Seven Passions: Spiritual Friendships

Today we've come to core passion number six as seen in the first Church and described in George Barna's Revolution: Spiritual Friendships.

The Church was all about relationships. These friends of Jesus became friends with each other and reveled in their mutual admiration of Christ in their frequent get-togethers. The friendships they formed provided not only encouragement but also loving accountability for spiritual integrity. (p24)

I read a book by Brian McLaren called More Ready Than You Realize recently which was based almost entirely on our need for developing these spiritual friendships. His (and Barna's) basis is that we live in an age when cold-call evangelism has lost its effectives (I wonder if it ever had it -- that's for another entry). People just aren't responding to the Gospel, and obviously there will be some exceptions, when presented out of the context of relationship.

For a couple of centuries the church has been the epicenter of evangelism and ministry. Through its Sunday morning services, outreach programs, evangelism and missions projects, people are invited to the church to hear the Gospel preached. Church members are challenged to invite friends, family, coworkers to listen to the pastor sharing the bold message of Christ with them in hopes that this will (1) bring them back the next time and (2) ultimately lead them to a decision to give their lives to Christ.

This paradigm seems to be one of the biggest mistakes we're making in the church. It needs to come to an end. Believers need to realize that they have the responsibility for loving people, showing them the love of Christ, and leading the people around them toward a restored relationship with Christ. Where else can all of this happen except through relationships? If you're the one that actually loves "Frank" then shouldn't it be you that ministers to him and his family's needs...shouldn't it be you that has the tough conversations with him about the purpose of his life when everything around him seems to be falling apart...shouldn't it be you that shares they mystery and joy of grace and restoration with him as seen through the miracle of your own relationship with God?

Imagine a community of believers (we struggle to understand that word community, especially in a biblical context) in which relationships dominate the scene. Strong, spiritual relationships between believers resulting in accountability and ministry to each other. Deep, love-based spiritual friendships between believers and "searchers", resulting mutual growth and understanding, opportunities to share and show the magnitude of Christ's love to those people and their families, and opportunities to serve as guides to people as they draw closer to the feet of the Savior.

I'm passionate about this...can you tell? I don't have it all together but this passion I definitely share with early followers of Jesus. I hope that this passion will continue to grow in us all.