Having NO Fellowship with the Works of Darkness
Ephesians 5:11- "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
It is no doubt that one of the biggest problems today of Christians is when they are going with the wrong crowd. There is the old statement, "Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you what you are." God demands separation from the world and holiness and unity in His family NOT unity with the world. Christians are to be united, yes, but with each other but NOT with the worldly. Although Christians are not to be quarrelsome, they are to be meek and they are told to love their enemies (Matthew 5:44) however they need to be confrontational when it comes to the works of darkness. These workers can darkness can come in the form of close friends and even one's own family. These footmen can come in the form of people who will entice Christians to sin with them. Although Jesus ate with sinners but He DID NOT sin with them. He ate with these sinners because they invited Him, they were repentant sinners, He opened up to them who wanted to be saved and they had enough of their sinful lives which is in contrast to a Christian who joins a sinful dinner party of an unbeliever.
How can friends and relatives be enticing Christians to the works of darkness? A Christian will have unbelieving friends, others who are obvious to be one and others who are not. Before a Christian was ever called out, most of them had unbelieving companions. Somebody may be a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus Christ but his father may be a philanderer, his mother may be a nagger, his brothers may be gamblers and swindlers, his sisters may be a home-wrecking whores, his dad's brother may be a druglord, his mom's brother may be a wife beater and the list of dirt can go on. He may even have cousins and brothers who are philandering. Or he may have friends who have walked an even more wayward path as a result of unbelief. Going out with them especially to unsavory places is a no-no. Befriending their mistresses and boyfriends who are married men is also a no-no. Christians should NEVER befriend such people- witness to them, pray for them is a YES but to fellowship with such sinners should NEVER be allowed. Also Christians should never even bother to cover up criminal acquaintances. It's always better to lose the trust of the wicked than to upset the Lord for condoning the works of darkness with such actions.