My Plea to Christians. My Hope for the Church. Our Friends

I have one final topic that I’d like to address: our friends. It concerns me that over the years many Christians have gone the way of the Pharisees and formed tight, exclusive groups of religious friends, forgetting the fact that Jesus’ favorite people to hang out with were the furthest from religion.

Question: Before they met Jesus, how many of Jesus’ twelve disciples were considered religious? 

The answer: Zero.

Luke 15:1-2 says, “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’”

I’m not implying that Christians shouldn’t have Christian friends. But if all your friends are Christians, who are you discipling? When Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), did that not apply to you?

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Stop hiding your light by sheltering yourself behind other Christians, or in some cases, not shining it at all. “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Matthew 9:12b, NIV84)