Don't Be Shaped by the World: Influence It Without Losing Yourself

Introduction

There's one word of difference between "influenced by the world" and "influencing the world." Just one word, but two opposite directions. That's the theme Samuel MABBOUX, pastor of the Nice l'Ariane Church, lays on the table from Romans 12:2: "Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God." The word "conformed" means "to be shaped by." The question behind this message isn't a small one: who is shaping you today, Christ or this present age? He warns you up front, this message is going to sting. But it's for a good reason: to become salt and light again, right where God has placed you.

Outline

1. The world exerts a constant influence on our lives

• We aren't in heaven, and we don't live in a closed community: we're part of this world, and that's a good thing.
• But the Bible says "the whole world lies in the power" of the prince of this world; 2 Corinthians 4:4 even calls the devil "the god of this age," who blinds minds so they can't see the light of the Gospel shining.
• This influence works through school, through media, through the surrounding culture, from the youngest age, to make sin acceptable.
• Isaiah 5:20: "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness."

2. An unchanging God in a world that changes everything

• Laws change, mindsets change, what was once wrong becomes "right" and vice versa. Humanity is unstable.
• But God doesn't change: "with him can be no variation, nor turning shadow" (James 1:17).
• What was sin 2,000 years ago is still sin today; what was good is still good. The definition of sin doesn't shift.
• God's stability is a rock: you can build your whole life on it.

3. The world and the Church: two allegiances that don't mix

• James 4:4: "You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
• The world belongs to the prince of this age; the true Church belongs to God. The line gets blurry when we lower our standards.
• There are more and more "undercover Christians": at work, with family, no one can tell you're a Christian because nothing looks any different.
• This isn't a call to pride: we weren't better than anyone else, often worse. But at some point, there's a setting apart.

4. Salt and light: a calling you can't hide

• Matthew 5:13-16: "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted?"
• "You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden."
• A Christian who no longer shines is no longer any use to the world he was meant to light up.
• Jesus never asked us to make Christians: he asked us to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Showing up at church isn't enough.

5. The everyday compromises that chip away at sanctification

• On divorce: the only biblical ground given is unfaithfulness; God remains the God who restores couples and families.
• On abortion: life begins at conception, because it's God who gives life; it isn't a form of birth control, and the wounds it leaves run deep, but God restores.
• On alcohol: having a drink with a meal isn't a sin, but normalizing drunkenness, laughing about it, imitating it, opens the door to something that destroys families.
• On dress and sexuality: respect your own body and the other person's, stay pure before marriage, don't put on display what belongs to the private space of marriage.
• On words: dirty jokes, constant criticism, mockery. "Bad company corrupts good morals" (1 Corinthians 15:33).

6. A spiritual battle you can't win from a distance

• Ephesians 6:12: our struggle isn't against flesh and blood, but against the rulers and the evil spirits in the heavenly places.
• The battle is intensifying, and yet our churches have never prayed so little. Praise nights are packed, but Wednesday prayer meetings are emptying out.
• Turn off the anxiety-inducing news channels, put on some worship, get back on your knees, pray for your country, your city, your leaders instead of criticizing them.
• The time we "don't have" for the Bible, we somehow find for social media: it's up to us to rebalance that.

7. Separating without despising: leaving the crowd and welcoming everyone

• 2 Corinthians 6:14-18: "Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers... Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord."
• Separating isn't about judging or thinking you're better than anyone. It's about setting yourself apart to truly belong to Christ.
• And in the same breath: throw the church door wide open to those caught in sin, whoever they are. The church exists for them; there they'll find not judgment, but the love of a Father who gave his life.
• The Holy Spirit does the rest: he touches the heart, he transforms, he makes a new creation.

Key takeaways

• "Conformed" means "shaped by." The question isn't whether you're being influenced, but by whom: Christ or this present age.
• God doesn't change. Yesterday's sin is still sin today, even if the law or the culture renames it.
• An "undercover" Christian isn't a disciple; he's a Christian in name only. The difference should show in your words, your choices, and how you dress.
• Lowering your standards on divorce, abortion, alcohol, sex outside marriage, or office jokes lets the salt lose its flavor.
• The battle is first and foremost spiritual: without a regular life of personal and communal prayer, you stand no chance against the world's influence.
• Separating from this present age and loving every sinner aren't opposites: Christ does both at once, and he expects the same from his Church.

Personal application

1. Over the last 24 hours, what shaped you the most: God's word and prayer, or social media, news channels, coworkers? Take an honest look.
2. Is there a specific area (your words, your image, money, sexuality, entertainment) where you recognize yourself more in the world today than in the disciple you'd like to be?
3. Are you an "undercover Christian" anywhere: at the office, with extended family, on your social media? What could you do this week to make your faith visible without being arrogant about it?
4. When did you last pray for your country, your city, your leaders, instead of criticizing them? Set aside a real moment this week to do it.
5. Is there a prayer meeting, a regular time with God, that you've let slip? What simple "yes" can you put back in place this week?

Scriptures cited

• Romans 12:2 - Don't be conformed to this world
• 2 Corinthians 4:4 - The god of this age blinds minds
• Isaiah 5:20 - Woe to those who call evil good
• James 1:17 - With him can be no variation, nor turning shadow
• James 4:4 - Friendship with the world is enmity with God
• Matthew 5:13-16 - You are the salt of the earth, the light of the world
• Matthew 28:19 - Make disciples of all nations
• Ephesians 6:12 - Against the rulers and the evil spirits
• 1 Corinthians 15:33 - Bad company corrupts good morals
• 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 - Come out from among them and be separate

Frequently asked questions

What does "don't be conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2) actually mean?

The word "conformed" in Romans 12:2 means "to be shaped by." Samuel Mabboux points this out: more and more Christians are no longer being shaped by Christ, but by society. Not being conformed to this present age means refusing to let the surrounding mindset, the trends, the tolerances of the times become the mold for your thinking and your life. It means staying clay that's still soft in the Potter's hands, not the world's.

How can you be "salt of the earth" and "light of the world" without withdrawing from the world?

We aren't called to live in a sealed bubble like some closed communities do. We work, we go to school, we spend time with people who aren't Christians, and that's a good thing. But Jesus says: if the salt loses its flavor, it's no longer good for anything (Matthew 5:13). Being salt and light means keeping a visible difference in our words, our clothing, our leisure, our choices, all while truly loving those who don't yet know Christ. A Christian who goes "undercover" at work or with family isn't a disciple: he's just someone who shows up at church.

How can I know if I'm truly a disciple of Christ, and not just someone who shows up at church?

Jesus didn't ask us to make Christians, he asked us to make disciples. Showing up at church doesn't make you a disciple: it makes you someone who shows up at church. A true disciple is someone who has asked forgiveness for their sins, who walks according to the Word, who prays with their family, who gets down on their knees before the Lord, whose sin no longer leaves them indifferent. No one, not even the pastor, can answer that question for you. Each of us examines ourselves before the Word of God.