What will go on? 
•	Will it be supervised? 
•	Modesty is a virtue acquired with the infusion of the Holy Spirit and required by the Word of God
•	It should never be compromised anytime, anywhere, or under any circumstances

Recreation
•	Wholesome recreation is beneficial for anyone
•	There are dozens of wholesome activities that add zest and fun to life, and it is sheer delight to participate in them
•	No Christian need partake of questionable recreational practices when there are so many excellent things of a beneficial nature that one can participate in

Organized Sports
•	Some United Pentecostal churches refrain from participation in high school and college varsity competition and professional athletics
•	The reason is that participation in organized sports has serious pitfalls
•	Few athletes are able to keep up with the whirl of competitive sports and maintain their integrity with God
•	The demands on the time and talent of the individual can become pernicious, and the atmosphere of the competitions is often quite worldly
•	The lure of the limelight, the billboards, and the headlines can unbalance an otherwise sane and sensible youth 
•	Often the influence of ungodly companions and roommates have a deteriorating effect on one's spiritual life
•	The overall results of those who have participated leaves much to be desired

Hair Length
•	The Bible speaks clearly concerning the length of hair, for both men and women
•	I Corinthians 11 teaches definite guidelines in this area that the Christian can easily apply to life
•	This passage teaches that a woman should have long hair and not cut it
•	For a woman to cut her hair is a shame, as though she were shaven
•	Her long hair is a glory to her; it honors God and her husband and displays her obedience to the Lord
•	A man's hair should be cut short
•	It is a dishonor to him and to his position under God and as head of his home to allow his hair to grow long
•	Though some paintings show Christ with long hair, we must remember that these are not photographs but the product of human imagination and do not show the facts
•	Long hair on a man is a shame to him
•	Though fashions change from season to season, we must remain consistent with the Scripture

Modest And Immodest Appearance
•	Being modest means "having or showing a humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc
•	The apostle Paul confronted both male and female with the proper attitude and appearance, which sets the standard for all to follow
•	To the men he exhorted: (a) pray everywhere, (b) lift up holy hands, and (c) have no wrath or doubt
•	To the women he exhorted: (a) adorn yourselves with modest apparel, (b) adorn yourselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, and (c) do not make a display of yourselves by your appearance, with such things as ornamental jewelry, extravagant hairdos, or extravagant dress
•	The failure to do so is the cause of much trouble, breeding much confusion in the home, church, and society
•	We should always appear in public so that any Christian would never need be ashamed of us

Politics
•	Should a Christian become involved in the political world? 
•	When we read the Old Testament, we find many leading characters who were involved in the political world of that time
•	It would be a relief to have government offices manned by genuine Christians
•	Honesty and virtue would replace corrupt practices
•	Very few people can stand the tremendous pressure to compromise their Christian testimony by the questionable activities typically associated with political office
•	Every Christian should be a good citizen of the country where they reside
•	They should not allow their testimony to be hindered by an unconcern for law and order, education, justice, and social needs

Our Debt To Society
•	Rich or poor, wise or unwise, civilized or barbarian, everyone has a right to hear the gospel
•	Some may be called to preach, others to be missionaries
•	Still others will be used of God mightily in personal work
•	Labor in prayer, fasting, and sacrificial giving 
•	Seek the Lord diligently for divine direction
•	Find the will of God

The above article, “The World and You” was written by Fred Kinzie, Robert Henson, and Wayne Mitchell. The article was excerpted from Chapter five in the book, Victorious Living.

The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.