It was the 19th of December and the Christmas celebration began with dinner. Earlier they had streamed in with presents for the gifts exchange. People sat around tables and chatted. There was a bumper 37 guests who turned up for the party. After a relaxed catered dinner, it was time for an icebreaker. There was much laughter and movement and both young and old enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Then we sang several popular well known Christmas carols and showed a meaningful locally produced video of how an ex-stewardess who was a gambling addict was transformed by God’s power and grace. Lily Koh followed this up with her story of how Christ set her free from a gambling addiction too. How relevant these were as the integrated resorts and casinos were opened just a few months ago for “business”. Then everyone broke into groups and shared their stories too. It was a meaningful Christmas.

Most of my friends are similarly very hygiene conscious. While having steamboat, someone would take a mountain of a plate of prawns and cook them. But no one would eat it. The reason for this is that no one wants to take the extra effort to wash their dirty hands after peeling off the prawn shells. I know this, because I’m like that too.

However, I do wonder is this the stand a lot of us take when choosing who to make friends with. Like choosing not to make friends with people who have something we do not like about them, like their body odor, their arrogance, their kiasu-ness, their control-freak-ness.

“And doesn’t the Bible warn us against such people?” you may ask, “Proverbs 14:7 tells us to ‘Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.’ ”

What does the Bible tell us?

I admit I do have some area to grow in making friends. But let’s look at what the Bible really tells us why we should make friends with people outside Christianity.

19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

1 Cor. 9:19-23

Here Paul shares why he relates to everyone, and gives us 3 groups of people he makes friends with.

Why Paul become this slave?

Paul knows that he now has a place in heaven, and that he doesn’t have any responsibility to any man (Though I am free and belong to no man), but he makes himself to be a slave to them, having a certain responsibility, or a mission. This responsibility is to try to win as many as possible.

How does he become a slave?

He does this by subjecting himself to the way these people live their lives, while still living in a way that pleases God.

Paul then shares with us 2 groups of people and his strategies in reaching out to them.

1. The Jews

The Jews followed certain laws from Moses and norms in the way they lived. So although he isn’t under their law anymore, Paul still behaved as if he had to keep the law, so that the Jews would be

comfortable with him and his message. For example, in Acts 17:1-4, Paul went to the synagogue, where Jews would be talking about God, and shared with them that about how the Old Testament points to Jesus.

2. The Gentiles

Paul continued to live a life that follows Christ even though people around him in non-Jewish areas. For example, in Acts 17:15-34, Paul manages to speak to the people there, and spoke to them in their lingo about God by offering to tell them about the “Unknown God”, who is the only God, and the way to get right with Him. Even though the people of Athens had different beliefs and practices, Paul did not allow this to shake his faith in Jesus.

We cannot allow the ways of the world to sway us when we make friends with people outside, because we now belong to God. This means that we continue to keep what the Bible tells us is right while we maintain our friendships.

What this means for Christians today?

In every case, Paul did not use these people’s weakness (in keeping to their beliefs) as an opportunity to tell them that they’re lousy or inadequate in some way. Instead, he sought to identify with every culture to create opportunities to share the good news with them.

And Paul does this for the gospel, so that he can have the joy of being in partnership with God – this I believe is the true blessing.

Most Christians do have friends who are non-Christians. However, we often shy away from sharing the good news with them. Here is my challenge to you: have a plan to share the good news of Jesus with your friends. We can do better than just leaving everything to chance or merely hoping your friends would get interested.

And we should be sharing because we’ve benefitted from God’s love, and we want to experience the Father’s joys as His partners in the spreading the good news.

These were the Superbringers who like Andrew, one of the Twelve, brought his brother Peter to Jesus. Later Peter became a great apostle. These GNK children are learning from a young age how to bring people to Jesus.

Senior Pastor Kenny was there to give out presents to encourage them for the 11 friends in total that they brought to the children’s church.

They are Arista, Aaron, John, Jairus and Evangeline ( from left to right).

The pastor was also very impressed by the way the youth cell in action was helping out in the ministry to children, of whom Jesus said, “Do not prevent the children from coming to me for I want to bless them too.”