Today, I'll finish studying the themes and passages from each day of VBS.
So far, we’ve
learned:
Jesus Power Helps Us Do Hard
Things.
Jesus Power Gives Us Hope.
Jesus Power Helps
Us Live Forever.
Today, we learn: Jesus Power Helps Us Be Good Friends.
John 15:12
says, “This is my commandment: Love
each other in the same way I have loved you.”
Jesus also said that everyone would know we are Christians by our love. He didn't say they would know we are Christians by the way we dress or how we speak or where we go to church or even by the stances we take on political issues. He said, they will know we are Christians by the way we love each other.
It is
essential that Christians love each other and stick together.
You cannot live out your faith in
People were created to be together.
One of the hardest things during this pandemic
is the isolation. We were not meant to be stuck at
home all by ourselves. We were not meant to be unable to
hug or even shake hands. (That's why it is so awkward when we get together and we don't know whether we should or not. We need some form of social greeting that doesn't require physical contact, but we also need physical contact.) God
designed us to be together.
Jesus all by yourself.
Think about it. When Jesus came as the Son of God, filled with the power of God, he didn't need any help to fix the problems of the world. He could have snapped his fingers and fixed them all by himself. But he didn't. Instead, he chose 12 disciples to work with him. It would have been easier to do it alone. Why get 12 people together with all their problems and personality conflicts. You know, James and John were brothers; you know how siblings can be. One time I was driving with my two daughters when they were younger and the older one screams, "Dad! She breathing!" And I said, "Thank God! That means she's alive!" (What she meant was, she's breathing too loud and it's getting on my nerves!") Don't you know James and John were probably always getting on each others nerves--not to mention the 10 other disciples. Why would Jesus put himself through all that? Why not save the world all by himself? I guess it was essential for the work to be done together as a group effort.
Jesus
established the Church to be a family of believers united to support one
another with friendship as we tell the world about Jesus. We see several pictures of the church working and living together in divine unity--especially in the book of Acts.
Acts 2:42-47
42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’
teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s
Supper), and to prayer.
43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles
performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all
the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions
and shared the money with those in need. 46 They
worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper,
and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying
the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship
those who were being saved.
Acts 4:32-35
32 All the believers were united in heart and
mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared
everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them,
because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to
give to those in need.
Light in the Darkness
The early
Christians were vastly outnumbered.
Most
of the people around them did not believe in Jesus or even care to show love,
kindness, or goodness.
This small group
of Christians—only about 5,000 people in a city of over 200,000 was a bright
light in a dark, dark world.
“This small
band of believers needed to stick together and support each other.”
[i]
Maybe it was easier for there earliest Christians to stick together than it is for us. There
wasn’t a pandemic on the loose. Or was there? COVID-19 isn't the first pandemic the world has faced. There have been many plagues that have ravaged the world in former times--bubonic plague, the black death, and others that we can't even name. Many of these were far deadlier to humanity than COVID-19. I was watching a documentary the other day and they said the black death killed as much as 80-90% of many of the community it struck. Can you imagine? That would be horrible!
The early Christians had deal with these devastation. They stuck together through them. In fact, many scholars believe that the way they stuck together through the various plagues contributed to the rise of Christianity throughout the world. It contributed in two ways. First of all, Christians survived the plagues at higher rates than non-Christians. Think about it. when everyone around you is dying and people were frightened, they would hide in their homes and abandon their friends and family. Christians didn't abandon each other. And because they cared for one another--even being willing to die for each other--they had a better chance of surviving sickness than others who had no on to care for them. A second reason plagues helped Christianity become more prominent is because non-believers saw how the CHristians love one another, and even how they reached out to care for and love non-Christians. In the face of death, when everyone was abandoning each other, Christians stuck together and even cared for others who were not Christians. And this showed non-believers the Christians faith was authentic; and many non-believer began to believe.
Today, Christians have many more tools to help us stick together. Even though we have been told to isolate ourselves, we have phones. We can so easily call one another to check on each other. We also have text and email. In a few seconds, we can send a message to someone. We have programs like Zoom, where we can all gather in a virtual room for a video conference where we can see and hear each other. And this is not even mention social media and how it can be used to help us stay connected.
Are we using
our technology to stay connected? Is
sticking together as the family of Christ a top priority in our lives? What are you doing to stay connected? What will you do in the days ahead?
Alone,
Christians are vulnerable. When
Christians stick together, we are unbreakable.
Jesus’ Power Helps Us Be
Good Friends
Since Jesus
wants us to be good friends, His Holy Spirit helps us to be good friends.
If we are willing to follow the Spirit’s
guidance, we can make friends, be friends, and bring our friends to Jesus.
Let me give you 5 simple tips about how to
make good Christian friends.
[ii]First of all, pray about it. Pray for God to show you who should be your friends. Yo never know whom God may place in your path today who needs a friend. And you never know how that friendship may grow and bless you. Pray that God would send you people to befriend. And also pray about the depth of the friendship. Not all friends are created equal. Some will be more casual and some will be deeper relationships. And you need to know the difference and know that it's alright to have different kind of friends. Pray for the wisdom to know what kind of friends you have. And of course, pray for your friends. Pray God will bless them and care for them. And pray that your friendship will grow.
Second, be honest. Don't try to pretend to be someone you are not. Just be yourself. Your true friends will accept you for who you are. Be authentic and have integrity. And tell your friends the truth, even if it is a hard truth. They might not like it at first, but--if they are a true friend--they will appreciate your honesty and see that you offer it in love. My friendship with my best friend began 24 years ago when we worked together in a youth program. He was the youth director and I was a volunteer in the program. He asked for feedback from all his volunteers about his job performance. I thought he was doing a terrific job, but also saw a few things he could do better. I praised him, but also offered my constructive criticism. Eddie really appreciated my honesty and told me some time later that it showed him I was a true friend. That friendship grew from that point on and has lasted through many good times and hard times until we are now more like brothers than friends. Honesty is the foundation of the best friendships.
Third, be selfless. It’s not about you. We tend to befriend people we enjoy being around, but it would be self-centered if that were the only thing that made up our friendship. Ultimately, friendship is about selflessly giving to your friends. Jesus said, "There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends." (John 15:13) Great friendships are build when both friends give selflessly expecting nothing in return.
Tip number four: be vulnerable. Vulnerability creates an instant connection. When we open up with our friends, we put ourselves in their hands and a true friend takes that responsibility seriously. They appreciate that we have trusted them and they will also trust us. Being vulnerable helps weave your life into your friend's life. Now, it is important to remember tip number one when you begin to open up to your friends. Remember, friendships come in different levels. Friends must earn each other's trust to go to deeper levels of vulnerability. Pray to know your friendships. Don't be completely vulnerable with someone who hasn't earned your trust. That isn't wise. But then only way to earn trust is to be given a chance. So, start opening up slowly and move to deeper levels as a friend earns your rust.
Lastly, have fun! Fun is more than entertainment. We bond with our friends as we have fun together. It helps to weave the chords of our lives together. You don't have to be having fun all the time. But having fund together has to be part of the equation. It is something that makes friends truly friends. That's one of the reasons why it is so essential that church members get together regularly for fun and fellowship. It's not just something extra we do--like being in a social club. Fun and fellowship weaves together our lives and bonds us as one body--the body of Christ.
Make a Friend. Be a Friend.
Bring a Friend to Christ.
Now when it comes to making friends, you must both reach in
and reach out. I suggest that most of your friends should be people who have the same deep core values as you. Therefore, if you are a Christian, seek strong Christian friends; they will help encourage you to follow Christ and grow in His love (and you will do this for them too). Your Christian friends will be the people you can count on the most.
However, we should also reach outward to non-believers. Jesus gave us a mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We can only do this as we reach out to be friends to non-Christians. When we have a solid foundation of Christians friends to keep us strong and on the right path, we can be confident to be friends to even those who don't share our same values. In doing so, we can grow and learn and we can help our new non-believing friend grow and learn too. And perhaps our friends may see the special faith we have and desire to pursue it as well. Then they will grow to a deeper level of friendship as they learn to share our faith.
So, make a
friend. Be a friend. And bring a friend to
Christ. How will you be a friend this week?
[i]
Rocky Railway Bible Adventures Leaders Manuel, page 34
