 Spiritual friendships are discovered, made, and last forever. And they are necessary.
Paul’s life fell into chaos after he went to Jerusalem, but he was surrounded by spiritual friends everywhere he went (Acts 20:36-21:8). Needing friends is a sign of maturity and health. Before the fall in Genesis 3, everything was good, except for Adam being alone (Genesis 2:18). We are built to need others. This is not a result of sin, unlike our need for health, being free from guilt, and meaning in life. Friendship was a necessity even before the fall. Christ considered His disciples as friends (John 15:15). He regularly shared His inner thoughts with them. He wasn’t afraid to open up to them His distress. Some don’t want friends because of previous failed relationships. Growing older often leads to more responsibilities and less time for friends. But you still need them. Don’t wait till you become desperate before you look for them. Second, spiritual friendship is discovered. The essence of friendship is not about each other, but about something in common that has captured your hearts. Friends come among those with common interests, passions, or goals. Those going nowhere will have no fellow travelers. Robbers have a common goal of robbing. They go rob and are friends with other robbers. Spiritual friendship arises among those who share a common love for God. The strongest experience is the grace of Christ. Spiritual friendship arises naturally among those with such experience. Third, friendship is made through sharing each others’:
Lastly, friendship lasts forever. Creation was the results of our Triune God’s friendship. Our destiny is eternal friendship. The purpose of creation is about making us friends. Redemption is about remaking us as friends. According to Christianity, life is about friendship. Go get it. Our job is to summarize sermons. That’s what Tim Keller said. Summarized from a Tim Keller sermon: http://www.gospelinlife.com/free-sermon-resource Summarized from a Tim Keller sermon: https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/spiritual-friendship-6582/ 属灵友谊 正确的友谊是重要的，属灵友谊也不例外。 在人类堕落之前（创世纪第3章），除了亞當的独处, 一切都是美好的。上帝决定为亚当造一个合适的配偶帮助他（创世记2:18）。 上帝不是孤独的。三位一体的神创造了宇宙，祂从开始便是三位一体的, 直到在新天新地时也是如始。 对朋友的需要是健康的。基督将门徒视为自己的朋友（约翰福音15:15），经常向他们表达自己的内心，例如将痛苦与之分享。 友谊通常来自有共同兴趣、愛好或目标的人。他们彼此成为生命中的同行客。 属灵友谊也出现在对上帝有共同渴望和热爱的人中间。 保罗和他的属灵朋友就是例子。 他们分享自己的感受和信仰，一起祈祷、哭泣、拥抱和亲吻 （使徒行传20:36）。 他们分享自己的所有，开放自己的家接待保罗和他的朋友（使徒行传21：4）。 他们互相劝告。保罗的朋友们敦促他不要去耶路撒冷 （使徒行传21：4，12）。好朋友彼此磨练，使对方更刚强 （箴言27:17）。 他们分享自己的承诺。路加知道保罗在耶路撒冷和罗马会面临危险，却仍然与他同行 （使徒行传20、21、27和28）。 通常朋友会随着年龄的增长而减少，或许因为时间不足, 亦或是一些朋友令人失望。要意识到属灵友谊需要时间来建立。早期的基督徒献身于团契，每天见面，一起用饭 （使徒行传2:42, 46）。这些活动帮助信徒建立属灵友谊。 总而言之，属灵友谊是健康的。它通常存在于对基督有共同的渴望和热爱的人中间，需要时间和精力来培养建立。
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