Discipleship in Friendship

By Carter On April 22, 2008 · Leave a Comment · In Sermons

We in the West (men in particular) have largely lost the art of friendship. We’re good at talking about the weather or the ball game. If we’re around people of the same political bent we’ll talk about politics, or around other Christians we’ll talk about God (though we’re careful if we’re not sure of the theological views on some things). We avoid anything that might stir controversy. We call it being polite and not wanting to offend but there’s a part of us that is afraid we won’t be “friends” anymore if we disagree. We call these kinds of acquaintances “friends.” But a friend is someone that is not afraid to be honest – even when the truth might bring disagreement, or even pain.

But real friendships are instructive for us to understand at least one way that God relates to us. Jesus calls his disciples “friends.” What does that mean and how are friendships formed? These are the questions explored as we look at Jesus’ words in John 15 and the relationship of Jonathan and David in the Old Testament.