From time to time, I'll have someone say to me: "I've been praying that God would surround me with more Christian friends," and while I understand what they're trying to say, I take issue with the statement. The church is to be that place in our lives where we do life with Christian friends. The primary reason our Life_Groups exist @mtnlakechurch is to provide the kind of Biblical Community every Christ follower needs.
However, outside of that, I don't think Jesus' goal for our lives is to surround us with "Christian" friends. Jesus actually reveals through His life, that outside of our relationship with the 12 (or so) discples we hang out with, every other part of our lives is to be lived as lights among darkness...not light among lights!
Jesus intentionally spent the majority of his day surrounded with people who didn't believe, belong, or behave like He did. Jesus was even questioned about who He hung out with:
"But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”Luke 5:30–32 (NLT)
You want Christians friends? Christ's friends were referred to as "scum". If you hang out with some "scum" then you indeed have Christ-like friends. If you don't hang out with "scum" your relationships differ from those of Jesus.
So who are the "scum" in your life God could be placing around you for His purposes?
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