Iron Rose Sister Ministries

Written by Beliza Patrícia, Brazil Coordinator for Iron Rose Sister Ministries

There’s a common saying in most parts of Brazil, “Tell me who you walk with and I’ll tell you who you are.” Repeated by mothers, grandmothers, and teachers, this saying has a very clear meaning: we are like the people we spend time with. But this understanding isn’t new. Amos 3:3 says, “Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (NIV)

Young Christians will hear 2 Corinthians 6:14 in innumerable Bible studies and classes. “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” A yoke is a piece of wood that connects animals enabling them to work together, pulling a cart, for example. This way, the weight is equally distributed between the two. However, if the animals are too different, the yoke will distribute the weight of the wood unevenly, causing one of them to carry a load that is too heavy. In other words, the yoke will be unequal.

This illustration is often used as an alert about the difficulties of a Christian marrying a non-Christian. And this makes total sense: the union of marriage isn’t just physical! It’s also a spiritual union! But does this illustration apply only to marriage? No! Whether we get married or not, we have relationships with others who participate in and influence our lives. Therefore, we need to be attentive and have clear criteria when choosing who we will walk with. But why?

Maybe you think, “I’m strong! I can carry the yoke!” Let’s look at the explanation that the scriptures provide about why we shouldn’t put ourselves in the position of being unequally yoked, showing the differences that make a Christian incompatible with the sin of the world that 1 John 5:19 tells us is controlled by the evil one.

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people”. (2 Cor. 6:15-16)

• Righteous vs. Wickedness— Jesus came to justify (make us right), taking away sin; now whoever believes in Jesus lives for righteousness, not for evil.
• Light vs. Darkness — Sin and the lies of the world are darkness but the truth of Jesus illuminates the life of the believer.
• Christ vs. Belial — The term Belial was associated with Satan, as the expression in Hebrew means worthless; in other words, Christ’s adversary. The believer lives for Christ and is the devil’s enemy.
• Believer vs. Nonbeliever — The believer believes in Jesus and doesn’t reject Him.
• Temple of God vs. Idols — The believer has Jesus living within them, which is why they are a temple of God; therefore, they cannot worship other gods.

This biblical passage emphasizes all the things that we as Christians should not associate with. Second Corinthians 6:14 says, “Don’t team up” (NLT); in other words, we can be the ones who put ourselves in situations like this and decide to live unequally yoked. However, it is important to clarify that the passage does not refer to isolation. Avoiding an unequal yoke does not mean distancing ourselves from people who aren’t Christians, but rather from the wrong things they do.

We are called to build real and deep friendships with nonbelievers, spreading the love of Christ, but we cannot agree with sin, nor participate in it (John 17:15-18). When we are among people who are not Christians we should give testimony of Jesus Christ, and oftentimes this involves knowing how to say no in many situations. Jesus Christ always walked among corrupt people and gentiles, but He never contaminated Himself with their sins, He didn’t accept or conform to their behavior, and He showed them the path of light by preaching the gospel and repentance.

Are you choosing your associations wisely?

Written by Wendy Neill, Advancement Coordinator for Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Arkansas

I grew up in a thriving church of around 3,000 people. When I tell people that, they often say, “I don’t like big churches. It’s too hard to get to know people.” Yes, it is impossible to get to know that many people. Those who only come to a large assembly on Sunday morning don’t grow very much in their faith. That’s why it is important to “think small.”

GoodFaithMedia estimates there are about 2.6 billion followers of Christ in the world today. How did Jesus start this worldwide movement? One by one, and through small groups. While Matthew was sitting in his tax office, “Jesus said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he[Matthew] arose and followed Him” (Matt. 9:9 NKJV). He called out to Simon Peter and Andrew as they were going about their daily work of fishing. “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17).

Gradually, Jesus surrounded Himself with a group of disciples. We don’t know how many. After spending some time with them, He talked with His Father and made a focused decision.

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles. (Luke 6:12-13 NIV)

With this small group of twelve, Jesus changed the world. He had other disciples who followed Him, including women (Mark 15:41), and He preached to and healed large crowds of people. But He gave special teaching, care, and insight to these twelve. He explained parables to them, He sent them out with miraculous powers, and He went through storms with them. He focused on the twelve because He knew they would each disciple others, even after He left this earth. And it worked. His teachings spread like wildfire.

Within that group of twelve, He had three that were His inner circle: Peter, James, and John. He kept them closest in His moments of need. When He knew His death was drawing near, He took those three up to a high mountain. They had the privilege of witnessing the appearance of Elijah and Moses, encouraging Jesus to remain strong and finish His mission (Matt. 17). On that dreadful night before He was betrayed into the hands of the Pharisees, He had a special “Last Supper” with all twelve. He prayed for them, gave them some final instructions in John 13-17, and took them to Gethsemane so He could pray for strength. But in that final stretch, He only took the three with Him.

We can follow this same pattern in our relationships. My childhood faith was nourished in that big church through small group relationships. Adults taught my fourth-grade class. A young couple taught us as seventh-grade girls. My youth group numbered 200, but I had a group of about twelve close friends. We served orphans in Jamaica, built a Sunday school classroom for a poor church in south Texas, and encouraged each other in our faith. As an adult, I have had small group studies with college students or other adults in my home. And I have two or three women that I can call any time to pray for me or to walk with me through a hard time.

There are so many ways that we can seek to be like Christ. One of them is to think small. Small groups allow you to share your heart and to get beyond the pleasantries.

Are you part of a formal or informal small group of Christians? Do you have three women in your life who help you grow? If not, I encourage you to seek out and cultivate those relationships with other disciples. They are your “Iron Rose Sisters”!