Are we called to coexist, are we supposed to be tolerant and accept everyone’s belief and befriend the world? This ideology is to help us all get along and live a more productive and happy life just coexist with everyone. I think God has a different plan.

Let’s first look at the world’s definition of coexist: to exist together or at the same time.  So to that I would say we do that already.

According to Wikipedia which you can read it for yourself at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religions_and_spiritual_traditions

The planet is filled with roughly 4200 religions, so we obviously have been coexisting for some time now.  This coexist movement is nothing more than a deception from the devil, a way to distract people from seeking their one true Savior which is Jesus Christ.  The whole agenda for coexist foundation is to get you to believe that we are all the same.  We all serve the same God and we all can live with each other.  We all belong to different religions and need to be accepting and understanding of one’s particular ways.  They want to worship and serve their gods.  The only problem is there is only One True God, and there is only One Way to God and that is through Jesus Christ.

If people want to start a movement to get along with one another, all they have to do is do what the Bible says to do.  The Bible says we are to display these Christ-like attributes in Galatians 5:22-23:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

Love

True, biblical love is a choice, not a feeling. It deliberately expresses itself in loving ways and always seeks the welfare of others. Biblical love is dependent on the giver’s character, not emotion. For instance, a mature believer demonstrating love will not exercise his or her freedom if that action might harm another Christian in some way. Rather than risking the possibility of causing the immature Christian to question and stumble, the mature believer will not exercise his freedom out of love for his brother (Romans 14:1-15). Love chooses to set aside one’s own preferences, desires, and sometimes even needs to put the other person first (Philippians 2:1-3). *

Joy

Sometimes we Christians tend to downplay the meaning of joy. But, the Greek word translated as “joy” in Galatians 5 means “gladness and delight” – basically the same thing the world means when it talks about joy. It is a feeling of gladness based on our circumstances. Sadly, the world’s joy cannot last because it is based on feeling, physical circumstances. But the joy of the Lord is established in our spiritual, eternal circumstances. As we cling tight to Jesus, abiding daily in our saving relationship with Him, we will experience the fullness of joy He promised (John 15:4-11). *

Peace

The world doesn’t offer much peace. Just look around. The world cannot give it because the world doesn’t know the One who is peace. But for those who have the Spirit of peace within us, the peace of Christ is possible, no matter our circumstances (John 14:27). We can reject the chaos of the world and embrace God’s peace. The book of Philippians tells us how (Philippians 4:4-9). First, choose to rejoice in God and who He is. Second, bring all your worries, fears, and concerns to God in prayer. Third, fill your mind with God’s truth. And fourth, choose to think about the things of God. *

Patience

We don’t see much patience in the world today, not even in the church. Maybe part of the reason is our fast-paced, want-it-now culture. But Christians have everything we need to be patient because we have the Holy Spirit living in us longing to display His character to those around us. Patient people put up with circumstances and other people, even when severely tried. Patient people display endurance, longsuffering, and perseverance. The New Testament also specifically connects patience with sharing the Gospel. God is patient as He waits for the lost to come to Him (2 Peter 3:9) and He calls His people to be patient as we extend the offer of salvation in Christ to others (2 Timothy 4:20). *

Kindness and Goodness

The characteristics of “kindness” and “goodness” are closely related. Together they present the picture of one who not only possesses moral goodness and integrity, but also generously expresses it in the way they act toward others. This “goodness in action” reflects God’s kindness and goodness toward us. God demonstrated His kindness and goodness to us in our salvation (Titus 3:4) and will continue to “show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us” for all eternity! (Ephesians 2:7) *

Faithfulness

To be “faithful” is to be reliable or trustworthy. For the Christian, this is faithfulness specifically to the Savior who redeemed us. Christian faithfulness therefore, is continued and consistent submission and obedience to the same Spirit who provides the ability for us to be faithful. This attitude is in direct contrast to our previous “faithfulness” to our own sinful desires and ways. The word also describes someone willing to suffer persecution and even death for Christ’s sake. “Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.” (2 Thessalonians 1:4) *

Gentleness/Meekness

Closely linked to humility, gentleness is grace of the soul. It is not weakness, but instead it is strength under control. For instance, in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he wrote that the “Lord’s servant” will “correct his opponents with gentleness” (2 Timothy 2:25). And in Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia, he wrote that those who have been caught in sin should be restored in a “spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). Gentleness, being the opposite of self-assertiveness and self-interest, is also a key ingredient in unity and peace within the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:2) *

Self-Control

The last characteristic in Paul’s description of the fruit of the Spirit points us back to his list of the “works of the flesh” in Galatians 5:19-21. Those of us with the indwelling Holy Spirit has the strength to control our sinful desires, to say “no” to our flesh. Self-control gives us the power to say “yes” to the Spirit and foster a beautiful, bountiful harvest of spiritual fruit! *

*https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-are-the-fruit-of-the-spirit.html

So by the commands of Christ, we are to love as Christ loves the church, displaying our Christ-like joy, maintain a peaceful persona, be patient, be kind to others, show goodness through integrity, show our faithfulness through our worship and service to our Lord, have a gentle spirit, and through our actions show self-control.  Against such things there is no law.  What we’re not to do, is be part of the world for the Bible says in John 15:19:

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

The world is under the rule of Satan.  We see that Jesus referred to him as the ruler of this world in John 12:31:

“The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.”

Paul calls him the commander of the powers in the unseen world in Ephesians 2:2:

“You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.^[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.”

And he refers to him as the god of this world in 2 Corinthians 4:4:

 ^“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”

John makes statements as well in 1 John 5:19:

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.”

These references make it clear that outside of a relationship with Christ that you are under the control of the devil and with that being said, can we as Christians just coexist with the world?  Can we with a good conscious just stand by and watch others be misled by Satan and his many false religions?  Would this be true love to know that the people we are coexisting with are headed to an eternity in hell?  Absolutely not!

Contrary to the opinions of many, including the founders of the coexist ideology and foundation, we will not in any way, shape, or form ever coexist if we all don’t accept Jesus Christ as our Savior.  He is the only hope for true salvation and for a life spent in eternity with God our Father.

I will say this, that yes we are to be in this world, but only to spread the Good News and with hope lead people into a loving relationship with Jesus.  For this, you will be hated and persecuted.

The Bible does say this in Matthew 10:22:

“And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.” And in Matthew 5:10-12:

10 “God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 11 God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.”

So are we to Coexist?  NO!  Are we to be persecuted for Christ?  YES!  So let’s not be so quick to jump on the world’s bandwagon, because they could just be leading you down the broad path that many are traveling, only to lead to destruction.  Remember we are called to take the narrow path, the difficult path because that leads to righteousness. (Matthew 7:13-14)