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Are You Running with the Wrong Crowd?

How Can You Know If You Are Choosing Bad Companions? The Bible warns about evil associations. Yet Jesus was known as a friend of sinners and often ate with them. How can we know when we should have companions who are not disciples of Christ?

People often get in trouble by running with the wrong crowd.

Bible Teaching About Our Choice of Companions

Warnings about evil companions

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be deceived: Evil company corrupts good habits.

Exodus 23:2 – You shall not follow a crowd to do evil.

Proverbs 13:20 – He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

But Jesus was a friend of sinners and often associated with them.

Luke 15:1,2 – Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Luke 5:31,32 – Jesus was criticized for associating with sinners. He responded: “ Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

So How Do We Know When We Are Running with the Wrong Crowd?

Use the example of Jesus for guidance. Here are some tests.

Do your friends practice, encourage, or advocate evil in your presence?

* Do they use improper speech in your presence? Use profanity or cursing, tell dirty jokes, slander other people, talk about their sexual exploits?

* Do they advocate or participate in immoral conduct in your presence or encourage you to participate in it? Smoking, drinking, marijuana, suggestive dancing, immodest clothing, sexually suggestive conduct on dates, speaking disrespectfully of parents or other authority?

Consider Jesus’ example. Would people have felt free to practice or advocate these things in Jesus’ presence? If they did practice them, would He have overlooked it, said nothing about it, maybe even enjoyed being in the presence of such conduct? Would His conduct have led people to think that He opposed such conduct or that He had no problem with it?

Jesus explained that He associated with sinners like a physician associates with sick people. When people visit a physician, do they advocate and defend their disease and even practice it in the physician’s presence and encourage the physician to participate in it? No, the physician warns people about the dangers of their disease and tells them how to overcome it.

Are you free to talk to your friends about the gospel and spiritual truth?

Do you freely discuss Bible principles with them, invite them to church meetings and Bible studies? When you do, are they respectful, willing to discuss, or do they refuse to listen to Bible teaching, show no interest, even make fun of truth, or defend false views and religious groups?

Remember Jesus’ example. The Scriptures said the tax collectors and sinners came to hear Jesus teach. They were open to learn and consider truth. The sick person goes to the physician, not to defend his illness, but to learn from the physician how to get better.

In short, are you having a good influence on others by your example and your teaching like Jesus did, or are people in the world impacting you by their improper influence and teaching? Would Jesus associate with people the way you do? Would His association have the kind of impact that yours does, or do you need to make changes regarding your choice of friends and activities in which you participate?

Consider these principles as you decide what kind of people you will befriend.

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