The importance of friends

The early church was encouraged to wait upon the Lord to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Based upon the Baptism of the Holy Spirit the early church begin to function in the power of the Spirit.  Acts 2:42 "They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer"  The being devoted to fellowship marks the importance of friends and doing life together rather then by ourselves.  Whether we want to admit it or not we were never meant to live life alone.  We all realize that when we try to do life with others that it gets messy at times.  People do not always do what you think they should, they do and say things that either offend or cause some form of rejection and it is not easy to do life together.  I am not here to say that if we do these three things that it will be easier to do life together.  I cannot nor will I speak for each of you but I need the following people in my life.  I need people who will accept me just as I am.  I need people who will love and support me when life does the opposite.  I need people who will pray for me.  I need people who will speak into my life when I begin to have bad attitudes.  I need prophetic people to speak into my life so as to keep my focus on God as priority one.  I need people to relax with and play games so I be refreshed.  I need people who will work alongside me to do the work of the kingdom.  I need people to love.  I need people to worship with and to seek God together.  I need people to influence me to read good books, to watch the right things and to help me focus on the good things of life.  I need people who are down and out so I can be there to help them so I do not get selfish.  I need people who will be willing to die alongside me for the sake of the gospel of Christ.  This is just the beginning of the importance of having friends in our lives so we do our life in Christ with them for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.  Remember that Jesus loved us that He was willing to die on the cross for us and He called us His friend. 
May God strengthen us that we will be that type of friend to others.

Pastor John