Does having many Christian friends make you a stronger Christian?

[DaughterofGondor]

I have many Christian friend, and one who,sadly, is meddling in witchcraft( see prayer requests). I think that it makes me a stornger CHristian because I can talk to them about it...what do y'all think?

[Solya]

That could very well be the case. :) I've got some Christian friends, but I can also count many atheists and pagans to my number of friends. Together they make a most interesting combination and discussions with them are always very enlightening. It does strengthen my beliefs considerably, yes.

[inkspot]

Jesus had friends who were His followers, but He also spent time with people who were considered "sinners" by the religious establishment of His day. What we see is that his "sinner" friends never dragged Him down to sinful behavior, but rather, His powerful witness helped them think about faith and their own relationship to God. You will note in the NT stories, though, Jesus was always also constantly in prayers, and He often drew away with only His followers. Having people who were pursuing godliness close to Him seemed to give Him strength. I think it's the same for us: close Christian friends can build us up in our faith. At the same time, we cn enjoy relationships with non-Christians, and hopefully our attitudes and conversation will get them thinking about faith and their own relationship with God.

[Solya]

One friend of mine has turned from an atheist into a believer because I talked with him about my religion. :) That was such a beautiful moment for me... when he walked up to me and went like "did you know that there's every proof for the fact that God exists but no proof at all for the fact that God does not exist?"... his eyes shone so brightly with the joy of coming home to his true nature, and I found that a most remarkable thing because I had never expected him to understand this sort of thing.

"You raise me up" has never had more meaning than it had in those times when I talked with all my heart and soul and people understood every word before I even said it. I must do that again sometime to see where my feet will take me again!

[Narborg]

It is important that we as christians suaround oursevles with good christian freinds that we can leran of and to keep each other acountable, as well as to hange out with. However, we must be careful that we do make ourselfs into a christan getto. We need to have meaningful relationships with non christians who we can shere Gods love with. We should not treat them as project to convert, but we should love them in the same way God loves them.

[LifeMaiden]

I agree with all of you on this...your friends can deeply influence your actions, so I think it's important to have friends who share your Christian beliefs and values, but it's equally important to spend time with those who are not Christian, because you don't want to make yourself an 'exclusive' group of ONLY Christians. I think most people who also attend Church services will find that when they immerse themselves in volunteering and church activities, this is a good way to reach out to everyone, both Christian and non Christian.

[echoscot]

I agree with all of you on this...your friends can deeply influence your actions, so I think it's important to have friends who share your Christian beliefs and values, but it's equally important to spend time with those who are not Christian, because you don't want to make yourself an 'exclusive' group of ONLY Christians. I think most people who also attend Church services will find that when they immerse themselves in volunteering and church activities, this is a good way to reach out to everyone, both Christian and non Christian.


Very well put IM. I have found the same thing, being involved in Church services. I do have some sympathy with the original poster, it is difficult when someone walks away from things that you hold valuable and dear.

[LifeMaiden]

I have many Christian friend, and one who,sadly, is meddling in witchcraft( see prayer requests). I think that it makes me a stornger CHristian because I can talk to them about it...what do y'all think?


This sounds like he/she is dissatisifed with their faith...that might be a topic for conversation. If you say " Don't practice witchcraft" or "don't do something" people tend to get defensive. But if you ask gently, and try to find out what the source is as to WHY they've chosen to go outside their faith and practice something that is adverse to Christianity, then they might be more receptive.

[Aslan'sFriend410]

I think having Christian friends who are strong in their faith can make a lot of difference in ones life. You hold each other up and and make each other accountable. However, IM is right... it is important to reach out to those who have not yet believed. However, one must be careful to not let their influence cause you to stumble.

[Solya]

Stumbling is not bad, and doubting everything is the best thing that can ever happen to you. ;) I've had my period of doubt where I stumbled over everything but it brought me to new understandings and to new ways of thinking. I wouldn't know what to do without doubt, lol, because doubt is one of my greatest weapons which allows me to think for myself.

[NarniaPrincess1024]

I think if your christian and you have christian friends then yes I think it does make you stronger!

[LifeMaiden]

I think if your christian and you have christian friends then yes I think it does make you stronger!


I think it's especially good for young people in their teens. With all the peer pressure, sometimes it's very hard to do the right thing...and peer pressure can greatly influence a young person's mind. If you surround yourself with people who are good Christians and who are going to live a life like Christ, then that would really be ideal. Teenagers are also influenced by the media, and as we know, the media isn't known for its morality ( violence/sex, etc). If one person sees their friends doing the right thing, hopefully this person will also do the same.


If you do volunteer work as I said, like things that are through your church ministry, you will definitely have a chance to come in contact with non-Christians...it could be a possiblility to help them see how Christianity has influenced you, and they might convert :D also.

[SlpNarniaQueen]

I think it may not make you a stronger Christian, but it will help you work through situations and be able to talk with your friends more easily about your relationship with Jesus Christ. I know because most of my friends are as they say "christains" but they don't act like them, so I stopped hanging out with them because I wanted to make good decisions, so if you have christian friends that really act like christains they will help you make the right decisions.

[LifeMaiden]

I think it may not make you a stronger Christian, but it will help you work through situations and be able to talk with your friends more easily about your relationship with Jesus Christ. I know because most of my friends are as they say "christains" but they don't act like them, so I stopped hanging out with them because I wanted to make good decisions, so if you have christian friends that really act like christains they will help you make the right decisions.


Yes that's what I meant...if you have friends who act like Christians should. I went to a parochial school where a lot of those Catholic students were doing things they knew were wrong and were cruel to other students who didn't follow them in their quest for drugs, smoking, drinking, and having sex. But those students were not behaving like Christ.

[DaughterofGondor]

Exactly... I do think though that your beliefs are mostly in your own hands, but having good Christian friends does make a Christian person't life easier. No arguments and stuff, well less at least. Lol

[Neevil]

I think having Christian friends definately makes me a stronger Christian. It's so important to have people around you who will encourage you to make the right decisions, and do the right thing. When my non-Christian friends ask me to do something, that I know is wrong, it's really hard to say no. Mostly because she's my friend, and I don't want to make her mad, or dissapointed in me, I want her to like me. It's hard to choose between doing what's right, and pleasing friends. That's why I think it's important to have, not all, but many Christian friends who will encourage you to make good decisions.

[LifeMaiden]

I think having Christian friends definately makes me a stronger Christian. It's so important to have people around you who will encourage you to make the right decisions, and do the right thing. When my non-Christian friends ask me to do something, that I know is wrong, it's really hard to say no. Mostly because she's my friend, and I don't want to make her mad, or dissapointed in me, I want her to like me. It's hard to choose between doing what's right, and pleasing friends. That's why I think it's important to have, not all, but many Christian friends who will encourage you to make good decisions.


Well but what if some of your friends who are Christian asked you to do the wrong thing, and you knew in your heart it was wrong? I'm just saying that as a rule, just because a friend is Christian doesn't mean they're 'always' going to ask you to do something that's right either. A non Christian friend can also encourage you to do the right thing as well.


As a general rule, I think the question should also be "does having many Christian friends who do the right thing make you a stronger Christian"...as Christians we are only human, and prone to make errors too.


If you do volunteer work or are doing good things with other Christian friends, this is especially important in solidifying bonds with your friends, thus strengthening you as well, and then you also come into contact with non Christians, and you can help spread the word of God to them!

[Lost Dreamer]

For me, this question has a slightly different meaning. I have almost no christian frineds---the one who is my age i only get to talk to about once a year or so. for me, the problem is not having enough christian frineds. but, there is somethign i've learned from this. Sometimes when we have too much of a good thing it goes sour. If you had a bunch of true Christian frineds, it could go two ways. you might encourage each other in the faith and grow by it, or you might eventually, bit by bit, sort of slow each other down. That, however as far as i know, is rare.
To asnwer the question i think yes; having true dedicated alive christians as friends would, normmaly, be a good thing. but i think sometimes it might be better to not have too many frineds---even if they are christians.
Think for a moment. A group of young trees planted in a group can weather the storm togethor, using thier jont strength to hold one another up. But if somone suddenly took all the trees away but one, the one would not be able to survive a storm because it had always relied on the strenghts of others. i think the way God made the Chruch is to be a joint body and to hold one another up---but He also wants us to be strong enough to survive alone; to not be handicapped by a good thing.
I hope this makes sense to you all because i feel its an important fact often overlooked, or simply forgotten.

[Neevil]

Well but what if some of your friends who are Christian asked you to do the wrong thing, and you knew in your heart it was wrong? I'm just saying that as a rule, just because a friend is Christian doesn't mean they're 'always' going to ask you to do something that's right either. A non Christian friend can also encourage you to do the right thing as well.


As a general rule, I think the question should also be "does having many Christian friends who do the right thing make you a stronger Christian"...as Christians we are only human, and prone to make errors too.

Yes, that's true. If a non Christian friend asked me to do something that was wrong, and I said no, it wasn't the right thing to do, he would probably say, "Who cares if it's the 'right' thing to do! That's never stopped me." (that's when it's hard for me to say no again...)

However, if a Christian friend asked me to do something that was wrong, she most likely knows its wrong, too. So if I said, "No, thats not right. You know we shouldn't do that." She might agree. If not, she probably wouldn't make fun of me, like the non Christian friend, because she knows its wrong, too, and will probably be feeling a little guilty...

But you're right, we are all prone to make mistakes. But as a general rule of thumb, I'd say it's easier to make good decisions in the presence of Christian friends.

[Lucy the Marshwiggle]

It is SO TRUE when they say that Christian friends make you a stronger Christian. Even though people say that friends dont affect their decisions, they do. It is really helpful to have Christian friends rather than worldy ones.

[Neevil]

It is SO TRUE when they say that Christian friends make you a stronger Christian. Even though people say that friends dont affect their decisions, they do. It is really helpful to have Christian friends rather than worldy ones.
I think it's good to have non Christian friends, too. But I think it's important that at least one of your closest friends is a Christian. Because, yes, they do effect the decisions you make.

[Lucy the Marshwiggle]

Yes exactly! You should have non-Christian friends as well. Thats a natural thing to have non-Christian friends. However, at least one of your close friends should be a believer. At times some of your closest non-Christian friends wont understand you, but a Christian will. (and vise-versa)

[Neevil]

Yes exactly! You should have non-Christian friends as well. Thats a natural thing to have non-Christian friends. However, at least one of your close friends should be a believer. At times some of your closest non-Christian friends wont understand you, but a Christian will. (and vise-versa)

Yes! Sometimes non-Christians just don't understand you, or the reason you've decided to do/not do something. If you have to make a really hard decision, you need the support of at least one friend, to help you make the right one. Having a non-Christian friend who's telling you not do something, only makes the decision harder.

[LifeMaiden]

Yes! Sometimes non-Christians just don't understand you, or the reason you've decided to do/not do something. If you have to make a really hard decision, you need the support of at least one friend, to help you make the right one. Having a non-Christian friend who's telling you not do something, only makes the decision harder.



Well you can be sure if someone is a Christian friend, it's very true that they would understand much better how you operate spiritually. I was just very dismayed at my middle and high school at how badly some of these Christians were behaving. But then I am not there to judge them...I am there to act upon my own faith and conscience, and to do the right thing by God.

[Lucy the Marshwiggle]

Thats also true IceMaiden. Just because someone is Christian doesnt mean that ALL of them will give the best advices, but its more likely that MOST of them will help you out like Jesus would.

[Neevil]

Yes, and I guess what I meant by Christian was more than just a Christian... Some one who lives a godly life, too.

[General Oreius]

It really helps to have Christian friends around so you have someone to talk to when you're having problems or need some advice. I do have several Christian friends, but sadly most of them are in college while I'm stuck in high school. There are a few Christians at my school, but I hardly ever get a chance to talk to them regularly. There are many who go to church, but unfortunately most are not born-again Christians. That's at least from what I've seen of their actions and the way they talk.

That's one reason why I come on here so I can talk to fellow Christians about almost anything, and especially Narnia! I've also learned quite a few things in my time on Narnia forums.

[Sir Godfrey]

Normally yes, but somtimes no. I have a friend who has pretty much says he's a christian but he never acts like one. oh well I'll just keep praying for him.

[LifeMaiden]

Normally yes, but somtimes no. I have a friend who has pretty much says he's a christian but he never acts like one. oh well I'll just keep praying for him.


Well that's really the only thing you can do...is pray for him and hope he does the right thing as a Christian person.

[Sir Godfrey]

Well that's really the only thing you can do...is pray for him and hope he does the right thing as a Christian person.

Your right, It's just hard watching him walk down the wrong paths....

[Son of Adam]

I believe that having Christian friends can help you maintain your walk in Christ, but, yes there is a but here, each of us is responsible alone for our faith in Him. Friends can encourage you to read your Bible, but only you can actually pick it up, read it, and apply it to your daily life. Your friends can urge you to pray, but only you can enter into that special place and talk with God about your life and receive strength from Him. We get our strength through God, through the resurrected life of Christ and through the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our friends can try to help us, but they cannot make us stonger or yield more to the Lord unless we make the decision to do so.

Don't get me wrong...Christian friends are important to us just as our being friends to other believers are equally important, but we can never give the strength that only comes from reading the Word, praying, walking the walk and following Christ wherever He leads us. If we aren't hearing from God ourselves and we only listen to our friends, then we are not truly following the Lord but others only. We have to be careful of that.

Two key verses establishes that plainly

1. Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Here we see that our strength comes when we allow Christ to live His life through us. It is therefore never our strength that we do things for the Kingdom but through His own.

2. John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Here is the words from Jesus Himself. We must abide in Him because apart from Him we can do absolutely nothing. Our strength is insufficient whereas His strength is all-sufficient.

[inkspot]

Right on, Night Mystic!
:)
Becoming a "stronger Christian" of course means allowing more of Jesus to be expressed in you. However, I think you are more likely to surrender more of yourself to Him if you put yourself in the company of others who are moving that direction. If you spend your time exclusively with those who are going the opposite direction, you will be pulled that way, too. Seems like moving toward Christ with the encouragement of those who are also going His way will give you the strength to stand for Him and point the way to Him when you are out among those heading the wrong way.

[Son of Adam]

So true Inkspot. Our Christian friends canaid us greatly in our walk. My one word of caution there is, and I have seen this hundreds of times in my 30 years as a pastor, if we do not read the Word, if we do not pray, if we do not listen for God to talk to us, our Christian friends, no matter how well intentioned, can give advice that may sound Christian but not be the right answer for our particular need that we have.

Friends are for encouragement, as I said before, but also for a word of confirmation as to what we have heard from God ourselves. If we listen when we are in prayer God will speak to our hearts and our friend(s) may bring confirmation of that Word to us. Prayer should be 30% or less talking to God and 70% or more listening to God. Too often we skim through the Bible on our way to read it in a year or some other program like that without having it speak to us. Too often we bring all these requests we have before God and then say good-bye without waiting to see what He has to say back to us. And then we wonder why so much is wrong at times in our lives.

[LifeMaiden]

Well let me just give everyone here a big hug on this forum because you have all been the greatest Christian influence of all in my life. I would not have rediscovered my faith if it weren't for the members here....

[Son of Adam]

I am sure everyone here appreciates the hug and the love behind it.

[Ephinie]

Well let me just give everyone here a big hug on this forum because you have all been the greatest Christian influence of all in my life. I would not have rediscovered my faith if it weren't for the members here....I hug you back.

[inkspot]

Yah, Michelle -- big hug from Inky! You are a great inspiration to the rest of us, too.
:)

[Tarkheena_Finduilas22]

I'm homeschooled, and all the activities I am in are Christian based. This deffinetly hasn't made me a stronger Christian, just because I am around people who call themselves "Christians". I was a Christian Choir get together, and a group of girls were calling each other names in "fun" but, for sure, calling names, and joking around crudely is not going to make anyone a stronger Christian. What I kind of took from this was Christians can have just as bad an influence on people as non Christians. We should think about who we hang out with carefully I think. Just because they are proclaimed Christian on the outside, doesn't mean they are on the inside.

On the other hand, some of my other Christian friends really do build me up, and are strong in their faith. I think it's important to have Christian friends, but you should choose them just as carefully as you do your non Christian friends.

[inkspot]

Hello, Tarkheena! Nice to see you -- I guess we are posting in different threads these days. I hope you are well.

Your point about the "Christian" choir and all is very well taken. Just because something is a church activity, it definitely does not mean it is going to build you in your faith. For the people around you to build you in your faith, they also need to be progressing in the same direction on their spiritual walk, full forward toward Jesus.

[Lila]

I wouldn't be the Christian I am today without my Christian friends. They just help me so much.

[tottyfruitty]

me too^^ especially when you are in school
i mean it is bad enough being a minority but when there are others like you and they are your frineds they help you from straying and keep you strong. if i didnt have my Christian friends i may have strayed and started to drink and swear etc. i thank God for them everyday!!

[The First Joke]

I think that it's good to have friends of all religions, but having Christian friends, I believe, helps you stay the same. Friends of other religons may make us either stronger in our own faith or they make you question things. Regardless, having friends of different religions is something that I think is good.

[Aslan'sFriend410]

I think it definitely helps! They will encourage you but also hold you accountable as well. If they're also right with the Lord, they most likely won't put you into a situation in which you are asked to compromise your faith or cause you to be tempted or to stumble.

[The First Joke]

I agree that it does help, but it also helps to have non-Christian friends. I believe that everyone on this planet (or Pluto) was put here to understand people and places and things about these people and places. If you're not tempted to stumble, you won't have the chance to prove it.

[LifeMaiden]

Well, here's one thing I am having a problem with now. When I was at the spiritual retreat, I was surrounded by strong, warm-hearted Christian women and men...and that was an absolute blessing to me because I always had too much pride to say " I need people" to support me. And I don't think I would have made it through that retreat because of its intense, grueling emotional nature.

But I find that when I got back into the world, I'm slipping from time to time and definitely slipped since I got back from the retreat. My big problem is impatience. I have no problem waiting in line for long periods of time, but when someone says something that I think is stupid or I don't agree with, I find myself snapping at them or going off on them. I've been much better about being conscious about this impatience or getting defensive, but it doesn't always work, and then I beat myself up about it. " WHY DID I DO/SAY THAT?"


I don't always think before posting or sending e mails. And I've sent some e mails that must have made some people wonder. " Whoa, she must have been in a bad mood when she wrote that!!"


I'd always have non Christian friends, but I'd like to find more of a community in my life perhaps at church or Bible studies where I can bond with like-minded people who believe in Christ.

[broken.]

It's not only good to have Christian and non-Christian friends, I think it's also good to have Christian friends outside of your denomination. I'm A/G, but I have friends who are Baptist, Lutheran, etc. Last night I was hanging out with some people, and I met a guy who goes to a Reformed Church.

[Copperfox]

In this world it is very rare for any two people to be EXACTLY equal to each other in intelligence, experience, physical vigor, strength of will, etc. Thus, in many relationships one party will be contributing more than the other, and one will be more dependent than the other. This is a roundabout way of saying that the issue of non-Christian friends is affected by the question of who is _dependent_ on whom.

Proverbs 13:20 says "He who walks with wise men becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." I believe this means that we need to have believers as our mentors, our seniors, our examples. If Puzzle the donkey had been so fortunate as to know Jewel the unicorn all his life, he would never have become psychologically enslaved by Shift. If we become emotionally dependent on unbelievers, they may pull us away from following Jesus. But if we are strong in faith and are not afraid of disapproval from unbelievers, we can safely have any number of friendships with non-Christians, in which WE have something to give to THEM. (Jewel would not have been pulled down by association with Puzzle.) We can by God's grace BE the "wise (wo/)men" from that Scripture, and see others become wise by walking with us.

Joseph Ravitts

[Lady Chloe]

Yeah.... I don't quite understand all the concepts... But if I'm around Christian's I tend to be able to concentrate on God more than I do with my non-christian pals....

[Into the Wardrobe]

It is Biblical to say that "bad company corrupts good character." I think it is ok to have Christian and non-Christian friends, but your closest, most intimate friends if you are a Christian should be believers. We live in a fallen world and people have a sinful nature. If people do not believe in Jesus and have that personal relationship with God and the Holy Spirit dwelling inside them, they cannot be expected to be a positive influence that will build up a relationship with God. In fact, it's more certain that they will pull you away seeing as we have to fight our own selves daily. We cannot reach out to the lost though if we don't know anyone who is lost. People will not listen to what we have to say without seeing credibility in us which means they need to know us. So, yes we need friends that don't know God, but we need to be grounded with believers who build us up. "Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation," so we need to act like that new creation. If we wallow in the old, it's not gonna be a good thing.

Knowing where you're at is a good idea as well. If you're not that strong in your faith, surround yourselves with other brothers and sisters in Christ, they're your family, it's part of what they're there for. If you're grounded, it may be easier for you to reach out to the lost. Also, it's great to have friends in mulitple denominations as long as they're not cults that claim to be Christians. If they're part of the body of Christ, YEA! They can challenge you and help you grow.

[Lila]

I think having Christian friends helps a LOT in my life, in fact I was talking to my youth leader last night and she told me that she thinks that too.

[Shadow Hawk]

i think both help, mainly because when someone questions it you can look it up. i have christian and non christian friends. they helped me alot.

[Twilight]

Yes, I believe that strong Christian friends make a big impact on us and can encourage us in our walk with Christ. All of my friends are Christian, as I attend a Christian school. It's great because they're the ones who share the same, most important thing in my life: a relationship with Christ. Because of that, we can relate to each other more. When I'm down, they can give me advice that will agree with what the Bible says. In class, we can discuss issues together and glean from one another's thoughts. You usually become like the people you hang out with. I'm not saying we're perfect or even close, but getting to hang out with Christians is really a blessing to me.

[fernshirehobbit]

For the most part, having christian friends is really helpful in growing in your christin life. Though much depends on where they are spiritually. It is so easy to profess to be a christian. Much of the world does. There is a big difirence between just saying so and living your life for God. Here's a good definition of what we should be doing as christians:
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. (2 Tim. 4:2)
Christian friends are good in the sence that they are people that can, as this verse says, encourage one another in our walk with God. I hope what I am saying here does not seem confusing.

[hello mcfly]

if u have alot of christian friends, thats a very good thing, because your friends influence alot of ur life, for example, if u have non christian friends that like to do bad stuff or something like that, they will influence u to do it with them...so the more chirstian friends u have, the better influence you'll get! :)

[Copperfox]

Proverbs 13:20--

"He who walks with wise men becomes wise..."