We can tell if God's working in us. Paul tells us that the unsaved complain and find fault, while the saved rejoice. Paul said, "Do all things without murmurings and disputings." What a time to let our light shine---when the economy is bad; politics is failing us; the world is failing us; there isn't any justice anywhere; we can't trust the laws of the land. Which side are we going to be on? There's only two sides, the saints and the sinners. The sinners are going to complain and murmur, and the saints are going to rejoice!

True Christian rejoicing is not in the fact that we have a thousand dollars a week coming in, that we have a good home, a good car, and good clothes---the Christian rejoices in the fact that "Jesus is mine!" Not a thing in the world can take Him away! Paul instructs us many times through this epistle to "rejoice." What a message, coming from a man who was down in a Roman jail. Even though he had been mistreated and he didn't know if his head was going to be chopped off or if he would be set free, he still had joy.

So, the unsaved complain and find fault. This murmuring and complaining here is the same word used back in the Old Testament in the Hebrew where the children of Israel murmured against Moses. If we study it, we'll find that the real trouble was not with Moses, but with the people. We're always prone to blame somebody else. People don't do any murmuring and complaining about themselves... "I can't stand myself, I'm such a hypocrite. I know I'm not faithful in many things." Did you ever hear anybody talk like that? No, we hear them talk about another man (woman). "He's (She's) a hypocrite."

According to verse 15, our society is twisted and distorted, but a Christian stands straight. The reason they stand straight is because they measure their life by the Word of God, the perfect standard. Paul goes on to say that the world is dark, but Christians shine as bright lights. In verse 16, he tells us that the world has nothing to offer the souls of men, but we (Christians) hold forth the Word of life. As the Church, we have the only thing that anyone has to offer for the souls of men. Paul tells us that God "... brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." (2 Timothy 1:10) Putting it in plain language, life here and life hereafter has been brought to light by the Gospel. Right here (in the Gospel) is the secret to real living in this mortal life and in eternity. Notice verse 15 ... this life is to be lived in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation or world. Paul doesn't admonish us to retreat from the world and go into an isolation ward. It's only as we are confronted with the needs and problems of real life that we can become more like Christ. God only manifests Himself to us as we have need. Philippians 4:19 tells us, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." As we live in this sinful, dark troubled world, which we are in, the needs show themselves. It's then, that God is ready to work something in our lives, which will make us more like Christ, and more like Christ to the world.

Anyone who has studied the Bible knows that the Pharisees were isolated and insulated from reality. They had an artificial kind of self-righteousness, totally unlike the righteousness of God. They forced a religion of fear and bondage on people. Christ opposed that religion, and because He opposed that religion, they crucified Him.