John 17:14

John 17:14 says, I have given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.  The disciples may have started following Jesus believing that they were going to help rule in a worldly kingdom and be looked up to by all, but Jesus knew the truth. The disciples were going to be hated by the world, just as Jesus was.  We should understand that our calling today as followers of Christ is not to be loved by the world, but to love the world, those who are not Christians, just as Jesus loved them. We are called to be set apart from the world, and because of our profession of faith in Jesus, we are told we will be hated.  This is hardly the escape from the problems of the world that we, as His followers, are accused of.  Verse fifteen adds, I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from evil.  We can look at being taken out of the world in at least two ways.  One is to be literally taken to Heaven.  We know that as His followers, one day we will be taken out of this world, whether by death or the return of Jesus.  The other is to be totally separated from the world with as little interaction as possible.  Jesus said He was not asking for either of these.  As His followers, we must be in the world to witness to the world.  Jesus asked instead that the Father keep us from evil.  Again, this can mean at least two things.  One is that the hatred of the world will not cause us to falter in our obedience to Christ.  The other is that we not be tempted by the evil of the world to allow it to come between God and us. We may be tempted to hate the world, but again, we are called to love.  We may be tempted by the wealth of the world, but we are asked to rely on God for our daily needs.  We may be tempted to feel superior to the world, but we are called to serve.  We are God's representatives in the world, and He will be with us through everything that happens. Verse sixteen continues, They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. We are not to be like everyone else in the world, because we follow the will of God.  We cannot profess that what God teaches us is unimportant in certain situations.  We are to bring the lost to Him, and we cannot change His teachings and reach the world.  We must love the lost world as Jesus loves it, even if it costs us everything in this world.