Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Friendship part 5)

Feel free to click the follow button here on the right and get notified when ➜   each new blog is posted.  (this button many not appear on cellphones or tablets)

… [Barnabas] was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith… he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch.  And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers… (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Acts 11:24-26)

I get by with a little help from my friends (Beatles 1967)


               If you were a fan of the American version of The Office, then you’ll remember an episode in season five where Michael Scott has quit Dunder Mifflin to start his own paper company (Novak 2009).  Pam Beesly also quit Dunder Mifflin to follow Michael, and the episode begins with Michael having a breakdown and doubting his decision.  Pam is the voice of reason to Michael and is there to encourage and motivate him.  Later in the episode, Pam has a moment of crisis and doubts her decision to follow Michael.  At that time, it is Michael that is the voice of reason for Pam.  Although this is not an example of Spiritual Friendship, it is a terrific example of one person needing another person to aid them through their struggles, doubts and fears, and because they are in it together, it is even more powerful. 

               To this point, in the past blogs we’ve looked at examples of Spiritual Friendship in the Old Testament.  However, the same concept can be found in the pages of the New Testament as well.  In fact, when Jesus started His ministry, one of the things He did was call followers like Peter, James, and John.  These three had a unique relationship with Jesus, they are the ones we see with Him on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mk. 9:2-8).  Then in the garden of Gethsemane, they are the ones who witness Jesus’ distress and hear his expression of deep grief (Mk. 14:33-34).

                Other examples come from the life of the Apostle Paul and his relationship to Barnabas.  When Christianity spread from Jerusalem to Antioch, Barnabas was sent by the Church to encourage and minister there.  He was able to see that the work was too great for one person and therefore, he went and found Paul to help (Acts. 11:25-26).  This year of ministering together must have forged a bond between the two, because after this, they are set apart by the Holy Spirit to spread the Gospel further.  Possibly as early as AD 46 and going as late as 48, these two men embarked on a missionary journey together.  This included preaching the Gospel in Pisidian Antioch, where they would face criticism and conflict with Jews (Acts. 13:45).

               We must keep in mind, although both were well versed in the Scriptures and both were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were still human.  Therefore, they were subject to all the doubts and insecurities that all people are subject to when criticized and maligned.  Perhaps, one of the reasons that the Lord put them together was so that one could encourage the other if doubts and insecurities set in during the mission.



Next week, we’ll begin to transition from Spiritual Friendship into Spiritual Guidance.


Written by Pastor Ozzy

For more information, visit our website
Follow us on Facebook
Or on Twitter

Works Cited

Beatles, The. 1967. With a Little Help from My Friends. Comps. John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Novak, B. J. 2009. Dream Team, The Office, Season 5, Episode 22. Directed by Paul Feig. Performed by Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.