The Right Crowd

This is something I put together for our college and career age group at church. It was written with them in mind but is applicable to all of us.

Does the Bible have anything to say about the company we keep? Let’s take a look at some examples of what we are told about church attendance, and the people we associate with in our daily lives. 

First and foremost, we are instructed to be in regular attendance at a local church. Hebrews 10:24-25 speaks of the importance of assembling with God’s beloved church and encouraging one another with love and good works, ESPECIALLY as we get closer to the day of His return. It’s a vital part of our walk with God, to be in fellowship with other believers, to love and encourage each other, to hold each other accountable, to pray with and for each other, and be under the teaching and protection of a pastor who shepherds his flock with God’s absolute truth.

 In a world where truth is relative, we need a God fearing group of people to rely on, have mutual encouragement with, fellowship regularly with, and have accountability with. No matter what some may say or think, this is not something we can simply do alone. Often when we are younger in age, and/or faith, we think we can do everything on our own. But as we mature in age and faith, we find that is simply not the case. We need the help of others to get through daily struggles, and we need those other people to encourage us and keep our focus on God. When we venture out into the world alone, and/or with non-believers, we become susceptible to influence and corruption from the world. Satan feeds on our weakness, and will work tirelessly when we are on our own to get a foothold in our mind. Jesus Himself was tempted by the devil as he wandered the desert alone, no man is immune from the temptation of the evil one. 

Upon salvation, one of the things we are gifted, is the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, we find that our desire for things of the world begins to dwindle. We no longer have the same desires for worldly satisfaction and approval, but instead have a growing desire to better know and draw closer to God. 1 John 2:15 lays it all out for us: If we have a desire to be a part of the world, we do not have the love of the Father in us. So if we truly are saved, we should see a clear change in our own lives and desires, to no longer want the everyday influences of the world as a part of our lives. We should begin to see and have a desire for separation. This often includes relationships with non-believers, as we cannot follow the world, and God at the same time; it was James who said: “friendship of the world is enmity with God”.

This doesn't mean that we are to stop associating with anyone who is not a Christian. Not only is that not possible, but that would violate the command in Matthew 28:19, to go and make disciples. This verse should convict all of us, as it clearly states “ALL nations”, not all but the one we live in. Our country is in dire need of awakening, and we need missionaries on our streets as much as we need them overseas. We are those missionaries for our country, for our home town, for the people we interact with on a daily basis. We are His beloved people, and we need each other to further His great name, defend the truth, and spread the Gospel.

Scripture references:

Hebrews 10:24-25 KJV

“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching”

1 John 2:15 KJV

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

James 4:4 KJV

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”

Matthew 28:19 KJV

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

Some additional verses to check out:

Proverbs 18:24 KJV

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”

John 15:13-15 KJV

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

2 Corinthians 6:14 KJV

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”

2 Corinthians 6:17 KJV

“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

Galations 6:14 KJV 

“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.”

(**Crucified here is a reference to death. At salvation there is a death between us and the world)

The streaming church

 

It seems now a days that the small portion of the American population that still considers itself to be Christian, is seeking moralistic preaching from the church of YouTube (if they seek anything at all), and are becoming less and less concerned with actual gospel and truth. Especially in the last year and a half, I think we have become too accustomed to our feel good sermons that we can watch from our couch, on our terms, that we don’t open our Bibles anymore, or even have concern for doctrine and/or theology. If you don’t have a local church, and you substitute with the Joel Osteen, Hillsong or other “churches”, they are not going to give you what you need. Not only are they not really churches, they offer an incomplete experience, they are not speaking truth, and they are full of false doctrine.  They will not tell you how to be truly saved, what the consequence of sin is (they seem to ignore sin all together. Truth alert: the consequence of sin is death and eternal life in hell…), or how to actually get to Heaven. They are more concerned with and focused on treasures of the earth and deceiving people into believing they will prosper from participating in their weekly rituals. There is rumor now that Hillsong is even teaming up with Facebook, to broaden their platform and incentivize more churchgoers with an at home experience. One headline reads, “Facebook wants to become your connection to God”… wow… It’s time to wake up!

Anyway….

There are still churches across our country that remain closed, have been limited to a single service a week, or are still completely virtual at this point, etc. With the Delta now spreading, we may even start to see the trend of doors closing again soon. Those churches should remember what the Bible has to say about the church and worship-

Hebrews 10:24-25 KJV

And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Matthew 16:18 KJV

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it

We are to assemble together as His church, especially as we get closer to end days, and the government has no authority to stop us. Don’t get me wrong, missing a service for whatever reason, and having the ability to continue to be a part of your local church by live-streaming it from anywhere, is a great thing. But I’m referring to churches and individuals who have taken it up full time. 

Colossians 3:16 KJV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

As we assemble together, we are to build up and encourage one another, praise and worship our one and only God, and learn His Word. We need to be in the pew on Sunday for praise and worship, with time of fellowship. We need to be there on our designated weekday to have a time of prayer and study. We should be active participants in the church body, serving and filling any need we have been given the talent to do, as well as contributing to growing the church. We as Christians NEED this, and we need to be meeting and praying for our church, our country, its leaders, and more importantly right now revival and awakening, on a regular basis. This is important, not only for the church to stay alive and thrive, it’s also critical for our individual spiritual health. We need to love and witness to others and share the Gospel with them, do good works, show and grow our fruit, and ultimately, grow His church. It’s what we have been commanded to do.

I challenge anyone reading this to step out of your comfort zone, and take action. 

    - If your church hasn’t returned to in person service, encourage your pastors, deacons or board to return to assembling. Or maybe it’s time to consider going to a church that will? 

    - If you are watching a mega church on Sundays, please go out and find a good local church that is willing to hold in person services and speak truth.

    - Maybe your church doesn’t have this problem, but you have become a bit comfortable in your “religious routine”. Break the routine and reach out,  demonstrate the love of Christ, and spread the word in new ways.

    - Maybe you don’t even have a church, please pray for wisdom to find the right church to attend.

    - OR, maybe you are reading this and are curious about or have never heard before, or maybe you just need reminded of the gospel.

The gospel in simple terms, is good news. This good news, is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice He made on the cross for us. Each and every one of us are born sinners, destined for hell. But God loves us so much, He sent His only son to give his life and pay the price for OUR sins, by dying on the cross, defeating death by being risen three days later, and returning as the Holy Spirit to live within us. All so that whoever truly believes in Him can share the gift of eternal life in His presence. If you truly accept it, believe in Him, and turn from your sinful ways to follow Him, you too can have everlasting life in God’s Kingdom. Repent from your sinful life, take up your cross DAILY, and follow Him. 

If you want this gift, please take a moment and pray, and God will hear you. Admit to Him that you are a sinner and fall short of His glory and that you accept Him as Lord and Savior and welcome Him into your heart and life to dwell within and change you. If you make this prayer, please follow through. Give Him the opportunity to change you, and work in your life. You are guaranteed not to be disappointed. We have been given the incredible gift of life, the more you share it with others, the sooner He will return for His church… It’s been said that one of the most hateful things you can do to another person, is to withhold the truth from them, so please share. 

Know, accept, and share the TRUE gospel…. Seek and speak TRUTH… And remember, actions speak louder than words. Live a life for Christ, and others will see Him through you. 

“…But church if we want to see a change in the world out there, it’s got to start right here…”  -Casting Crowns