DO NOT PARTNER WITH EVIL PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“Because you have made an alliance with Ahaziah, The Lord will destroy what you have made.”  2 Chronicles 20:37 (NIV)

EXPLANATION
After The Lord told Jehoshaphat that the battle with the Moabites and the Ammonites was His, Jehoshaphat bowed down in worship before The Lord. (2 Chronicles 20:17-18)  The next morning he appointed men to sing praises to The Lord.  As they sang, The Lord caused their enemies to fight among themselves. (2 Chronicles 20:20-23)  When the men of Judah came to the place where the vast army was, they saw nothing but dead bodies.  They found so much plunder that it took them three days to collect it all. (2 Chronicles 20:24-25)  Afterwards they praised The Lord and rejoiced.  The fear of God came upon all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how The Lord had defeated the enemies of Israel. (2 Chronicles 20:26-30)  Later, Jehoshaphat king of Judah, who did what was right in the eyes of The Lord, made an alliance with Ahaziah king of Israel, whose ways were wicked.  They agreed to construct a fleet of trading ships, but The Lord God destroyed all that they made. (2 Chronicles 20:35-37)

APPLICATION

As believers we need to be very careful regarding who we choose to associate with, partner with, or go into business with.  It is assumed that “birds of a feather flock together.”  The Bible states the same thing with different words.  “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3)  We tend to associate with like-minded individuals.  Good people and evil people are not usually paired.  When people of different philosophical ideologies get together, one generally persuades the other to their way of thinking.  If you can’t pull them out of it, don’t get pulled into it.  If we are not strong in the faith, hanging with non-believers can corrupt us.  Even if we do not change our beliefs, that which we produce with evil people will not be pleasing to The Lord God.

BE CAREFUL WITH WHOM YOU ASSOCIATE

Proclamation:

"In the name of The Lord Jesus Christ ... keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received ..." "... Do not associate with them ... Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer."  2 Thessalonians 3:6 and 3:14-15 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God in a letter to the believers in Thessalonica.  Paul told them not to regularly associate with non-believers and those who repeatedly engage in sinful behavior.  They were to warn them, gently, of the consequences of their actions and then leave them alone.

Application:

We have no control over who our family members are, and we have very little control over who our coworkers are, but we choose our friends.  Some of the friends that we had earlier in our lives are not close to us now as we have grown apart.  Some of our friends still partake in the sinful behaviors that we, with the help of God, have put behind us.  It may be time to put those friends behind us also.  Christian believers are to separate themselves from, and not to regularly fellowship with, the habitually disobedient believers and from non-believers.  Do not hang out with or frequently interact socially with the blatantly sinful, non-believing individuals or with believers who live a pattern of life that is not conforming to The Word of God.  We are to warn them, in brotherly love, of the consequences of their behavior and their non-belief, but we are not continue to walk with them.  "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3)  We need to be careful regarding the people that we choose to "walk with".  Who our friends are says a lot about us.  If we are not strong enough to pull them out of their sins, we need to leave them before they pull us into their sinful behavior.  It has also been said that silence is consent.  Just being there with them, and saying nothing while they sin is for us a sin of omission.  To the world, we will be seen as committing the same sin, or at least condoning it.  “Birds of the same feather will flock together.”  The Bible teaches us to avoid sin and to abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22 KJV) 

BE CAREFUL WITH WHOM YOU ASSOCIATE

Proclamation:

“In the name of The Lord Jesus Christ ... keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received ... If anyone does not obey our instruction ... Do not associate with him ... Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother." 2 Thessalonians 3:6 and 3:14-15 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in Thessalonica.  Paul was both admonishing them and warning them not to associate with non-believers.  They were to tell the non-believers what The Word of God says.  If they chose not to accept it then the believers were to keep away from them.

Application

Christians are to separate themselves from, and not continue to fellowship with, habitually disobedient believers and from non believers.  We are not to hang out with or frequently interact socially with the blatantly sinful, non believing individuals or with so-called believers who live a pattern of life that is not conforming to The Word of God.  We are to warn them, in brotherly love, of the consequences of their behavior and their non-belief, but we are not to continue to “walk with” them.  "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3)  Be very careful regarding the people that you choose to "walk with".   Our friends are our friends because we chose them and we choose to associate with them when nothing forces us to do so.  Who our friends are says a lot about us and who we are.  Only birds of the same feather will flock together.  If we cannot pull them up, we should let go of them and not let them pull us down.