Who Are You Hanging With?

 July 28, 2024

Sunday

I know that Jesus ate with sinners. The truth is, we are all sinners and if He ate with anyone, He was eating with a sinner. The religious people of the day used this to accuse Him of being one of them. He wasn't. Now, lots of people use this as their basis for running with those who don't know the Lord. Yes, I have heard them say that they are witnessing to them. I have yet to see one of their friends come to know the Lord. (They also use the "I become all things to all people" to excuse their activities with those who don't know the Lord.)

So, should we run with the people who don't know the Lord or hang with the people who do. The answer is complicated.

The future of whether a churched student will become like the unchurched students is largely determined by who he make friends with the first two weeks of each semester. Peer pressure is enormously compelling each of us to act like those around us. That's why we all have similar accents if we grew up in a certain area. We mimic those around us to talk like they talk. We want to fit in.

On the other hand, how will we ever have the opportunity to share Christ with people if we are never around them? We won't.

So, is there a principle that we can follow when it comes to being around those who do not know the Lord? I think there is. We cannot become so close that we identify with them. That means that we can be around them for awhile but not for a very long while without being around those who know the Lord and act like it. We must not lose our way.

Now, that would apply to anyone we are coached by too. We cannot identify so much with a teacher or a coach who has no integrity so that we become like that teacher or coach. There have been many solidly believing college students who have been led astray by professors and coaches. There must be a discernment that goes beyond the maturity of the student to recognize that he or she is being swayed by these teachers and coaches. The more the involvement with those without integrity and faith, the more there is a need to be around and discipled by someone who is godly.

That is why each one of us needs an accountability partner. That is why the Bible tells us not to marry non-Christians. Your closest companion should be your spouse. That spouse should be able to tell you when you are letting things get out of hand. The non-Christian spouse will not only not do that but will applaud your walk away from the Lord.

Jesus identified with His Father so completely that He was able to eat with the sinners and not become one of them. He did so because He spent time with His Father. That must be you, too. Make friends with the lost but do not become like them. Make sure you have an accountability partner who will call your hand when you get too close. Watch that you are not sneaking around to be with someone who is bringing you down. Spend time daily with the Lord.

And make sure that you truly do share Christ with those you have made friends with.

2 Corinthians 6:14–18 (NASB 2020) ¹⁴ Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? ¹⁵ Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial, or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ Or what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell among them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. ¹⁷ “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord. “and do not touch what is unclean; And I will welcome you. ¹⁸ “And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,” Says the Lord Almighty.