Hebrews 10:23-25
Peer pressure is real. Being on the autism spectrum, I have not always known this. I am almost immune to peer pressure. I first recognized it as a real force when I saw it at work in the lives of my three daughters. They wanted to fit in. They wanted to look like and act like their friends and the other students at school. I did not understand why they cared what other people thought. I now know that a normal person’s susceptibility to peer pressure is God given. God has given humanity the ability to influence each other. His intention was that we would influence each other to do good, to be good and to desire good. Unfortunately, because of sin, peer pressure often results in people giving in to their worst selves. Parents use peer pressure as an excuse for their children’s misbehavior. They want to believe their children would be saints if only they had not fallen in with a bad crowd. While there may be some truth in this, it does not excuse anyone for choosing wickedness.

When the Holy Spirit comes to live within the heart of a Christian, their heart becomes a holy place. The Christian now begins to create a holy life. The writer of Hebrews recognizes that being a Christian does not make us immune to the influence of others. Therefore, he tells us to surround ourselves with other Christians. We are to influence each other toward love and good deeds. When difficulties arise, we are to encourage each other to react in a different way, a holy and righteous way. Some Christians claim they do not need fellowship because they can worship God in nature. Nature does not have the ability to influence us to holiness the way fellow Christians do. To be a holy person we need to surround ourselves with holy people. If we give up meeting together, we give up the holy influence of Christian peer pressure. Christian peer pressure is holy.