10/09/11 Proper Fellowship

Telling Inmates that their friends are potentially harmful to their spiritual health is not as easy, or welcome, as you might think. But of all the hindrances that lend to a cycle of bondage in an Inmates life, in my experience, ungodly relationships seems the hardest to get away from. God really wanted me to emphasise today that the ministry letter I send is all about follow up. Follow up that gets them grounded in a local church and allows them to expand their support base in a Godly environment.

What I have done here is I have pasted my notes from the teaching. I do this so that Inmates and their families can follow up with what was taught and so that intercessors for this ministry can have an idea of how to pray for impact of my teaching.

As a final note, two received Christ today and several more signed up for ministry letters. Thank you for your prayers and support.

 

Proper Fellowship Matt. 22:36-40

Proper fellowship with others can make or break us. Choosing your friends and how you treat those friends can literally make or break the rest of your life.

How to choose and maintain proper friendships:

1.      Must be God centered. V. 37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

You cannot have a friendship that will enable you to live the life God wants for you have if that friendship isn’t focused on God. God designed friendship to strengthen us in our walk with God. Relationships give strength to whatever it is centered around. Sin, then strength to sin, God then strength to God.

2.      Understand how you should be treated in a friendship. V.39 “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”

You don’t need to be cheated, wronged, taken advantage of, or hurt in a friendship. You can’t respect others unless you first respect yourself. Being taken advantage of IS NOT FRIENDSHIP and not what God wants for your life.

3.      Love them as you love yourself. Both of you can benefit from this relationship. If you each care about each other as much as you care about yourself, then you won’t let them make harmful choices.

4.      Let God speak to you through relationships. Matt 18:20 “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am in their midst.”

If you have a godly friendship, then God will be in your midst and He will use that friendship to speak to you and care for you.