Making Friends ?

As I reflect on the fruit or lack thereof in my walk with Christ over the past few years, one realization is that I have not been making disciples in the sense that Jesus commands. He said, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you...” (Matthew 28:18-20a) A disciple is a learner, one who follows Jesus, and one who obeys Him. The disciple abides in the Word (John 8:31-32), loves others (John 13:34-35), bears much fruit (John 15:8), and denies himself. (Luke 14:26-33)

Although I have spent considerable time with a number of people with the intent to disciple them, I recognize that my underlying goal was to become friends with them. This was in response to my own needs for relationship. Although friendship is a wonderful thing, it should be a by product of the discipleship, not the purpose. We are not truly doing the Lord's will if we make friends but do not produce disciples for the simple reason that Jesus never tells us to make friends. In fact, the concept comes up only on rare occasions.

In John 15, Jesus refers to believers as friends of his but couches this in terms that do not resemble human friendship. He says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:14) As humans we do not think of friends as those who command and we obey them.

The reality is that far more Christians desire friendship than discipleship. May we become true disciples, and may God provide us with those who truly desire to follow Jesus.