“EVIL COMPANIONS CORRUPT GOOD MORALS”

“EVIL COMPANIONS CORRUPT GOOD MORALS”

 

                As a child, I Corinthians 15.33 was drilled into my brain by my parents and Sunday School teachers.  Being adults, they were fully aware of the power and influence they had in the life of a teen.  They had known and experienced the reality of this passage on countless occasions.  As I grew up and went into ministry, this passage served as a foundation principle of my youth ministry.  Not only did I believe that this verse was true, I thought that there was much more to this passage than first perceived.  If bad people could corrupt my good morals, wouldn’t it also be true that good people could enhance and support my morals.  Maybe that is what has happened in Acts 4; Peter and John had been arrested for teaching concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  As they stood before their accusers, in the midst of the Council, we noticed that the Council pointed out a small tidbit that proves my original premise.  “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” (Acts 4:13).  The Council knew that there was something unusual about these men, something that they might not have taken the time to notice before.  They could tell by their actions, their passion, their demeanor, that they had been influenced by Jesus.  Could it be that the more time you spend in a personal relationship with Jesus, He will influence you without you even knowing it?  Not only do I think it is possible, I believe that to be a reality.  It just reveals to me another dimension to Paul’s words in I Corinthians 15.33.  Look at your life, can people see that you spend time with Jesus?  If not, maybe you need to be reminded of I Corinthians 15.33 again.