Living Bold in Babylon

One of the greatest challenges for followers of Jesus is knowing how to relate to the world. There are some who claim to follow Jesus and yet their lives are indistinguishable from those in the world who are without Christ. Others try to live as separate and cut off from the world as possible to avoid corrupting influences.

Those whose lives have been changed by Jesus have been called out and delivered from the world. Jesus's followers have also been sent back into the world in search of others who have not yet followed Jesus.

Jesus made it clear that the Kingdom of God was not on defense. Those that are citizens of that Kingdom have been placed on earth, delivered from sin, and sent back into the world for a purpose and with a mission.

As the world gets darker and days grow more evil it becomes even more urgent for believers to learn how to live boldly in an increasingly hostile world.

In Daniel 1:8-20, we can gain some helpful encouragement and insight from the lives of four Jewish teenagers. These young men saw their homes and nation destroyed and were taken far away to live as captives in a completely foreign land.