8 Happy Facts About Friendship With God - Possible, Necessary, Personal, Love-Based etc.

Nonviolence – Turn the Other Cheek MEANS Resist Courageously, Non-Violently

Posted: October 18, 2016

Should Christians practice resistance, practice nonviolence? Is it ever appropriate for Christ-followers to resist people in authority? There is much in the behavior of prominent influencers, including politicians, that cries out for criticism and resistance.

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Wislawa Szymborska, poem: Cleaning Up The Mess(es)

Posted: April 23, 2005

This poet puts things so matter-of-factly, and sees so realistically. I see this applying to more than military “adventures” – see after the poem. THE END AND THE BEGINNING by Wislawa Szymborska (Nobel Prize winning Polish poet) After every war someone has to clean up. Things won’t straighten themselves up, after all. Someone has to […]

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Why Many Christians Do Not Vote Republican

Posted: February 10, 2005

Contents of this PostThe problems remain. This was written 20 years ago.The very reasons for BEING a Republican Christian are also the reasons for WORRYING about the Republican party as it is currently functioning.Neglect of Major Biblical Moral ThemesThe Company They KeepMis-use of the PulpitThe Ways They Campaign; The Ways They WinThe Abortion ProblemGay RightsPerhaps […]

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Is Jesus a Republican? Is Jesus a Liberal?

Posted: August 14, 2004

Contents of this Postone of my favorite lines from JesusBut “the common people heard him gladly,”So Liberal and Conservative are probably the wrong parameters. As far as we know, Jesus never directly mentioned either homosexual behavior or abortion / infanticide. And we can be sure that’s not because he cared nothing for moral or social […]

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Contents of this Post

From the guidance we get in the New Testament, friendship with God IS:

Is it possible for an ordinary human to develop a personal friendship with God? If such a thing can happen, what do we know about it? What do you think?

From the guidance we get in the New Testament, friendship with God IS:

1. Possible

This is a major teaching – in fact a presumption – of the Christian and Hebrew Scriptures, and of much testimony down through the centuries in varied cultures. This possibility is held out to every last one of us.

2. Necessary

We are made for cooperation with God, and without it will find ourselves unfulfilled, under-satisfied, weakened in our efforts to make a contribution.

3. Productive

When a human develops a pattern of ongoing friendly working together with God, good things come from that, very good things – that are needed, and that would not otherwise occur.

4. Divine

Such a friendship brings into our ordinary human situations a definite Divine (Godly) influence, so that sometimes we become aware of a strong and pleasant influence being felt by people around us.

5. Personal

This friendship is personal in two ways.

First, it involves persons, for we are persons and God is a person, so it is a personal relationship.
Second, it involves us as individuals, we “personally” get to experience the presence of God in our lives.

6. Cooperative

To cooperate means to work together. The Bible says “we are workers together with God.” We pay attention to what God is doing, and how God does things, and God, in response and respect, “stoops down” to work with us in what we are doing. Life becomes a mutual project. Awesome! (See John 15:15 – 1 Corinthians 3:9 – 2 Corinthians 6:1.)

7. Costly

You cannot be long-term close friends with any person while at the same time supporting those who hate that friend, or supporting activities that destroy what that friend loves. To be close to God we will find that we need to now and then distance ourselves from some habits or attitudes that may have been pretty big parts of our lives up to that point. (See Call for Friends of Jesus to Speak Up.)

8. Love-Based

Friendship, with God or anyone, is a form of love; friendship is a part of love; love is part of friendship. As love grows the friendship grows. As the friendship grows, love intensifies.

Friendship, with God or anyone, is a form of love; friendship is a part of love; love is part of friendship. As love grows the friendship grows. As the friendship grows, love intensifies.Click To Tweet

Friendship with God requires that we be intentional about it; but when we are, it does happen, and it does grow. We truly are called to be friends of God. Then we discover what human life really can be – a great and joyful participation with God in The Big Plan – “God With Us.”