I’ve been a Christian for about nine months. Although I’ve made a lot of friends who are Christians, I still have quite a few who aren’t. Can I still hang out with friends who aren’t Christians? Why or why not?
Find a quarter and two pennies. Place the quarter on a table. Put the two pennies about five inches below the quarter, one inch apart.
Now, pretend God is the quarter, you are the penny on the left, and your friend is the penny on the right. As you grow closer to God (move your penny up an inch or two), what happens to the distance between you and your friend? It gets wider! When only one person in a friendship moves closer to God, that’s what happens to the relationship automatically!
Our closest friends have an effect on our behavior. That’s why hanging around with old friends who aren’t Christians will probably not help you become a stronger Christian. This is the message of 2 Corinthians 6:14. If you spend all of your time with unbelievers, you’ll tend to become like them and not move closer to God.
In the early stages of your Christian life, you need friends who will help you grow spiritually. However, God doesn’t want you to be totally isolated from those who aren’t Christians. If you’re going to be Christ’s representative to those who don’t know him (see 2 Cor 5:18-20), you have to be around them!
"Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do." Ephesians 5:17
Take time to consider the direction the Lord would have you go.
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