0381 Friendship 101

FRIENDSHIP 101

Salvation through friendship (story of that boy) 90% of people who get saved get saved cause of the friendship evangelism Relational evangelism is the best one so far Jesus was called friend of sinners Who ever is the strongest will pull the weakest (pulling someone out on the building)

Dating through friendship You don’t have to date someone to get to know them Don’t give hits till you know God’s leading (sniper) Iron sharpens iron (Jesus and dudes not Mary; David and Jonathan; Samson and Delilah) They don’t understand me. It’s hard to relate. That relationship will hinder marriage. Treat them equal Friends share their heart. Jesus did it. God did it. Samson did it. David did it Life through friendship Friends are your mirror – they reveal you. Don’t change friends, change you Friends are crystal ball – they reveal your future (Four friends; Jesus’ friend put Jesus on the cross) Friends are elevator – they will bring you up or down (Amnon verses Jesus) When you’re in the valley you need friends, when you’re on the mountain you need to be a friend In the valley – friends sit not speak. Boring speech. You are with me in the valley On the mountain – friends help not hurt

Jesus is the True Friend God and Abraham were friends. God and Moses were friends Jesus called disciples friends. Not every son is his father’s friend David and Jonathan friendship (succession to the throne cause of love and friendship) Jesus died cause of friendship (we know he died, but we need revelation of why) Will Jesus say that you are His friend? But there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother

A friend is the one who multiplies joys, divides grief, and whose honesty is inviolable A friend is the one who understands our silence A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out True friends are like diamonds, they are real and rare. False friends are like leaves, they are scattered everywhere Friendship is like a tree, it’s not measured on how tall it could be, but is on how deep the roots have grown Life without a friend is like death without a witness There are many times of ships, wooden ships, plastic ships, metal ships but the one that doesn’t sink is friendship Friend is someone who knows all about you and still likes you A friend in need is a friend indeed Love is blind, friendship closes its eyes It’s better to be in chains with friends than to be in a garden with strangers Friends are like good health; you don’t realize what a gift they are until you lose them.

A simple friend identifies himself when he calls A real friend doesn't have to

A simple friend opens a conversation with a full news bulletin on his life A real friend says, "What's new with you?"

A simple friend thinks the problems you whine about are recent A real friend says, "You've been whining about the same thing for 14 years. Get off your duff and do something about it."

A simple friend has never seen you cry A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears

A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book

A simple friend brings a food to your party A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean

A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed A real friend asks you why you took so long to call

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems A real friend seeks to help you with your problems

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history A real friend could blackmail you with it

A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument A real friend knows that it's not a friendship until after you've had a fight

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them A real friend expects to always be there for you!

Let's see if you send it back. We all know or knew someone like this!! One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I shrugged my shoulders and went on. As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks." They really should get lives. " He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my friends He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him. Monday morning came! , and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday! " He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown , and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship. Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous. ! Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. " Thanks," he said. As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends... I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story." I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable." I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth. Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others. You now have two choices, you can: 1) Pass this on to your friends or 2) Delete it and act like it didn't touch your heart. As you can see, I took choice number 1. "Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly." There is no beginning or end.. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift. It's National Friendship Week. Show your friends how much you care. Send this to everyone you consider a FRIEND. If it comes back to you, then you'll know you have a circle of friends.