The Bible uses the phrase “the world” to talk about the culture we find ourselves living in. When the Bible talks about the world in this way, it’s talking about the world around us that is in opposition to God and His Kingdom. God and His Kingdom are sacred. The world is secular. The world is where you live, breathe, and do life. The biblical idea of the world and our understanding of our culture are basically one in the same. We interact with the culture around us, most commonly through media such as movies, magazines, TV, music, the Internet, and social networks. You interact with these each day, consuming so much of our culture’s values and characteristics.

• So, what is your relationship with culture? 
• How comfortable are you with its messages and values? 
• Do you fit in? Or stand out?

Read John 15: 18-21

DISCUSS

From verse 18,

• What was Jesus’ point in trying to compare the way His followers are treated by the world and how He was treated?

• What do you think Jesus meant when He said that the world might “hate” us?

• What are some examples where you or others you know have experienced the “hate” of the world simply because you identified with Christ?

• Jesus gets to the heart of the matter in verse 19. What do you think Jesus meant when He said, “I have chosen you out of the world”?

DISCUSS

• This truth is a powerful one. As a 21st century Christ-follower, what does it mean to be set apart, or separated from the world you live in?

• Think for a moment about how we interact with culture through TV, or movies, or the Internet. As Christ-followers, how are our interactions supposed to be different from the rest of the world?

• How does this impact the decisions we make when it comes to what we watch or listen to?

• What other aspects of culture come to mind that present opportunities for us to set ourselves apart as different from the world?
• We can sometimes drift into legalism when it comes to how we engage with culture, what does legalism means?

Read 1 John 2:15-17.

DISCUSS

• Jesus’ words here made an impact on John. How do we know?

• How do you tie this to what Jesus was saying in the passage we read earlier? How is what John is saying here similar to what Jesus was saying in John 15?

• Define what it means in your own words to “love the world”? What does that look like to you? Do you feel a tension here? Why is it so easy to fall into a habit of “loving the world”? Why do we sometimes want to go with the flow and just live like everyone else around us?

• Think about the choices you make in regard to these four different aspects of culture: Movies/TV; Internet; Music; Relationships.
• Which one of these areas is the hardest for you to consistently make choices that reflect your identities as Christ-followers? 
• Why is this specific category so tricky for you?
• What would mean in your lives to take a step toward identifying more strongly with Christ in your choices?
• What will it take to follow through on your thoughts?
• How have you become more aware of the choices that you face each day?