Who Do You Hang With?

Somehow, even when we were in elementary school, we were indoctrinated with the thought of notoriety and popularity. We also learned that this came about because of the people you choose to hang around with and become friends with. Our parents even tell us that we will be known by the people we associate with. When you are in the cool-kid crowd, you will soon be known as a cool kid. If you hang around those who are not quite so cool, well, we will be known for that, too.

If we are not careful, this way of thinking can creep into our Christian life, but instead of the cool status, we find ourselves only hanging out with other Christians. Now, don’t get me wrong, we all need to be in a Christ-centered community, but that is not the only people that we should become friends with. Jesus gives us a powerful example in Mark 2:16-17, “When the scribes of the Pharisees saw that He was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they said to His disciples, 'Why is He eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And hearing this, Jesus *said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

It is easy to fall into the trap of just being with people who agree with us on most topics, especially our faith. But if we are not careful, we could soon find ourselves thinking like the Pharisees of old. The church was called to not act like the lost, but not to be isolated from the lost. Here is a question every believer should ask themselves: how many people that I know and interact with are not followers of Jesus? If our answer is zero, then whether on purpose or not, we have isolated ourselves from the very ones that we are supposed to be reaching.

How do we break this cycle? There are several things we can do, but the main thing is to be intentional. Join clubs or hobbies where you can meet other people while you are enjoying what you’re doing. If our kids are in sports, hang out with other parents to build friendships so that we can have those spiritual conversations, or at the very least, invite them to church. Our intention should always, always be to seek those who are lost and in need of a Savior.

Let us not fall into the trap of wondering what others will think of us because of who we hang out with. Because, like Jesus, we understand that we are still on this earth to bring the sick to the Great Physician. For it is not the healthy that need Him, but the sick who are in need of spiritual healing. Last question: Are you up for the challenge to go out and be friends with the outcasts and sinners so that they, too, might have the opportunity to meet the Savior?