Why do we keep company with people who are trouble makers simply because they are relatives? When God's Word tells us to "come out from among them"? The reason is because family takes priority over God's Word with most people. Our culture teaches us that family is everything, however when Christ is everything then we are free to choose our friends based on their love of Christ rather than on their blood line.
The fear of being alone is greater than devotion to Christ, in the hearts of many. I find that when we are willing to move on in our relationships when they are not honoring to God, we will be alone for a time, but alone with Christ. Then when we have had that alone time to restore our spirit, God begins to bring others into our lives who are more in line with the principles of God, those who desire to honor Him in all their ways.
Relatives are zealous for our presence merely because we are relatives, but not because we love Christ, they want us to be like them, even pressuring us through intimidation and mocking to back off from a determination to walk with Christ. It isn't that the relatives want us, it's because they want us to be like them. For most people it is rare to be a family following hard after Christ. Often the believer who loves Christ is the one who is rejected, mocked and demeaned by nearly all family members.
Have you ever been invited to a party by relatives, just so we can see them ignoring us. It is humorous if not also so tragic. Relatives often feel obligated to invite the believers but have no interest in them personally. Their aim is to cause the believer to feel left out or ignored so they will become jealous to be a part of things, giving in to the manipulations of the ungodly to fit in. Sadly in many instances this works, the believer comes, fits in and Christ in them is hidden.
Galatians 4:16-17 "…16 Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth? 17 Those people are zealous for you, but not in a good way. Instead, they want to isolate you from us, so that you will be zealous for them. "
Luke 12:51-53
"Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Those who call you divisive for not coming to the family gatherings, are those who want you to follow them rather than Christ. They love their worldly ways and are deeply wounded when we disagree with them on any level. Their devotion is to the world, someone who loves Christ is the fly in their ointment.
Matthew 10:35
"For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."
Of course it is our desire that all relatives would love the Lord and enjoy hearing His Word, but it does not happen in most families, that's why the Lord said what He did in the gospels, the families for the most part will come against, rejecting and mocking the authentic believers to diminish their walk with Christ.
These worldly people will lie against us, making up stories to make us sound mean or evil, so as to discredit our witness. If the narcissist can get others to come against us, they count that as a victory.
Soon this world will come to an end, but before it does, before we are taken home in the rapture or through death, we will have to endure many things, the rejection and mocking is increasing as the devil pursues the believer in a feeble attempt to destroy them.
Acts 10:38
"You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."
Acts 5:40-42
"They took his advice; and after calling the apostles in, they flogged them and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and then released them. So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ."
The apostles didn't allow the unsaved haters to dictate to them what they would do, they continued in the mission Christ gave them, joyful that they had been worthy to be persecuted. When we see this example it ought to strengthen us, knowing that Christ lives in us and sees all that is going on. Hallelujah!
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