If Jesus lived in this day and age, where would He most likely be? Maybe we’d expect him to be a sort of traveling evangelist making his way across the country, holding revival meetings and staying in homes of other Christians. He’d call upon a great Christian leader like Billy Graham to help Him with his work.
From what the Gospels tell us about Jesus' earthly life, I’m not so sure. I think he’d be very different from the image described above. Jesus didn't hang around with religious leaders of his time. In fact, he rebuked them on occasion for their false pride and piety. And though he went to the synagogue, he was incensed by their disrespect for God's house.
No, Jesus could be found in homes of tax collectors like Zacchaeus...in Samaria talking to a woman - a definite no-no in Jewish culture. He hung around with a motley crew of fishermen and other ruffians. He gained many of his followers from the ordinary places and turned them into extraordinary servants of God.
Recently I had a conversation where I was asked for a passage supporting the notion of being careful who you associate with. The context was more about helping a weak brother surround themselves with good influences. Makes sense! But it got me to thinking…”what kind of company should we be keeping?”
Maybe you can think of passages suggesting we only hang around with “good” people. Paul did tell the Corinthians “have nothing to do with immoral people...(5:9ff). But…then he went on to say, “I don't mean the immoral people of this world. I mean the immoral people in the church.” (5:10) Well, what about “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor. 15:33) Once again, it seems Paul is addressing the “bad company of false teachers,” NOT distancing ourselves from the people of this world.
Now, there is a verse that says “be wise in the way you act toward outsiders.” (Col. 4:5) Yes! We ought to behave carefully. And yet, we can’t behave carefully unless we behave toward them. We need to be in the world, not of it, striking up relationships with non-Christians. After all, unless we’re in the world the church won’t grow.
So, what kind of company should we be keeping? Well, I’ll let you decide that. But my prayer is that we at New Life become more passionate about lost people… that we build relationships outside the church for no other reason than love for the lost…that we invite our neighbors and coworkers to a BBQ or something. There may be some ordinary people just waiting to hear that they can be extraordinary in Jesus’ eyes. My prayer is that we become a contagious congregation. Because if we do, not only will we be fulfilling our mission as a church, but God will bring us growth!!
Seeking to be contagious ~ Paul
From what the Gospels tell us about Jesus' earthly life, I’m not so sure. I think he’d be very different from the image described above. Jesus didn't hang around with religious leaders of his time. In fact, he rebuked them on occasion for their false pride and piety. And though he went to the synagogue, he was incensed by their disrespect for God's house.
No, Jesus could be found in homes of tax collectors like Zacchaeus...in Samaria talking to a woman - a definite no-no in Jewish culture. He hung around with a motley crew of fishermen and other ruffians. He gained many of his followers from the ordinary places and turned them into extraordinary servants of God.
Recently I had a conversation where I was asked for a passage supporting the notion of being careful who you associate with. The context was more about helping a weak brother surround themselves with good influences. Makes sense! But it got me to thinking…”what kind of company should we be keeping?”
Maybe you can think of passages suggesting we only hang around with “good” people. Paul did tell the Corinthians “have nothing to do with immoral people...(5:9ff). But…then he went on to say, “I don't mean the immoral people of this world. I mean the immoral people in the church.” (5:10) Well, what about “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Cor. 15:33) Once again, it seems Paul is addressing the “bad company of false teachers,” NOT distancing ourselves from the people of this world.
Now, there is a verse that says “be wise in the way you act toward outsiders.” (Col. 4:5) Yes! We ought to behave carefully. And yet, we can’t behave carefully unless we behave toward them. We need to be in the world, not of it, striking up relationships with non-Christians. After all, unless we’re in the world the church won’t grow.
So, what kind of company should we be keeping? Well, I’ll let you decide that. But my prayer is that we at New Life become more passionate about lost people… that we build relationships outside the church for no other reason than love for the lost…that we invite our neighbors and coworkers to a BBQ or something. There may be some ordinary people just waiting to hear that they can be extraordinary in Jesus’ eyes. My prayer is that we become a contagious congregation. Because if we do, not only will we be fulfilling our mission as a church, but God will bring us growth!!
Seeking to be contagious ~ Paul
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