“But now I more have written you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such or one, no, not even to eat with them,” Commentary: The old saying is they will know you by your friends! Our mission is to preach the Gospel in word and deed! Do not be so naive that you hanging around wicked people will change them! I remember years ago in this small town where we lived in Georgia this young man went to his Pastor in a local church and told him he was going to go to the bars around town and share Jesus and get them all saved! The Pastor did not agree with him on his method but he went on anyway and began to hang around drunks day after day! He married a bar maid later on his mission trips and left the church! He should have brought the unbelievers to church! But that to is not easy! At that time we owned about 30 rental properties in this small town. A young lady who was one of our tenants expressed interest that she would like to attend our church but did not have a ride to church. I told her since I take my family to church I would have to come a little early to pick her up for church. I came by that Sunday morning and picked her up for church. We had not traveled two blocks when she asked me what motel are we going to? I told her we are going to church not to any hotel! She then said you are serious about going to church? Yes I told her I am serious! She asked me to turn the van around and take her back to her apartment! You see I was trying to get her to associate with Jesus and she was trying to get me to associate with her sin! I declined to associate with her sin and she declined to associate with my Jesus! The missionary to the bars left his association with Jesus and associated with his bar maid and her sin! People have to give up their sin to hang around Christ and some will not do that! It requires time, repentance, commitment, your resources, effort, persecution by the world and sometimes family but Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you and only he has power to forgive sin, heal the sick and raise the dead! Everyone even your most trusted can abandon you but never Jesus! Your association with him is forever not just this life but all human relationships however good will end someday! My wife Hamsa and I by God’s grace have been married 48 years! However after spending 90 days in the hospital with her age related challenges I have come to realize our relationship as good and lovely as it is will one day end! But together we and our marriage has and will always be associated with Jesus as long as we have breath! Jesus took his last breath on a Cross for you so you could come into relationship with him! To waste his love for you to try to hold on to your sin is a much bigger sin than you understand! In fact it is an unpardonable sin! James & Hamsa Sasse. IndiaJesusLovesYouChurch.com