Family members will often attempt to make us feel responsible for being their friends even though they have nothing in common with us and they don't even like us.
We have no responsibility to remain friends with family members who have demonstrated contempt toward us and what we believe.
Nowhere in the context of this passage does God command us to remain with the family when they do not share our goal in life to follow Christ.
In 2 Timothy 3:1-5, God describes the character of people in general in the last days, and in verse 5 he tells us to stay away from those who exhibit this character as a general way of life.
Everyone will have bad days when their fleshly nature will emerge when there is stress, but those who live a continual lifestyle of anger and disrespect are those who have fully given in to their flesh and do not exhibit someone who has been changed by Christ.
Those who have been changed by Christ do not walk in fear and domination of others. Those who love Christ and have been changed by Him will continually exemplify the character qualities of the fruit of the Spirit of Christ.
Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law"
Those who love Christ don't have to force themselves to appear good; they just live it openly every day. We don't have to try to appear to have the fruit because it is a part of our being. We hate harming others, so we speak the truth in love and remain fully engaged in the fruit that drives our will and emotions.
God is not commanding us to have the fruit, He is describing what we do have when He has changed us into a new creation. Many false Christians who pretend in front of those they wish to impress will not be able to pretend in front of those they despise.
Galatians 5:24 "24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."
Those who are pretenders cannot keep up the pretense very long, they operate by their fleshly feelings and when they see it doesn't work they have to blame others acting as though they had a good reason to be mean and rude.
James 3:14-16
"But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth. / Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. / For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice."
1 Corinthians 3:3
"for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?"
2 Corinthians 12:20
"For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder."
In these last days, the mentality of many church attendees is that as described in 2 Corinthians, full of self-exaltation and loathing of those they want to control but cannot.
God never commanded us to control, or manipulate others to suit our passion for power. He told us to love one another, speak the truth and defer to one another in the Lord.
Our first love is Christ and because of this we must speak the truth to those we love. How they receive it will tell us whether or not they are teachable and whether or not we remain with them. It makes no sense to remain with rebellious people who have been shown to hate the teachings of Christ through resistance to them.
James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
James 1:14 "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire."
It is easy to submit to Christ in the matter of choosing our companions when He is the most important to us, even more important than our own lives.
1 Peter 5:8-11 "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen."
This life is not easy but it is full of joy when we obey Christ. We will be rejected by nearly all friends and family as well as judged and gossiped against without cause. Those who hate us will decide themselves to believe they have cause and will recruit others to think so too, but we have no fear or anguish because we know God sees it all, all the time.
Matthew 5:11-13
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
See that!!!! It is a blessing that they reject us and it is a blessing to come out from among them.
Do not fear or envy those who reject you, feel sorry for them because their judgment is coming if they do not repent.
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