Dear brothers and sisters, we may lose many friends because of our faith in Christ. We may face such trials as Christians. It is natural that when we strengthen our faith in Jesus, sometimes our close friends may leave us. There is nothing to be afraid of because they are unbelievers. But for unbelieving friends, we will encourage them as Christians by sharing the good news of Christ with them.
One of the many examples we see in the Bible is the life of Paul. Before he knew Jesus, he had persecuted Christians a lot. But one day, after he met Jesus, his life changed. Because of this new faith, he lost many friends and in turn, he himself faced a lot of persecution. Yet, he did not deviate from his faith and preaching the gospel. We must learn from this.
The Lord Jesus warned us in advance that if we follow Him, our relationships with family and friends may be damaged. He encouraged us that faith in Him should come before any relationship. This does not mean that we will stop loving and caring for them, never. We will love and care for them and encourage them spiritually through the Christian gospel. We must remember that they too will one day surrender to God like us.
Friends, we can pray to God constantly for those friends. We will share the testimony of Christ with friends, the testimony in our lives can also play a big role in their lives. Let us not forget to love and be kind to them, because God does not want this. Because it is possible to conquer friendship with love and they will also know one day that there is salvation only through Jesus Christ.
Dear brothers and sisters, we may feel lonely at this time, leaving our family and friends. But we must come to God at this time and study His Word. The Bible assures us that God never leaves us. He understands our suffering and He is our only refuge.
Dear friends, now let’s see the Bible scriptures below that talk about ‘losing friends because of faith’.
“Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather divisionFor from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, two against threeThe father shall be divided against the son, the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, the daughter in law against her mother in law”
— Luke 12:51-53
“Ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake”
— Luke 21:17
“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, when they shall separate you from their company, shall reproach you, cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake”
— Luke 6:22
“He that loveth his life shall lose it; he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal”
— John 12:25
“If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated youIf ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth youRemember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours alsoBut all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me”
— John 15:18-21
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world”
— John 16:33
“I have given them thy word; the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”
— John 17:14
“The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil”
— John 7:7
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, harmless as dovesBut beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, they will scourge you in their synagogues”
— Matthew 10:16-17
“The brother shall deliver up the brother to death, the father the child: the children shall rise up against their parents, cause them to be put to deathAnd ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved”
— Matthew 10:21-22
“Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, shall inherit everlasting life”
— Matthew 19:29
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, shall kill you: ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sakeAnd then shall many be offended, shall betray one another, shall hate one another”
— Matthew 24:9-10
“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heavenBlessed are ye, when men shall revile you, persecute you, shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sakeRejoice, be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you”
— Matthew 5:10-12
“Ye adulterers adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God”
— James 4:4
“For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ”
— Galatians 1:10
“Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, acceptable, perfect, will of God”
— Romans 12:2
“If children, then heirs; heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together”
— Romans 8:17
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughterNay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved usFor I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to comeNor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
— Romans 8:35-39
“Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, the father the son; children shall rise up against their parents, shall cause them to be put to deathAnd ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved”
— Mark 13:12-13
“For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother in law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house”
— Micah 7:6
“Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them”
— Ephesians 5:11
“But call to remembrance the former days, in which, after ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictionsPartly, whilst ye were made a gazingstock both by reproaches afflictions; partly, whilst ye became companions of them that were so usedFor ye had compassion of me in my bonds, took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better an enduring substance”
— Hebrews 10:32-34
“Follow peace with all men, holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”
— Hebrews 12:14
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake”
— Philippians 1:29
“That I may know him, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death”
— Philippians 3:10
“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed”
— Proverbs 13:20
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend”
— Proverbs 27:17
“Confirming the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God”
— Acts 14:22
“They departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name”
— Acts 5:41
“Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church”
— Colossians 1:24
“Forbearing one another, forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye”
— Colossians 3:13
“It shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord : his father his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth”
— Zechariah 13:3