“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.  (Proverbs 18)

“…given to hospitality…”  (1 Timothy 3)

 

Reader, a friend, a real true and abiding friend is a gift from God.  Those that know this writer know me to be friendly, but I do not have many friends.  Don’t get me wrong, I have Christ-ian brethren that love me and are loved by me. But a friend, I have not many.  My wife and children are friends in a sense….you understand? But i have had few friends.  Most of my friends from my past are in the past. I am not a friend type of person. There are fellows that I have known, I do not hear from them anymore, but my love has not diminished.  This is not how most see friendship, but I usually define friendship as friends at a distance.

Reader, that is how I am wired. I do not know how to be different and I do not want to be different. I have been a loner, in a godly sense, most of my life and the thing is, I think many of God’s servants are that way.  We all love each other, we like each other for the most part, but we need not spend time together to maintain our bond and unity.  We have our own walk with Christ and that is where we would rather be….with Christ and not each other. Does this make sense?

However!!! When I get to spend time with my Christ-ian brethren or other preachers, I’m in a kind of heaven. I love to be in the presence of God’s elect people. When I can speak of Christ with another, it is glorious.  When I get to spend time with another who “gets me” I am in a kind of paradise. BUT one (1) needs to be careful not to get too familiar with others.

Earlier in my Christ-ian walk I became very tight with a man of God and his family. It was nice at first. There were many things in common. BUT soon this man began sharing his thoughts and feelings about others…in a gossipy kind of way.  As a younger Christ-ian, what was I to think? This friendship turned ugly and we both were praying and asking God to remove the other one (1) from the church. I learned this years later. This is not a man that i would get along with, probably even today, do I love him? This man is a Christ-ian brother and I must love him, so I do. This man was blaming me for holding him and the church back. This man was indoctrinated by legalistic schools: I learned much about the pathology of the legalist through studying him.

Paul would choose to walk from one (1) place to another when his fellow laborers would use a boat.  Why would Paul do this?  I’ve read some commentators and they said it was due to sea sickness.  Reader, that is silliness. Paul chose to walk, instead of laying back and riding in a boat, because he was walking with Christ in meditation, in prayer, in thought, in Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.   Reader, our best times are spent with God in study and prayer.

Reader, What do you think of this passage:  “And it came to pass, as [C]hrist was [A]lone praying, [H]is disciples were with [H]im: and [H]e asked them saying, Whom say the people that I am?”  Did you catch it?  Christ was Alone praying, His disciples being with Him.  He was Alone and in God’s Presence while He was surrounded by others!!! Reader, that is communion and prayer. That is the prayer life everyone should stive for and seek after.

I have heard a true friend is running towards you when others are running from you. I recall Billy Graham, early in his ministry, had a friend. This friend’s name was Charles Templeton. Templeton was a fellow preacher that traveled with Graham. Unfortunately, Templeton became an apostate and identified himself as an atheist. He fell for the tired and bored tripe….”If God is good, why is there so much misery?”  Many wondered how Graham would respond to this man’s apostacy.  Graham, to his credit, stood in the pulpit and conceded Templeton’s apostacy, but said, he would remain his friend. Templeton died from Alzheimers disease. Graham ascended peacefullly, mind in tact, we are told.

We have written recently and mentioned George Whitefield and the Wesley brothers.  These men were great friends in college. However, Calvinism divided them. They wrote tracts against each other’s views on the subject of election. Yet they loved each other still and Wesley preached Whitefield’s funeral.  Friendship and Christ-ian brotherhood abides as Christ’s Blood is the binding Agent.

At times I think my chest could explode; my happiness, and dare I say pride, over my beloved brethren fills this writer with joy and hope.

Mister Rogers is an example of a good friend.  Mister Rogers, I trust is with Christ. Mister Rogers is a Calvinist…you didn’t know that did you?  Everyone thinks of Rogers as a friendly teacher of children. However, Rogers could get real serious real fast and quick with parents. Rogers would ask the question, “Won’t you be my neighbor?”  Why neighbor and not friend?  Elementary, my dear Watson, Christ said, “love thy neighbor as thyself.”  He did not say love thy friend as thyself. He said anyone could do that, but it took grace to love neighbors and enemies.

Godspeed.