As school starts today, one of the biggest things facing you is choosing friends. This is a huge area in our lives & one that affects us more than we realize. And because it is so important, we have to be sure we are choosing the right friends & people to surround ourselves with.
First off, don't be deceived. 1 Corinthians 15:33 tells us "do not be misled: bad company corrupts good character." Don't be fooled. Don't buy into the lie. If you surround yourself with the wrong crowd, you will be brought down. You will be pulled away. Jesus tells us about this in the parable of the seed. The seed that fell among the thorns had a fast growth but was quickly choked out. You, as a seed of Jesus, if surrounded by "thorny" friends, will be choked out. You will not survive. You are not strong enough. And you will not grow in the wrong soil.
Which is why it is so important you choose your friends wisely. You surround yourself with the right crowd. Invest your seed in the right soil. Proverbs 27:17 tells us "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." This means our friends should make us better. Our friends should help make us stronger. Encourage us. Keep us accountable. Build you up. Challenge you to be a better Christ follower.
And as a Christ follower, we know that Jesus set the ultimate example for us to follow in ALL areas of life. Including friends. Jesus' best friends, the 12 disciples, were essentially Christians. They were walking, talking imitators of Christ. We must do the same. Our closest friends need to be Christians. Now, that's not to say "don't be friends with sinners." Because Jesus definitely hung out with the wrong crowd - but everytime He did, He spoke TRUTH. He changed lives. It was all for ministry.
Notice in the Proverb it is IRON sharpening IRON. They are of the same essence. They are of the same elements. You need to be of Christ & so do your friends. We are called to be different. We are called to "no longer follow the pattern of this world." And that includes ALL areas of our lives. Including our friends.
Are you being sharpened? Are you sharpening others? Live it.
JV
I read your post and I appreciate your concern with being apprehensive on who affects our character. But I have a different view of the Biblical followers and disciples of Jesus. I have a Christocentric hermeneutic, so I put a lot of weight on following the example of Jesus when it comes to determining who I should befriend.
ReplyDeleteFirst, technically Jesus’ followers were NOT Christians. In early Christian history, they called themselves ‘Followers of the Way’ in early Christianity, and this was the predominant term for them in the book of Acts. The mention of the term ‘Christian’ only comes up 3 times in the New Testament (Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, 1 Peter 4:16). Second, technically there were not only 12 disciples. They are called ‘The Twelve’ to represent the twelve tribes of Israel.
People often think of disciples as only ‘The Twelve,’ but this is a partial and tainted perspective. First, the list of ‘The Twelve’ actually changes in the Gospels. Mark’s list of disciples is: John, Simon, James, Andrew, Philip, Matthew, Bartholomew, Thomas, Simon the Zealot, James, Jude Thaddeus, and Judas. Matthew has the same list, but in the gospel of Luke, Thaddeus is replaced by another disciple named Judas. In the book of John, the author names only 9 disciples (plus the beloved disciple). In Luke 24, after the resurrection, Jesus appears to a disciple named Cleopas and another unnamed disciple.
Anyway, those who were typically named in the Twelve would have been pretty ‘thorny friends.’ First, Judas was not a great example of being a ‘Christian’ role model. He betrayed Jesus! Second, Simon and Judas, were basically terrorists, because they were guerrilla fighting ZEALOTS. Third, James and John, the SONS OF THUNDER, would have been modern day gang bangers.
Throughout the gospel of Luke, Jesus also had female disciples. Mary, Joanna, Susanna, and ‘others’ are identified in Luke 8. Salome and was dedicated disciples to Jesus even after death.
Read through Luke 14. Specifically the parable of the great dinner in verses 15-24. Everyone is invited to the feast. Jesus represents the host. We should be as inclusive to the world as Jesus. Jesus also opened up his love, friendship, and company to sinners, tax, collectors, prostitutes, lame, blind, and oppressed. These were by no means ‘Followers of the Way’ at the time, yet Jesus wanted to be their friend. If we believe that Jesus can be the savior to everyone, then he can be just as close to those on the outskirts on society as he did to his historical disciples. We too should be close to all types of people. We need to befriend everyone so they can experience that the love of Christ too.
geraldhenderson1983,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the feedback! I really appreciate you reading along & for your input!
I would like to clarify that these posts are just short portions of my lessons I teach. They are meant to capture the general idea & lesson from the teaching, so a lot of details are lost when transferring 30+ minutes of teaching into a quick read. But I still hope you are blessed by it!
I agree with you on a few of your points. I generalized The Twelve & didn't go into any specific detail on their individual lives. That certainly was not the point of my teaching, but yes the disciples far included more than just The Twelve.
And indeed they didn't refer to themselves as Christians. Yes, that term did not yet even exist. But being disciples of Jesus & Him being their Rabbi, they were learning to be like Him. They were learning to act like Him. Talk like Him. Become Him. Which, essentially, would give us the understanding they would be Christians by today's terms.
Also, let me clarify that I would never endorse not being a friend to EVERYONE. We are called to love ALL people, and include ALL people in the love & friendship we share & show. The challenge was to not be misled by constantly surrounding yourself with the wrong crowd. That our closest friends should be those who can sharpen us to become more like Jesus. Challenge us to grow. Keep us accountable. But again, never did I remotely mention excluding our love & friendship.
But reading the Bible, when Jesus did befriend the lost, He spoke truth. He just didn't kick it with them. And that was the challenge for the students. Love people. Speak truth. Change lives.
I hope you can see the intent of the post & also understand details are often left behind when translating. But thank you again for your input & hope you continue to read along with us! God Bless brother!
JV
Thanks for the response. Good word. I hope you didn't think I was attacking your post or anything, I just felt like contributing to the conversation. Keep up the good faith man. I may have to keep up with your blog from now on!
ReplyDeleteWell I'm glad you contributed! All conversation & discussion welcome! Again I appreciate your words & would love for you to keep up! God Bless!
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