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In my case, it was a matter of other people becoming friends to me. I was a friend to all in a pastoral sense. But there is a difference between strong individual friendship and that of being a pastor. Theirs was a silent supportive kind of friendship to God’s man as the spiritual leader. But when the need strongly presented itself, numerous people stepped up to the plate. They said, "I am his friend. Regardless of how many of my fellow church members oppose him, I will openly indicate my support and approval as God’s leader for our church." Proverbs 18:24 expresses quite well how to be a friend. "A man with many friends may be harmed, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother."
There could be a danger in having many friends. Not all of them will be true out-and-out buddies. Many will be only supportive in some situations. How many times over the years have you heard that a person is indeed blessed if he has one authentic friend during his lifetime. One-real friend in a lifetime is more than most people get. And that one will stick like glue in his allegiance, loyalty, commitment, and belief in us.
What about the friendship intimacy mentioned in John 15:13? "I do not call you slaves anymore, because a slave doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from My Father." A friend usually knows what his friend is doing and thinking. How much did Jesus share with His disciples? How much did they share with Him? We will discuss that thought in greater detail later. This we do know. Their bonding, that is, Jesus and His disciples, was deep. personal, and intimate.
