Friendships are essential components of our lives. Through these friendships, we are able to enjoy life, do greater things than we can do when we are alone, and perhaps even get to know the Lord deeper than before.

Yet, 1 Corinthians 15:33 reminds us that having the wrong friendships is dangerous to us: "Bad company corrupts good character."

Still, we all need to reach out to those who are without the knowledge of Christ's saving grace. The Lord Jesus Himself has commanded us that we should "go and make disciples of all nations," and that we should "preach the gospel to all creation."

This simply implies that all Christians who are indeed serious in their love for Christ will make friends for the very purpose of bringing them unto the Lord.

Making friends without staining one's self

We can actually make friends without the worry of becoming influenced by them to do wrong things. Jesus Christ was successful in doing just that, and we can learn from Him. Here are some things that we can do to enjoy our friendships while keeping ourselves free from sinning.

1. Know and stick to your boundaries

The Lord Jesus said in John 6:38, "I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will." He clearly knows what He came here for, doesn't He?

In the same way, know the boundaries that you have when making friends – and stick to them. For example, you want to make friends because you want to share the gospel to them and love them the way Christ did. This means that your conversations should never include anything profane or worthless, and your times with these friends must be spent doing what is right, not what is wrong.

2. Limit your time with them

We read in various parts of the gospel that Jesus would always retreat to a solitary place to pray. He would do this after doing miracles, and while His disciples were asleep (i.e. John 6:14-15; Luke 5:15-16; Mark 1:35).

There's a saying, "Tell me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are." Well, Jesus did consider His disciples His friends (see John 15:15), but we all know that He often spent time away with them because He would pray and spend very crucial time with His Father, from whom He gets His strength.

In the same way, limit your time with your friends. You might soon get influenced by them when you spend too much time together. Instead, spend more time with God.

3. Simply say 'no' to sin

Whatever it is that you're going to do with your friends, decide to say "NO" if what you will do is sin or is destructive of your God-given convictions. Don't worry that you might lose them. Matthew 16:26 tells us, "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?"