Friends

Lagos Pastor
Sep 3, 2018 · 3 min read

ENTRY 031

If friendship was a competition I may be able to represent Nigeria at the Olympics. God has blessed me with friends and a friendship gift. Yet it is not a story about those I have befriended as it is about how God has changed my life over and over again by the friends he has brought my way.

Destiny is often encoded in the counsel of a friend. I once heard a preacher teach about the four friends that broke through another mans roof to lower their sick friend before Jesus. I was particularly struck when he said that everyone should have friends whose faith would cause something to happen in your life.

“And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.””-Mark‬ ‭2:3–5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

They were loyal to his well-being and destiny and yet were comfortable with his imperfection.

My three big words when it comes to friendship are Loyalty, Openness and Love (LoL!). The willingness to be vulnerable and open, the faithfulness to be loyal and the capacity to love beyond self have transformed my friendships. I have found friends on airplanes, in younger people, at work conferences, in church groups, online, in people of different tribes, sometimes in people of different faiths, everywhere.

“Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”-I Samuel‬ ‭18:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I met my wife through a friend. During my career, I have gotten two different jobs through friends, discovered new life styles through friend. In fact my walk with God changed dramatically in my first year of university as God put me in a group of Christian friends some of whom I still keep in touch with decades after.

Pastors should be friendly with those they Pastor. Everything is better with friendship. The relationship between Employer and employee, that between Husband and wife, and even that between Father and son. Even God calls us His friends!

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.-John 15:15

I am finding that God has planned my friendships long before I came on the scene. So I have no anxiety about friendships; not even friendships with other pastors. True friendships between Christians should be a thing of beauty to behold as iron sharpens iron and the wisdom of God produces faith and grace.

“As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”-‭Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Dear Pastor, I pray that God will bring you friends that money, silver and gold cannot buy. I pray that God will take away any friendships that have no purpose in this season of your life and that He will bring in new friendships consistent with His plan for you. I pray an end to any friendship that requires you to exchange your conscience, peace, faith or self esteem. I pray that God will bring you comfort, wisdom and wealth with the amazing friends He will surround you with.

I pray that God will be your friend indeed. A friend that sticks closer than a brother. A friend for all seasons.

Oh what a friend we have in Jesus. All our griefs and sins to bear.

May His Grace be with you.

Yours in His vineyard,

A Lagos Pastor.

I am a pastor. I live in Lagos. Love Jesus a lot. Married with kids. I have stories, some questions, bright thoughts and some dark moments. I will share…

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