Woodbine Willie

At times the Bible does seem to indicate that when in Rome, do as the Romans. But does Paul really mean that there are no limits? If my neighbor gets drunk, should I do it too? If my neighbor commits adultery, do I need to do that in order to better understand him? Should I allow my daughter to wear miniskirts so the boys will be attracted to her, and she'll get a better chance to share the Gospel? Should we speak and think like the world?

These questions seem for some people to be quite a challenge. I think the answer is quite simple. Be yourself. People loathe a person who tries to be something he is not. People can spot a fake a mile away. But it is even more than that.

Christians are to live a consistent godly life. There may be some Christians who enjoy a beer once in a blue moon. This does not mean however he should overly enjoy himself by "getting tanked" (as they used to say) just because it might give an opportunity for sharing the Gospel. In fact, I suggest it does the opposite.

The World is always testing Christians to see if we are different. They want to know if we will truly follow Christ. They want to know if we really believe in Him, or if it is just hype or mere zealous excitement. They want to see Christians go to their graves knowing they have followed Christ. Otherwise, they will always secretly hold against you that your religion is just one among many.

Dr. Lloyd-Jones speaks about a fad that occurred back in the First World War. Yes this fad is nothing new. Christian men in the past as well as the present have often thought they needed to be just like sinful men in order to get them to listen. Listen to a story about Woodbine Willie. A cigarette smoking, cursing preacher who believed that we have to be just like the World to get men to follow. But if we become so much like them, my question is, "Who is following who?"

Click here for a 3 minute audio of Jones' story. The recording isn't great. But it says a lot.