As believers, most of us have friends who aren't faithful church goers, or followers of Jesus. In fact, I would venture to guess many of us have friends and family who are even antagonistic to the church.
These are valuable and important relationships that we should not treat lightly.
These relationships can become even more complicated, if you began your friendship before you began following Jesus. There is potentially a tension between you because of your life changes, attitude adjustments, and perhaps even a change in your language and demeanor.
Your friends might view these changes as self-righteous, judgmental, or even fake.
They knew you before, and so that adds a layer of complexity to whole situation.
So what do we do?
The answer is be connected, but not in practice. God desires for us to be connected to people, so we can share His love, His message of invitation, and invite them to join in a journey with Jesus.
The thing is, you don't have to do this by compromising your choices and the conduct God has called you to live by. You can be connected and in relationship and pursue your relationship with Jesus.
Jesus was the ultimate example of living separate in conduct, and connected in relationship.
So be good to the people God has placed in your life. Live in a way that shows Jesus, and love people where they are.
So stay connected, but not necessarily by practicing the same things. The power of your life as a believer is your ability to love all people, all while choosing not to compromise your choice to live in a way that honors God.
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