>>809512
As members of the church of Jesus Christ, we have been sent by our Lord to form a colonial outpost from which we spread the influence of heaven. The church has often opted for one of two extremes. It has withdrawn from the world in order to avoid being stained by it. Or it has entered the world in order to dominate it. It has either sought to withdraw or dominate. Both inclinations have their basis in fear. When we withdraw, we fear contamination. When we dominate, we fear annihilation.
The Bible offers us another alternative, one that falls off on neither side. We gather together to adopt and reinforce the Christ pattern of self-sacrifice. Then we enter the world and influence it through this pattern — through the power of love rather than the love of power. This third alternative will always have some tension to it. We will often wonder if we're falling off on the side of withdrawal or domination, and we will feel pulled in both directions. Isolation and power each have their appeal. We will have to think and pray and use all the wisdom that God gives us in order to take this path, but it is the path we are called to.
When we withdraw, we lose whatever influence we might have. When we dominate, opting for the love of power rather than the power of love, we model the pattern of the culture instead of the pattern of Christ, and, again, we lose our influence.