When Should I Evangelize or Cut Off My Non-Christian Friends?

Should I cut off my relationships with my non-Christian friends best is one of the questions will be answering on today's addition of core Christianity why I Bill Meyer along with Pastor Israel Sanchez. This is a radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. Would love to hear from you. Here's our phone number it's 1-833-843-2673 also in on your phone, 833. The core 833 the core. If you are voicemail free to feel free to leave a message.

You can also email us anytime with your question at questions at core, Christianity.com first up today let's go to Stephanie who's calling in from Arkansas. Stephanie what your question for Israel. Why do you say well I'm going to shed.

I felt so guilty so hard that when I need still active.

Stephanie, I think back to a time where my wife and I were able to minister to an older gentleman who manages had so many difficulties in his life. So many so many needs and we were able to minister to him to to encourage them in various ways he was. He was a neighbor of ours and then he became very sick. After some time and ended up dying our member thinking back after that, you know, this individual was was particularly needy overtimes were my wife and I would look at each of them to say how many skis calling indicate how we can help in this situation can we help in this situation, but I'm thinking back.

We both thought back and we we could look back on on our experience with him and thought man we could've, we could get a better job loving this man and of course we thanked the Lord for the opportunities that God gave us and for the fact that Ghana done an amazing work in his life, but I think we both felt like we we we dropped the ball a couple of times there and wish we would could've done things differently now. I don't know if afterwards we continue to talk about that and the reality is is these that the best approach to to say well you should wallow in that. That feeling of guilt feelings of shame that we take that to the Lord and I think by the one thing were encouraged to do and we were encouraged to afterwards as is is to consider how we love the people around us. When you care about the people around you when you see them in need and sounds like you care very much about the people who are in your life and around you. Love needs then we ask the Lord is, is there a way that your opening up a door for me to serve and to help to meet the need that's here and sometimes you you can't then assist the reality and that's okay. You don't need you to beat yourself up about that, but sometimes right.

The Lord has put you in a position where you're able to and and so you you you know, by the grace of God into the strength that Jesus gives you seek the support to help in whatever way that you can and I think that you have that you have to think about each situation and ask yourself the question, Lord, you give me an opportunity. Here's a something I'm able to help out with and if it is wonderful and if and if you're not able to.

You don't need to feel guilty about that. You need to feel shame about that and I think back and I mentioned that story with this individual that my wife and I were able to help out with you know we were we were newly married at the time and there were a lot of incident that actually had just had our first child as well and there were no instances where this person saying hey could you help me with differently with that and we had been up all night with the baby and had to go to doctors appointment or something like that and it was an opportunity for other people in the church to also get involved and to help out, and so were not alone in this suite we served together with the body of Christ with with our Christian brothers and sister, so that when there is a need.

Maybe you need that were not able to meet other people can be roped into to serve and to meet that need. As well, but I just want to say look where you feel like you failed if indeed you know God gave you an opportunity just you just didn't take it will just take that to Christ and say Lord please forgive me. Man, II think back and I wish I would've done things differently there. Please forgive me and receive the forgiveness that Jesus has for you Stephanie and embrace it and live in it and say, God give me the grace to be wise and discerning to know when you are giving me these opportunities and when I can step in and and provide help and support, but also the wisdom to know when when you're calling somebody else to step in and help and support in this situation when I just don't have the ability or even the capacity to help in those situations. Again, I don't think that you need to feel shame or guilt, and so where were we fall short. We take our sin to the Lord.

We confess that we receive his grace and we pray for wisdom to honor him moving forward, and I pray that the Lord gives you wisdom.

That is, you confess to the Lord, you experience his grace and forgiveness and that he gives you that wisdom as you continue to move forward seeking to love the people around you and to serve your neighbors. As our Lord calls us to Stephanie. God bless some great counsel. Thank you for that Israel. This is core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. We have produced some great Bible studies here at the core and we actually have a new one to tell you about today. Yeah, it's a Bible study on the book of Ruth, one of the books, it's often times overlooked in the Old Testament, and a lot of times we know people that understand why this is such an important book what we've been saying is that without the book of Ruth. You wouldn't have the line of David. You wouldn't have that the messianic see Jesus the Lord you wouldn't have the gospel new. It's amazing how all of the stories that we have in Scripture that even the ones that we often think are not as significant as the other stories you know in the Old Testament. Maybe the story of the Exodus are or what not know each of the stories, plays an important part in the history of redemption we want to help you to understand that and so if if you're interested in studying the book of Ruth on your own or maybe with the group of people. This would be a great resource, a 10 week Bible study through the book of Ruth and it's yours for a donation of $20 or more. Know all of our Bible studies are set up to work well for personal use, but also in a group format and are available in bulk quantities so they be great to consider as you plan maybe for a small group or for your Bible study Sunday school class as you approach this coming fall. You can receive a copy of our Ruth Bible study for donation of $20 or more. Just go to core Christianity.com/studies that's core Christianity.com/studies and look for the new Bible study on the book of Ruth. Of course you can always call us for that one, or any one of our resources at 833-843-2673 go back to the phones. Jessica is on the line calling in from Missouri.

Jessica what your question for Pastor Israel dealing with my heart breaking my Holman damage and everything that all every time I leave I read the Bible every day plan that is personal. It's been going on for almost 8 months now and it's getting worse by the day putting chemicals on my clothes on my food is not.

If I don't feel safe tomorrow.

Holland was there very Scripture that I can read. I something that I can't be just something I mean it sounds to me like you say somebody is is coming into your house and moving things around, taking things and putting chemicals in places a mean business as a serious safety issue number. So if there's somebody was was breaking into your home. You definitely need to call the police and get the authorities involved but I think that would be the first and change the locks. Frankly coming from this practically speaking, if if there's somebody who is tormenting you in this way then then you definitely need to take whatever's steps of it out. Changing the locks calling the police, maybe staying somewhere else for a time if if if you're in danger and I think that's I think that's really important now are you are you saying that this is this is somebody that you know who's doing these things now and I have changed a lot. I have little thing like Ptolemy went back okay well yes sir, I will let when I just take a moment right now to pray for you in terms of in terms of Scriptures and minimum I'm glad to hear that you you read the Scripture that your you know going to the Lord with these things but but certainly it sounds to me like like the police need to be contacted in and you know somebody breaking into your own. This is a very serious thing I'm concerned for your safety as well. Maybe also getting some cameras set up just to see what's going on when you're not there would be a wise thing to do but let me just just pray for you because I can tell that this is very heavy and and I'm concerned as well. So father would you please keep Jessica safe. Would you be with her Lord don't understand fully what what's going on here and in this situation, but I pray that whoever it is that's doing this that's tormenting her would experience the conviction of your Holy Spirit and come to repentance.

And I pray that you would bring people around Jessica who can help her and support her and encourage her and give her Lord safe friends and places to go. Lord, if if if she's in danger right now but would you please protect her Lord give her wisdom and I bring an end to this torment floor. Whatever the source is the asset you to be with her. In Jesus name, amen. Your listing to core Christianity with Pastor Israel Sanchez. By the way we do a Facebook page and you can post your question there any time or you can email us your question at questions at core, Christianity.com is one of our Facebook a listeners that says I'm a person who hates to miss out on things with my friends but I don't want to be influenced by friends who are Christians and tempted to dishonor God.

What should I do yeah love and the people we spent time with that's that's they blatantly influence us.

They begin to shape us can begin to shape us or we can begin to influence the people around as a mere one of things I love about Jesus in the Gospels is he surrounded himself with people that the religious leaders thought meant what you doing hang out with those tax collectors with those sinners, but they weren't. They weren't making Jesus sinful know Jesus was the positive influence. Jesus was the one who was calling them to repentance and faith and they want to be around him because they experienced his compassion. There was that that that the conviction of our Lord speaking the truth but also the compassion of Christ toward sinners and as he exhibited that to the prostitutes and the thieves in the tax collectors that were drawn to him as I think that's that's a beautiful thing. I think that that you know for us as as believers, it's something that we should strive for to be the kind of people that our neighbors want to be around because they can see the grace and love of Christ in us. Now when you speak the truth to people symptoms that they have no interest in it when I was in high school and I I came to Christ and you know my my interest started to change the way I lived began to change. Change drastically.

I would I would try for for a season to spend time with mild friends we get together we hang out, but we just didn't click like we did before and part of it was, I want to talk about Jesus and I want talk about church I wanted to be in church and they just were not interested in. That's over time. I think that they also lost interest in me and we we didn't spend as much time together as we as we had before.

Paul says in first Corinthians chapter 15 verse 33. Do not be deceived. Bad Company ruins good morals. Proverbs also says a lot about this in Proverbs chapter 13 verse 20 says he walks with the wise will himself be wise as well and so we want to surround ourselves with people who are going to help us grow in wisdom to to grow in Christ but also have open hearts towards those who don't know the Lord don't walk with the Lord and seek to extend friendship, the love of Jesus care for foreign to them as well. And so what what I would say to you is if if this is something where when you get together with these friends you don't want to miss out when you get together you find yourself drifting away from the Lord compromising what you believe what you know is right, then I would say take a step back and and maybe reconsider your priorities and ask yourself the question will if I wasn't compromising for wasn't doing these things with these friends want to also be with me and be around me if you can go and be a part and walk faithfully with Jesus and be a light as were called to be with and that's wonderful and and maybe what you'll find is is your friends really appreciate the fact that you have these convictions and you want to talk about God. And maybe they show interest therein, and I think that that's a great thing at that something that we should we should want, and that we should pursue with our relationships with non-Christians look we want to be charitable.

We want to be loving but we also get want to have conviction, and so don't don't continue to build and pursue these relationships.

If if what your findings us. I'm just really drifting away from the Lord.

This is keeping me from being faithful to Jesus.

In fact I'm compromising, and know that that that's not what you want for yourself and and so you have to exercise wisdom there.

This is a stumbling block for you will and don't don't continue to pursue it, but let's let's seek. I think as Christians to be the kinds of people who are strong and stable in our faith. We know what we believe and why we believe it so that we can spend time with those who don't embrace the gospel and share the light and the love of Jesus with them and have a good time as we do so, you know, not miss out on on the fun. If you will, whatever that whatever that looks like. Of course I think also of the fact that were called to be lights and so may God bless you and give you grace as you seek to do that in your relationships, and may you be honoring to him and all that you do. Thank you for your for your message.

Just a follow-up question for your Israel. I'm wondering if you would say that as believers our closest relationships. The people were closest to should be other believers, or could they be nonbelievers.

I'm talking about the people we spend the most time with, have the most you know deep conversations with what you're what your thought on that and it's an excellent question, Bill. I just sort of imagine that if were engaged in the life of the church like we should be and were growing together with the body of Christ that our closest relationships are going to be with other Christians, but I know that may not always be the case.

I've got I've got friends who are believers who I know are solid believers, strong believers, but they are just, you know they be have really close non-Christian friends as well. They spent a lot of time with them and they're not influenced by that.

Instead what what they're able to do and I think again this is such a wonderful thing that he requires maturity, Christian maturity, but there there able to shine the light of Christ and there there attractive in the sense that they they're full of mercy and the fruit of the spirit. And so, so, yeah, I think. I think this this calls for for wisdom. It depends on where an individual is in their own walk with the Lord and also just a circumstantial. You know sometimes we get really close to people in the church. Sometimes we don't we don't connect as much with the people in our own church and we happen to have lifelong friends who maybe are outside of the church and they know and respect our faith in Jesus Christ and have even benefited from it, even though they are not Christians yet I were praying that the Lord opens their hearts as well as I wouldn't. I wouldn't say it has to be one where an by the other.

But I do think like I said, ordinarily speaking that if we are engaged in the life of the church like we should be that many of our close relationships. Most of our close relationships are to be with other other Christians and I think we have to strive and we should strive to do the student to cultivate and pursue relationships with non-Christians as well so that we might share the gospel so that we might be good neighbors to the people around us and I think that's precisely what Jesus did as well. So thank you Bill for that follow-up.

Great follow-up for some great counsel. Thank you Adm., this is core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez. Let's go to Viola from St. Louis, Missouri bill what your question for Israel. All I Viola hello, thank you so much for your ministry got there, she outlined a lot funded ministry. Thank you, thank you you're welcome question in Matthew chapter 27 verse 56 that actually started in many women will be holding off all which followed Jesus from Galilee ministry to him tomorrow which was Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother the deputies children in verse 56 objectivity women here are are there just to know Mary and that the one who washed Jesus and speak with 15 years in but this merely is that this one Mary talk about James and John, mother know the two disciples who is in a cool hey, great, great question yesterday. Kiki does get confusing in the Gospels right because there are so many Mary's you have Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus, you have the Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, you have Mary Magdalene, who some people think was the woman who washed Jesus's feet with her hair.

Other people say, well no I don't. I don't know that was her I you have the Mary that's described here that the point I think it's that that is important for us to take away in the even here, the text says that you know you have these women were ministering to Jesus there at the time of his death, and this is this is something that characterize the ministry of our Lord Jesus is these female disciples who were drawn in and apart, if you will, of the group of people that Jesus is leading. In fact, some of the most faithful of his disciples at me. When Jesus is crucified, and then again when he rises again from the dead. In terms of, you know those were there at the tomb wanting to anoint his body with with spices. It's it's the Mary's. It's it's these women who love Jesus. I think what we read in the gospel of Luke in Luke chapter 8 gives us a little bit more background with Mary of Mac Mary Magdalene or Mary of mug dollars it's referring to where she was from. Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God and the 12 with them and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities. Mary called Magdalena from whom seven demons had gone out and Joanna the wife of choose a Herod's household manager and Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of there means you have these these women were also in one sense supporting the ministry of Jesus, providing providing for the than the ministry monetarily is that they play a very important role in the Gospels and the highlight for for us here, I think, is how God uses men and women in the life of the church. The importance of both men and women as made in the image of God gifted for the service of the Lord for the building up of the body of Christ as we read about throughout Scripture.

And so here I think again is that's that's something that we see in terms of the people that are around Jesus there at the time of his death, Mary Magdalena and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee and so appreciate your question Viola. And may the Lord bless you your listing to core Christianity with pastor Israel Sanchez reminder we have this great new Bible study available for you. It's on the book of Ruth. It is now included in our big Bible study collection. We have several great ones. You can learn more by going to core Christianity.com/studies again. Core, Christianity.com/studies we do have a YouTube channel here at core, Christianity, and you can actually watch a drill live in the studio every day at 11:30 AM Pacific 1230 Mountain 130 Central 230 Eastern time for that half-hour per just go to our YouTube channel and you can send us a message through YouTube. Here's a hard one for us it's a family nurse at animal rewrites this a family member of my husband committed suicide without any signs or warnings, and left her family behind. Besides looking up resources. What can I do to encourage my husband and her family. I think I think prayer and being present there during this time of grief and mourning offering to help support in any way that you can imagine, I don't know what the needs are, what the what the the temporal needs are right now.

It could be helping to care for children, it could be food meals. Those kinds of things, think those are some of the practical ways that you can come alongside, but I think you know there's a time to weep and mourn and lament with those who are broken and in sorrow, and I think that that time is is now in a situation like this.

And so coming alongside of those who are grieving and joining them in in that process and being present and praying that the Lord would bring his healing and his grace in this very difficult situation and Bill as we think about grief and especially this this kind of traumatic experience. What would you add in terms of what what Blakely can do to help you know I think what you said is so important just to be present to be available.

This is not a time to be offering advice or platitudes, but I would especially say these kids probably need to get into some kind of counseling.

I don't know how old they are young kids older kids. But what what a terrible situation I'm in Amarillo.

We will be praying for you and your family. Father, we do want to pray for Annamaria. We ask that you would give her wisdom pray Lord that you would fill it with your spirit and be especially with with those who have suffered this loss on this family. Would you minister to them and be with them. In Jesus name, amen. Thanks for listening core Christianity to request your copy of today's special offer. Visit us at core, Christianity.com and click on offers and the menu or call us at 1-833-843-2673.

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