Friends!

Last night I spoke at Hot Springs Baptist Church. What a wonderful evening!! The tables were beautiful. The food was delicious. God's presence was tangible. The theme for the evening was "Friends... rejoice with me." We talked about friendships and the fact that God places different people in our lives for different purposes. Rejoicing takes place, in heaven and on earth, when we surrender to this truth.

In God's Word we see four types of friendships.
1. Covenant Friend as seen in David and Jonathan. These friends hold you accountable in life. God's Word plays central focus in the friendship.
2. Close Friend as seen in the early church. The purpose of this friendship is to love and encourage one another in the Lord.
3. Casual Friend as seen demonstrated in the life of Job. Caution must be used in this friendship. You are in their life to set an example of Godly living.
4. Confused Friend as seen in Jesus' heart for people who do not know the Lord.

Below you will find a list of characteristics that are true for each type of friendship.

Covenant: 1 Samuel 18-20
~The Lord is the central focus of the friendship.
~There is a willingness to do anything for one another.
~Both parties recognize the authority of the Lord and as a result have a proper fear of God. This fear becomes the motivating factor for treating one another with Christ-like love.
~Comfort level exists between friends allowing them to call on one another day or night.
~The Word of God becomes the standard by which each party lives.
~Even in times of disagreement or tension, covenant friends ask tough and seek truth. Once the truth is found, decisions are made based on God’s desire not human desire.
~Accountability plays a paramount role in this type of friendship.

Close: Acts 2:42-46
~Both people possess a passionate love for God.
~Both friends obey the Word of God and hold the Word of God as their standard for how to live.
~The friends share more things in common than not in common.
~Both parties are willing to give to one another in times of need.
~Close friends genuinely enjoy being around one another and always feel edified after their time together.
~Both parties feel a freedom to be sincere or real with one another. As a result, close friends do not feel the need to be superficial or to try to be someone they are not.
~Close friends are fun friends and available in times of need.

Casual: Job 1 (Job had lots of friends when things were going well; Job 19 his "friends" took off when things went bad)
~Friendship based on mutual interests or similar life stage.
~Foundational beliefs about God, Bible, and moral excellence are not shared.
~The friendship functions at a superficial level. As a result, the goal of this friendship involves allowing this person to see that Jesus makes a real difference in your life.
~As you are friends with this person, you look for spiritual opportunities to share the love and grace of Christ.
~Boundaries are imperative so that you do not lose your spiritual focus as you interact with this friendship level. If boundaries are not set, this person will influence you towards ungodliness.

Confused: Matthew 9:35-38
~Lost or not attending Church
~Placed in your life for the purpose of evangelism and discipleship.
~Suffering from a mental, emotional, or psychological hurt.

Ask yourself this question--- "Do I have different types of friendships in my life?" "Are my covenant friends and close friends the primary influencers in my life?" "Do I guard my casual friendship so that I am influencing them towards Godliness instead of them influencing me towards worldliness?" "Am I open to confused friends knowing that God places them in my life so they can see the love of Jesus in me?"

As you are open to different types of friendships, God is honored.