A self-explanatory, hopefully beneficial video about the company we keep.
[video]https://youtu.be/Lc6UObH25oY[/video]
[video]https://youtu.be/Lc6UObH25oY[/video]
ARE YOUR FRIENDS FRIENDS OF GOD? (Video)
- Thread starter LightShinesInTheDarkness
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Jesus was a friend of sinners we are told in scriptures. I think we should "friend" those who are unsaved for how else shall they see and witness the work of Christ upon us. We are told that we are His fragrance in the world and a letter read by others.
That being said, there are those with whom we have a special bond that goes beyond friends. We are sisters and brothers in Christ, they become our spiritual family.
I am friends with unbelievers, even those who have no moral compass, but they do not influence me in any way. Quite the contrary, they are slowly and steadily being influenced by me, because when they are in my presence, they are in the presence of Christ.
"Go, ye, into the world and spread the gospel". We are the gospel through our behavior, our speech, and above all our love.
That being said, there are those with whom we have a special bond that goes beyond friends. We are sisters and brothers in Christ, they become our spiritual family.
I am friends with unbelievers, even those who have no moral compass, but they do not influence me in any way. Quite the contrary, they are slowly and steadily being influenced by me, because when they are in my presence, they are in the presence of Christ.
"Go, ye, into the world and spread the gospel". We are the gospel through our behavior, our speech, and above all our love.
How we interact with the unsaved must be a matter of personal faith, as I said in the video. But not being buddies with spiritually unregenerate people (because you enjoy doing what they do, think as they do, or because you want their approval or don't want to offend them), or not associating with Christians who are choosing not to obey Christ, is not my own idea; the Scriptures teach us to do the same thing---for a reason. (Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, 15:33,34; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, 7:1; Ephesians 5:1-17; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Heb 12:14,15).
It doesn't mean we don't love them. Faith, and the instructions of God's written word, must be our guide and authority in terms of how we interact with all people.
The sinners who came to Jesus came to Him because they knew they were sinners (sick) and they wanted to be forgiven and made well (saved), not because He was the life of the party. They wanted what He was offering. If they had been happy in their sins, or if they had thought they were righteous, like the Pharisees did, they wouldn't have come to Him.
(What do you think He was doing with those tax collectors and sinners?)
And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at His disciples, saying, "Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" And Jesus answered them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."(Luke 5:30-32)
Sometimes I interact with "spiritually unregenerate" people because I enjoy doing a lot of the things they do. Some of them love concerts and shopping. We take trips together and laugh a lot. And we agree on many thoughts about things. Some of them are the best parents when it comes to listening, encouraging and loving their kids. A lot of them really do not behave much different than Christians - some even better! It is just what they value and what they are lacking.
It is just not a matter of such black and white.
And I still think Jesus was just showing the sinners he ate and drank with that they were not people to avoid. Just to be with them was showing them mercy. I wonder if He did not seek these people out long before they were ready to repent.
Just sharing what I think.
It is just not a matter of such black and white.
And I still think Jesus was just showing the sinners he ate and drank with that they were not people to avoid. Just to be with them was showing them mercy. I wonder if He did not seek these people out long before they were ready to repent.
Just sharing what I think.
So if lost people acted more Christians it would all be good. That's the gist of the video. Sorry, but that comes across as religious, legalistic, sectarianism, and Pharisaical, not Christianity.
It appears the OP has developed a disdain for professing believers and the lost as her threads and subjects of choice indicate. Pretty saddening to be honest.
It appears the OP has developed a disdain for professing believers and the lost as her threads and subjects of choice indicate. Pretty saddening to be honest.
Some of the best people I ever knew were people who DID NOT keep to themselves. I can be friendly with many people. That doesn't mean They are my friends. I have a nephew I love dearly......but he is not my friend. I guess maybe the place to start would be, first define "friend". The saying "friends don't let friends drive drunk", for instance. For me, this means that I didn't just come out of a bar with a "friend" and because I was sober, I drove the car. But if that "friend" calls me needing someone to drive them home, then I will help them in any way I can. Christians don't desert another in need. All my "true friends" are Christians. I guess I say that because I keep the bar raised pretty high. But I know many other people I am friendly to, while being an example to those who might yet be saved. The long/short.............I don't agree with the OP.
That is not the gist of the video. If you believe that it is, you missed the point. Likewise with my other posts, the point and meaning of which you have also apparently missed and misunderstood. (Why do you keep coming to my posts?)
This video is not about 'keeping to oneself' as a Christian, but about being wise about the company we keep, and interacting with others as the Lord would have us to do, which we can know both from the instructions of the Scriptures and the personal faith that He gives us (which would not contradict the teachings of His written word).
The most important thing for each of us to know is whether or not God approves of how we interact and associate with others, whether saved or unsaved---our actions/activities as well as our motives. We can't know this without faith, or without His word. It also requires the spiritual discernment that comes with greater spiritual maturity in the knowledge of God and of His will as He renews our minds.
The less spiritually mature a Christian is, the more he or she will enjoy spending time with unsaved people---because they have common interests and similar ways of thinking. The more spiritually mature (Christ-like) a Christian is, the less he or she will have in common with an unsaved person and the less he or she (the Christian) will want to be with such people (in a friendship sense), because unsaved people's interests and attitudes are not those of Christ, and the spiritually mature Christian will not be interested in or attracted to such things.
That is as it should be. There is no fellowship between light and darkness. They naturally separate from each other. The more full of light we are, the less we will enjoy the company of darkness, in the sense of the like-mindedness that is the substance of friendship. Spiritual people have spiritual pursuits, attitudes, and concerns. Carnal people have carnal pursuits and attitudes and worldly concerns.
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I was addressing a specific issue in this video, about being wise about the company we keep, and making sure that it is the company that the Lord would have us to keep and for the right reasons. Just like everything else in our lives, how we interact with others, and who we interact with, must be directed both by the personal faith God gives us, and the instructions of His word. I interact with unsaved people, but I am not friends with any. That doesn't mean I don't love them, or that I don't spend any time with them. My lack of unsaved friends is a matter of a lack of like-mindedness with them, and of my knowing, doing and desiring to do what is pleasing to the Lord, and what is His will (which unsaved people do not and do not have), and of my being focused on the things of God, rather than worldly pursuits and concerns.
I bet Zacchaeus is glad Jesus didn't think like that... Or the woman at the well, or Mary Magdalene, or...
I bet Saul sure was happy those apostles came to see him. Not King Saul, the other one.
Ever heard of being the light of the world? It don't do no good when you cover the light up.
I bet Saul sure was happy those apostles came to see him. Not King Saul, the other one.
Ever heard of being the light of the world? It don't do no good when you cover the light up.
How we shine depends on how the Lord directs us to do it, by His Spirit and His word.
How much we shine depends on how much like Christ we are, which requires the renewal of the mind of the Christian by God---who renews the minds of those who seek Him and obey Him faithfully (not the ones who are pursuing pleasure and selfish interests and are disregarding His will and His commandments as it suits them to do).
A worldly Christian isn't shining much (even if they think they are); and a carnal and spiritually immature Christian is more easily ensnared (by temptation), led astray (deceived), and destroyed than a mature one. The demons know this...and they invite them to play.
In your video you lamented the actions of the lost not being the same as the saved. I didn't miss the point, I went by your own statements in your video.
Perhaps you missed your own point and how you came across?
Well...I currently have two best friends (One male, one female)...
The female one is definitely not (She's a devout Muslim), but that doesn't interfere with the strong bond we have with each other.
As for the male friend (He used to be my friend in primary school back in Hong Kong and just two months ago, we finally got back in contact through WhatsApp after 5-6 years of absolutely no means of communication), I haven't asked about his religion yet, and I feel a little uncomfortable doing so, as idk if he would find me asking him that a little uncomfortable...
The female one is definitely not (She's a devout Muslim), but that doesn't interfere with the strong bond we have with each other.
As for the male friend (He used to be my friend in primary school back in Hong Kong and just two months ago, we finally got back in contact through WhatsApp after 5-6 years of absolutely no means of communication), I haven't asked about his religion yet, and I feel a little uncomfortable doing so, as idk if he would find me asking him that a little uncomfortable...
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J
joefizz
Guest
Yeah asking about religious beliefs has set my foot in my mouth so to speak many times,best to tread carefully.
J
joefizz
Guest
Most my friends are here on Christian Chat,but outside of here I have a few friends,not sure what their exact beliefs are but some despite some odd behavior and different religious beliefs are good friends to me,actually I can only think of two also though my thoughts are different,one a female is into norse mythology,the other a male is into apparently a different denomination from baptist but not sure which one,all my other friends from school or currently on facebook,I really don't pry about religious beliefs,although if you count some guys at work then it would be that I have two male friends there(only worked at my job about a year)1 Christian not sure what denomination and 1 atheist,the one that is Christian is nice and jokes with me and tries to encourage me to remember Jesus always and sometimes likes praying at work,the other who is an atheist has seizures like me and we get along well,especially since we are both hard workers despite our impairment(his is worse than mine) and he doesn't mind talking about God or Jesus a bit but he can't believe in God because of how bad his life has been(many medical issues particularly seizures).
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Preacher4Truth,
I already addressed this issue (the difference between goats, or lost sheep, and Christians who have fallen away or swerved from the faith, practically---not necessarily with the words of their mouths) with you on another thread. 31 Signs You Might Be Apostate I believe it was. You never responded to that explanation, and I'm guessing by this post you either didn't read it or didn't understand it.
I already addressed this issue (the difference between goats, or lost sheep, and Christians who have fallen away or swerved from the faith, practically---not necessarily with the words of their mouths) with you on another thread. 31 Signs You Might Be Apostate I believe it was. You never responded to that explanation, and I'm guessing by this post you either didn't read it or didn't understand it.
(Copy & pasted from 31 Signs You Might Be Apostate) :
Disobedient sheep can behave like goats. Do true Christians sin? Of course. Do they sometimes persist in doing something they know God doesn't want them to do even though they know it's wrong or not His will? Yes.
Christians still have the sinful nature; it's not eradicated when we get saved, and it's no less depraved in a Christian than it is in an unsaved person. We just have the God-given desire and power (grace) to overcome it's desires. But no one does this perfectly all the time. And just because the Holy Spirit lives in a person, doesn't mean he or she can't choose not to listen to or keep in step with Him. That doesn't mean that he or she isn't saved.
If the person has the Holy Spirit living in them, they're saved (a Christian).
(That doesn't necessarily mean they will stay saved, but that's their choice and God's judgment to make. As long as the Holy Spirit is in them, they're saved, regardless of how they are choosing to behave.)
Can Christians lie, murder, steal, commit adultery (in the mind or the flesh), be proud, jealous, hypocritical, covetous, etc.? Of course. They shouldn't, but they certainly have the capability to, and some choose to do so. That doesn't mean that they are goats.
There are some goats who behave better than some sheep! They're not justified in God's sight of course, and they're not going to heaven; but their outward behavior can be better than the behavior of a disobedient Christian.
(It's bizarre to me how folks can accuse me of preaching sinless perfection on the one hand, and then when I talk about Christians stubbornly refusing to obey God in one way or the other, they say that true Christians can't choose to persist in sin. Well, they can. That passage from Hebrews 10 that I included in my last post says as much, and other scriptures agree. Besides the fact being self-evident to any Christian who's honest. You can show a brother his fault, but there's no guarantee he'll listen to you. He might choose to repent; he might not.)
And that's not the same situation as a person who claims to have been born again but whose character and conduct don't change as a result of their supposed conversion. There are plenty of them too, but my business isn't with them.
It's not always easy to know who is who and what's what, especially if you don't know the person personally and spend time with them and talk to them.
I don't make it my business to be preoccupied with who is a goat and who is a sheep; the sheep know I'm talking to them.
IIRC I answered you sufficiently on your other post sister. Believe me, I've read everything you've written on these issues, so no need to guess that I didn't understand it. I understand everything you're trying to convey but see you as in error on several issues.
What I want you to see in that thread is you really do not show a true understanding of what an apostate is. I explained to you there an apostate is not a Christian. You simply overlooked these glaring errors you've made and just carry on without correcting yourself Biblically.
Do you think you could perhaps slow down in your misplaced zeal and use accurate Biblical language and descriptions and accept correction? I answered your OP over there at length, answering each and every point you made and received nothing substantial in response from you. Basically it was ignored and you blew it off.
Take time to understand your position on calling Christians apostate as being unbiblical. Could you correct that so we can continue in Biblical dialog based on said correction to your understanding? Either that or you're just wasting our time.
The question to ask yourself, to know the answer for yourself, and to have God's peace about, is whether or not---according to His written word and His will for you personally---the Lord is pleased with the company you keep, and with how and why you are interacting and associating with them. If those two things (personal faith and the word of God) are your guides, your interactions and relationships with other people, Christian or not, will be acceptable and pleasing to Him, and He will guard you also from corruption (which, of course, He does not want).
Actually the majority of your time is spent condemning others as lost, that, and you just contradicted yourself up above. Anyone can see this. I don't say it to condemn, but in hope that you might change your mind and actually see it for yourself.
You've called Christians apostate in another thread. Now this thread is doing the same type of thing, you're predetermining who is lost/saved/apostate &c. You expect that the lost should act as if saved in behavior, and if so it's all good, then we can be their friends. It is how you spend your time sister and shows the basis of your position.
Perhaps in your objective to correct, condemn and talk down to others, it is a way of God showing you that you need to be corrected?
Keep in mind dear sister what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10. He didn't instruct us to not associate (keep company) with the lost who behave in wicked sin, but not to associate with any professing believer who lives this way. Do you accept or reject this plain truth?
We can associate with the lost and sinful. No, I didn't say "hang out" with them, no, I didn't say "partake in their sins," no, I didn't say "compromise our walk" or anything of the sort. I used a Biblical description and allowance, Biblical language so please do not go extreme here and turn it into something not said.
Since this Biblical mandate is adverse to the gist of your OP, will you seek God to correct you here and accept his correction?