When my twin brother Craig and I left home back in the fall of 1990 to go to Bible college, we had one significant prayer request. We asked God to give us friends similar to my dad. When he went to Baptist Bible College, not only did he get an education, but he also made three life-long friends. Pastors Ival Robinson and George Crawford along with missionary Art Ball became my dad’s forever friends. Now over forty years later, my dad still enjoys friendship with these men. God granted grace to my dad while in college and throughout his ministry.
Back to our prayer request. Craig and I left home – already with a best friend since we had each other – desiring to be blessed in similar ways to my dad. We truly desired for this grace and asked God to answer our prayers according to His will in this way.
And He did. We were blessed with nine friends instead of just three. Lifelong. Godly men. Friends.
A Sweet Conversation
The COVID-19 novel coronavirus provided a perfect opportunity to enjoy a Zoom call together. We have never done that before. However, with the stay-at-home orders, we all became aware of and comfortable with the technology that would make conversations easier.
The day was set: Saturday, May 2nd. 5:00 CST.
For over 90 minutes we enjoyed a vibrant, Christ-exalting conversation together.
Of those nine guys, three are missionaries, everyone else has served at various levels of ministry as pastors and ministry leaders. What a blessing to visit with them, contemplate God’s plan, and celebrate God’s grace together.
Friends Are Necessary
None of us can ignore the fact that God made us to both need and become a personal friend to another believer in Jesus Christ. God’s goal for each Christian includes walking in wisdom through life in Christ together. The Bible speaks to this issue over and over (Prov 13:20; 17:17; 27:17; et.al.).None of us can ignore the fact that God made us to both need and become a personal friend to another believer in Jesus Christ. God's goal for each Christian includes walking in wisdom through life in Christ together. Click To Tweet
Companions – those walking down the road of life with us – are important for each one of us.
Why do we need these friends? Because they bring many potential benefits to us. We need an extra pair of eyes. Often (maybe always) we misinterpret our own strengths and weaknesses. In the process, we need another person or two who can help give us insight and clarity. Another person who will ask us good questions to help us discover our weaknesses, oversights, mistakes, sins, and areas of needed additional wisdom.
You also need the encouragement. On days when life is hard, situational pressures heavy, and discouragement seems to come easy, God’s plan includes friends who can come alongside and share encouragement. The grace we have received, we share with others to help build them up (Eph 4:29).On days when life is hard, situational pressures heavy, and discouragement seems to come easy, God's plan includes friends who can come alongside and share encouragement. Click To Tweet
Essentially, we each need the benefit of community. You, me, our friends, and our fellow church members need these corporate benefits that community provides. Often the Bible refers to these responsibilities and benefits of others as the “one another” commands.
Your Friends Need You
You can take each of the reasons you need friends and flip those to consider why your friends also need you. These are the other people in and around your life who need you. Just as you, they are not independently insightful related to their lives as well. Further, as you possibly, they may not even know that they are in such need. Yet, the Bible makes that clear as well (Hebrews 3:12-13).
How Do You Respond Now?
Let me suggest a couple of key ways to respond to your need and the need of those you know and love.
First, don’t delay in considering your own heart. Is there anything in your own heart that stands in the way of you either being a good friend to another person or your sense of developing a strong friendship with another person?
Second, question your qualifications for being a good friend, then pursue change for God’s glory. Is there anything about you which would make you a poor friend choice for another person? In other words, are you qualified biblically to be a good, wise, godly friend?
Third, learn to walk with Christ, Who is the best friend. You will benefit your friends best if you live your life walking with the best possible friend ever, Jesus Christ.
One Last Blessing…
Darren prayed for us as we ended our call yesterday. I can’t tell you what a great blessing it was for me to listen in as He took an over 90-minute call and break it into prayer requests for each of us. That’s another benefit you just can’t beat – your friends will pray for you and he did.
Thank you God for answering Craig’s and my prayer thirty years ago this fall by providing us not just a good friend in college or even 3 like my dad’s time at Baptist Bible College; but instead, You provided us with 9 of the best. We are blessed.Thank you God for answering Craig's and my prayer thirty years ago this fall by providing us not just a good friend in college or even 3 like my dad's time at Baptist Bible College; but instead, You provided us with 9 of the best. Click To Tweet
Photo Credit Screen Capture from Zoom call
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