Someone had written about friendship with the world in another thread (can't find it now) asking it friendship with unbelievers is possible. I found the following preached by Spurgeon to be very powerful:

"As to our soul and spirit, the resurrection has begun upon us. It has not come to our bodies yet, but it will be given to them at the appointed day. For the present a special work has been wrought upon us by which we have been raised up from among the dead. Brethren, if you had been dead and buried, and had been lying one night, say, in Woking Cemetery, and if a divine voice had called you right up from the grave when the silent stars were shining on the open heath—if, I say, you had risen right out from the green mound of turf, what a lonely being you would have been in the vast cemetery amid the stilly night! How you would sit down on the grave and wait for morning! That is very much your condition with regard to the present evil world. You were once like the rest of the sinners around you, dead in sin, and sleeping in the grave of evil custom. The Lord by his power has called you out of your grave, and now you are alive in the midst of death. There can be no fellowship here for you; for what communion have the living with the dead? The man out there in the cemetery just quickened would find none among all the dead around him with whom he could converse, and you can find no companions in this world. "

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Geoff/Reformed Baptist
Acworth, GA
John 6:37
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.


"Show me your war face."

You know, it's stuff like this that makes me stick around this place. I don't know of anywhere else where someone would post something like that.

This will stay with me forever. Thank you!

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Adam Leavelle
Westminster OPC
Roaring Spring Pa.

http://www.myspace.com/aleavelle
"Speak wisdom to a fool and he'll think you have no sense at all"

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Excellent dear brother!

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1689 Baptist Confession

Psa 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
James Farley, Wilderness Road Baptist Assembly.
Husband of Melissa and father of Ann.
www.wildernessroadbaptist.org

Shows the futility of "Friendship Evangelism"

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Richard
CofE
UK

I have an "different" perspective on this as one who works with kids for a living. Kids seem to appreciate people who love them, while many adults do not. I interact with the "dead" every day, especially teens who have not accepted the gospel or out right reject it. However, they seem to respond well to me simply because I show love and concern for them. Even those who continue to reject the gospel often accept me because of my care for them.

I seldom see this with adults. then again, I expect more from adults. I suppose it's what Christ meant about having to humble ourselves like little children?

Excellent quote - already copied and pasted into a Word doc for printing later.

I've got to agree with Richard, though I used to be a proponent of 'friendship evangelism', if you are not actively hitting them with the gospel, they will actively be hitting you with the world and it will rub off on you.

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Kevin
Far East
Deacon, Int'l Church

I find this a problem because I go to a church with no young people. If I have am to make friends with anyone within twenty or thirty years of my age then I have to go outside the church. The problem there then is that I have to go find charismatic friends and other such people who I find really really really boring. I suppose it is a problem I need to get over but I would often rather talk with nonbelievers than with charismatic’s and Catholics talking about some "uber cool movie" or pirates or who hooked up with who or how great the jam session with the guy up stairs was last night. Added to this is the problem that they are all encouraged to not study too hard, devout their life to 'the group' (which ever Church it is) and so then when I turn up I have little in common with them (theology is different, beliefs are different and even level of education is different - it could even be pushed further to say culture and language is different)

This is a serious problem for me and I am at a loss about what to do about it.

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Fraser,
Trinity Reformed Baptist Church
Hamilton, New Zealand.

How are we reading this? The desire for the evil things or merely associating with sinners?
James 4:4; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13

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Ted Shipley
Palmdale, CA
Member of Centinela Baptist Church
Lawndale, CA

[A] workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.

I'm reading it as teaching us not to desire to "hang out" with sinners, spend all your time with them, etc. We can all say we're trying to witness to them, but few besides Jesus are capable of living that kind of life style constantly around unbelievers.

Like my Dad says: You wrestle with a pig, you may win, but both will get dirty.

The New England Primer:

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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"Let your Morning Thoughts, and your last Evening Thoughts, be what shall become of you to all Eternity." -- Matthew Poole