Nothing Will Come Between Us – Friendship Myth #3 – Purity 1335
Purity 1335 04/25/2024 Purity 1335 Podcast
Purity 1335 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a park bench-lined walkway on the shores of Lake Ontario comes to us from Celestial Blue Photography’s Roco Saya who shared this tranquil scene from his visit to, what I am fairly certain, is Oswego’s Breitbeck Park, on social media on or around May 17th, 2021.
Well, It’s Thursday and I share this “pathway photo” as is my habit on Thursdays to encourage all who read, hear, or see this message to get on or to stay on the path of Christian Discipleship – or as Eric Metaxas’ latest book suggests practicing “Religionless Christianity”. Metaxas, of course, uses a term that Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined that describes the surrendered authentic lifestyle of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Holding on to Cheap Grace, mental assenting to a set of theological beliefs, and going through the pantomime of religious traditions while you more or less remain unchanged in your mind, heart, and the way you live your life is to practice religion, whereas a disciple of Jesus has a personal relationship with the Lord and who continuously and progressively seeks to surrender to the Lord’s will, allowing God to change whatever He calls us to repent of and to assign a life’s purpose to our lives.
My purpose in Christ is to bear testimony to the freedom that is to be found in Christ and to encourage others to discover the abundant life that comes from practicing “religionless Christianity”.
The cost of discipleship however can include the loss of friendships to those who choose not to follow Jesus or even to those who claim to but who view our zealously following the Lord as unnecessary, too extreme, or even “too religious”. Ironic, huh…
Anyway that brings us to our current series on Friendship Myths, which was inspired by a recent prayer ministry session and Sarah Epstein’s 2022 Psychology Today article on destructive beliefs about friends (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/between-the-generations/202202/8-destructive-beliefs-about-friendship ) where she writes about our third friendship myth. Epstein informs us that next destructive belief that we hold concerning friendship is that:
- “True friendship means nothing will come between us.”
Epstein’s commentary to debunk this myth states:
“Nope. Conflict is healthy and normal in friendship, just as it is in any relationship. Friendship is the interaction between complex human beings with complex, changing needs. When we connect, we sometimes conflict. That is ok. It does not mean the friendship isn’t a true friendship or that the friendship is not strong. In fact, friendships often gain strength if both members of the relationship can work through struggles openly and honestly.”
In today’s “cancel culture”, this is an important lesson to know and to share as the latest trends seem to indicate that if I experience any offense from my friends or acquaintances, I am to condemn them and break relationships with them. Our current society seems to honor diversity, but the truth is that if you hold to a Christian worldview, you discover that your biblical principles and mores concerning marriage, gender, equality, or human sexuality are now unacceptable to many and could result in the loss of otherwise previously harmonious friendships. It seems we can no longer agree to disagree and remain friends.
However, God’s word would indicate that we should work to maintain friendship in spite of disagreements. Jesus said:
Matthew 5:9 (NKJV)
9 Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God.
Matthew 5:23-24 (NKJV)
23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
The Apostle Paul advises us to:
Romans 12:17-18 (NKJV)
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
All this Biblical wisdom shows us that we will have conflicts with one another but instead of “canceling” our friendships and believing the lie that “True friendship” (see that extreme language) means that Nothing (extreme) will come between us”, announce the truth that as much as it depends on us – we will be peacemakers. As Christians, we will forgive others ask for forgiveness when we do wrong and try to remain friends with those we disagree with. After all,
Proverbs 17:17 (NKJV) tells us
17 A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
Having open and honest discussions and settling disagreements with our friends can strengthen our friendships and could even be used by the Lord to bring people into His kingdom so work to show the love of God in your relationships.
However, if your “friends” don’t follow the Lord or live sinful lives with a covering of cheap grace don’t forget Paul’s advice in:
1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV) where he warns us:
33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
Although Jesus was a friend of sinners, He told us not to be friends with sin in
Matthew 5:29-30 (NKJV) where he said:
29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.
Jesus calls us to forgive but also calls us to repent of our sins. Although he loved everyone he travelled with those who sought to obey Him. So be wise and discerning regarding your friends, some conflicts can be resolved but if you are on the highway to heaven and they are on the highway to hell it may be best to forgive them and let them go on their way and pray that they follow you as you follow Christ.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .
Today’s Bible verses come to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Death and Eternal Life
Revelation 21:1-4 (NKJV)
1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Today’s verses fall under the seventeenth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Death and Eternal Life.
17. There will be a new heaven and a new earth in which there will be no more suffering or sorrowing.
Today’s verses describe the culmination of ultimate reality, where God welcomes His children to life in a new heaven and a new earth where there is no pain, sorrow, crying, or death. This reality is for those who follow Jesus and if we are in Christ we should remember this and let go of the fear of death or the opinion of other non-believing men. They don’t know who we know and that will not go where we go. We have blessed assurance, and they have confusion. If left unchanged, their path leads to the lake of fire and our path leads to eternal life in the presence of God. So let’s rejoice over the fact of our salvation and be faithful to share the good news with the hope that God will use us to help others find new life that He has for them.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament” By Stephen F. Olford – A Collection of Devotional Journals: 1940-1941.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Olford’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for less than $10 at many sites.
MORNING READING: ACTS 6
“It is not desirable that we should leave the
word of God and serve tables.” – Acts 6:2
It was not for lack of humility that the apostles said these words. It was rather that the teaching and preaching of the Word of God should not be hindered. This was “desirable,” or that which was right or proper. Serving tables, though a duty important in itself, was decided to be committed into the hands of men who were spiritually qualified to perform it.
The serving of tables consisted of the pecuniary transactions of the Church. For they had all things in common (Acts 4:32), and this meant that there had to be those who should distribute equally to all the material needs of the Church. The lesson in the above verse, however, is that, first, it is “desirable” to hold the ministry of the Word in the place of special importance; and yet not to neglect the secondary duties in connection with the work of God.
The preaching of Your Word and the
ministry to Your people are both important works.
Help me to put them in proper priority.[1]
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Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, “Freedom in Christ” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts
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These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247
Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.
My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)
“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Stephen Olford and Heather Olford, According to Your Word: Morning and Evening Through the New Testament, A Collection of Devotional Journals 1940-1941 (Nashville, TN: B&H Books, 2008).
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