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What hinders a Christian in their walk with God and how can they address these issues for their spiritual betterment?
●Who Should I Associate With?
CHAPTER 3
WHO SHOULD I ASSOCIATE WITH?
When I got saved, I had received an incredible saturation of God’s divine love, joy, and peace. However, as the anointing of the Holy Spirit dissipated my mental tendencies, as they were before I was saved, began to resurface. Here I was a single guy in his mid-twenties, who even though I was attending worship service on Sunday morning along with a bible study mid-week there were still five other nights that were not accounted for. I continued to go to night clubs, dancing, drinking, and looking for girls. The difference this time was that the messages that I would hear twice a week would remind me that I should start to make better decisions concerning these involvements.
Due to certain circumstances I left the initial church that I got saved in. As time went on I found a church that was newly established. I attended the once a week worship service. It was dynamite. The Holy Spirit would impact me with his presence. The word was insightful. But again I had six other nights free. Eventually, a second night for gathering together was established. Soon I was told of another meeting that was taking place not too far away from where I lived by an affiliated branch ministry. Now I had three nights where I attended the worship services in order to hear the word of God and be impacted by the Holy Spirit’s presence.
On one particular occasion I attended a worship service with two of my friends, both of whom were born again. When the service ended a fellow believer asked us if we could give him a ride home to which I responded, sure. On the way to his house he pulled out of his pocket a couple of marijuana cigarettes and asked us if we wanted to indulge in this drug. We all agreed. I found a hidden place to park the car, and all of us participated in this paraphernalia. After a few minutes we were in a zombie like state. A period of time went by and I eventually drove everyone home.
This interaction of going to church, hearing a message, being impacted by God’s presence, driving this particular person home, and then partaking in marijuana went on for about three weeks. At that point I told him that this had to stop. If he still needed a ride home after church service, then fine. However, I told him that if he asked any of us again as we were driving him home to smoke marijuana we would no longer be giving him a ride. A short time later following worship service he asked for a ride home. While on the way he mentioned that if anyone wanted to get stoned that he had marijuana cigarettes on him. I spoke up and told him that was it. I would no longer be giving him rides home anymore.
As most of us are aware Jesus called some unsavory people to be his disciples, some of whom later became apostles. During his three years of public ministry I’m sure that there were plenty of instances when the disciples’ fleshly tendencies were on display. However, their sinful ways didn’t cause Christ’s walk to deviate from God the Father’s plan.
Why?
Because He was continually submissive to the Father, listening to his voice and obeying his directives.
As a result his life impacted his disciples instead of theirs impacting him.
If you want to have God’s wisdom in making decisions concerning who to associate with it first starts with you making decisions to take advantage in listening to the teachings of the assembly. Some of these teachings should assist you in addressing areas of weakness that have inhibited the ministry of the Holy Spirit from operating in your life. As you learn to appropriate new thoughts for those areas of mental dysfunction and reflect upon them throughout your day you will begin to recognize the availableness of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
What I would like to present to you next are some scriptural sections that will provide clarity as to when you should decide to no longer associate with certain individuals.
Let’s initially take a look at 1 Corinthians.
Evil Communications Corrupt Good Manners
1 Corinthians 15:12-33
There are some skeptics in the church of Corinth that believe there is no bodily resurrection.
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
The apostle Paul says that if this is true, then our preaching is in vain (has no meaning), and your faith is vain (without value).
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
He goes on to say that if this is the case, then he is a false witness of God. The gospel (good news) of Christ that he preaches is therewith become useless and worthless.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
Again he says if Christ is not raised, then your faith is vain (without results); and ye are yet in your sins (meaning that you are unpardoned sinners).
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
By means of Christ’s atonement (sacrifice) for sins, sin is no more an issue concerning the demands of God’s justice. By Christ giving of his life he annulled the devil’s power over death, a sovereignty of which the souls of all who died would go to one of the two compartments of hell never being able to be released. Rom 4:25 speaks of the judicial act of God the Father delivering God the Son to the justice that required the payment of the penalty for human sin18. After which he was raised from the dead for our justification (in order to reconcile us to God).
The Resurrection was God's validation that the redemption paid by Christ on the cross was accepted19.
Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Rom 4:25
Some of the believers rejected the resurrection in order to rationalize their sin, because according to them what they did with their bodies would have no bearing on their future. Paul goes on to say, be not deceived. Don’t believe something that is not true. Conversations or companionship with those who deny the resurrection will result in the ruin of one’s morals, good character, and cause their faith to be weakened. So don’t associate with them, not even for the sake of their pleasing conversation, literary accomplishments, and glozing (to explain something away) speeches.
Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.
1 Cor 15:33
These verses are very clear. If there are those who are teaching or hold to the belief that Christ was not raised from the dead, don’t associate with them in any way, shape, or form.
Some might say that this response is not very Christ-like. Was Christ’s response to the religion of the Pharisees Christ-like? Was Christ’s response to Peter Christ-like when Peter said to Him that He would not suffer and die?
The next verse that we will look at is taken from the Old Testament.
He That Walketh With Wise Men Shall Be Wise
Prov 13:20
He that habitually and continuously keeps company with people who have wisdom shall be wise, but one who has intercourse and companionship with those who act stupidly will lose their mind and suffer moral ruin.
20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
This verse is addressed to the Jews of the Old Testament. We will use it as an application for us, as Christians, for today.
You might respond by saying that this verse is telling us to not be a companion with those who act stupidly. If this was the case, then this would intimate that as Christians we should stay in our own circles and not associate with unbelievers. But what this verse is really saying is that we should not be intimate with them, but rather intimacy should be with those who have divine wisdom.
Why should we be around those who have divine wisdom?
So that we will have divine wisdom to impact those who act stupidly.
Are you having problems with alcohol abuse? Get divine wisdom.
Are you having problems with lust toward men or women? Get divine wisdom.
Are you having problems with your temper? Get divine wisdom.
The following verse conveys this idea very well.
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
Let’s take a look at one more section of scriptures that convey the idea of not associating with certain believers. I think that for many who are in the leadership positions in the church the circumstance that will be presented next is one that they would rather not address; and likewise if they did I wonder how many of the assembly would not agree with their approach. Please go to 1 Cor. 5.
Purge Out Therefore The Old Leaven
1 Cor 5:1-13
Paul has received a report concerning someone in the church, who is involved in an illicit sexual relationship with his step mother. The sin is so public that it cannot be concealed and it is so certain that it cannot be denied.
1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.
He tells them that they, the believers in Corinth, were living in pride, because they were afflicted and troubled in taking the proper means for removing the offender.
2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.
If he (Paul) was present, he would know what judgment to administer to him that has committed this sin.
3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,
A single sin corrupts the whole church. Therefore, they are to remove this person from their company.
6 Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?
7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
It is our business to judge [used of the disciplinary judgment to which Christians subject the conduct of their fellows, passing censure (Dict. - to find fault with, to criticize harshly20) upon them as the facts require] fellow believers, when the sin committed is commonly known by the church assembly.
12 For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?
Evidently there are plenty of witnesses (Dict. - one who can or does state as the truth what he himself has seen, heard, or knows21) to the egregious sin. The protocol for handling this sin is as follows: the accused is rendered innocent or guilty before the judicial court of the elders or those who serve in this judicial capacity without the congregation being present. If the accused is found guilty, the announcement of the offense is made before the church without the accused believer being present along with such a censure as the case demands. Paul described here an official church meeting at which the offender was dealt with according to divine instructions. Public sin must be publicly judged and condemned. The sin was not to be "swept under the rug
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