1 John 4:1-3
Thoughts from Jed Carpenter
Dive Deeper
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world.”
1 John 4:1-3
Behind the Scenes
A mentor of mine used to say, “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” He posted this saying on the door to the youth room and said it so often that it is drilled into all our heads. I remember reading that and thinking, “I don’t know. I have lots of friends who are different than me. Who’s to say that I will turn out like them?” But as I grew in maturity, I started to see the wisdom of that saying. Because whether we like it or not, those we allow to be the closest to us will be the ones who have the deepest impact on who we are and who we become.
John understood this principle too. Writing to the first century church, John warns Christians to be wary of who they listen to and follow. Just because someone sounds good, doesn’t make them good. But instead of just a cursory warning, John gives us a way to tell the difference, a measuring stick so-to-speak, that allows us to measure out and weigh the influences in our lives- Jesus Christ.
See, at the end of the day, no matter how well spoken, charismatic, and convincing someone is, if they don’t confess Jesus as Lord, their words and actions are of this world and not meant to be our guiding force. Any version of truth that doesn’t match up to the God of truth can only be a lie. Any peace that doesn’t center on the Prince of peace can only be fleeting or false peace. Any hope that doesn’t rest solely in the hands of the Author of our salvation is nothing more than false hope. He is the measuring stick and the key ingredient.
Make it Real
I have heard lots of Christians say that they have friends from all walks of faith and beliefs. I think this is really important. Jesus met with the tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners- the low-down and rejected. He went to people who were different than Him, who were not “righteous”, or who society had rejected. We cannot just surround ourselves with people who look, think, or act exactly like we do. We need diversity in our lives. It is something we are designed to crave and we will always miss out on the breadth of life if we fail to do this.
So, what I am not saying, and what John is not saying in this passage, is that you should never hang out with people who aren’t Christians. In fact, the opposite is true. If you never hang out with people who need the gospel, how are you ever to fulfill the great commission? How are you ever able to shine His light and share His truth? How can we hope to see the world around us choose Christ if we are not sharing the truth with them?
So, it’s important to do life with people who are believers as well as those who are not. But it is really important that we pay attention to those friends that are in our inner circle, the ones who have an influence over our decisions, our thoughts, and our beliefs. Those friends should always be people who follow Jesus. They should be people who have a common faith with us. We also have to be aware of the officials, authorities, and so-called experts that influence the way we think and live. If we hold people above Jesus, or adopt ideals, thoughts, or platforms that aren’t centered on the truth of Christ, then we make a huge mistake.
We will never be as useful to the kingdom without solid, Christ-centered community to hold us up. We need other believers who have the spirit of Christ living inside them to help us, to guide us, and to encourage us. We need to seek advice from leaders who love Jesus and are committed to following Him. We need Christ-centered wisdom to guide our lives.
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Team Lead
End in Prayer
Jesus,
Help me to take a good look at the relationships and influences in my life that are directing my steps the most. Please help me to seek out people and ideas that are centered on You alone. Thank You for being my source of truth and life.
I love You,
Amen