WHO IS YOUR FRIEND?

Amos 3:3

Friendship is a close relationship between two or more persons. There is love and trust among persons who are friends. However, there is a type of friendship that is evil. Such friends are also attached to one another to do evil. It then means that there are two types of friendship good friends and bad friends. The topic is in three parts.

1. EXAMPLES OF GOOD FRIENDS: Amos 3:3; Acts 3:2-7; 12:12-14.

There are some people in the Bible who are good examples for us to follow. These were friends of Jesus who worked together with their Master Jesus Christ thou had the same mind to do what God commanded them. They maintained their relationship with Jesus and remained friends of Jesus till the end. Some of them are: Peter and John at the “Beautiful Gate” (Acts 3:2-7) Rhoda and some other friends of Jesus who prayed together for Peter when he was in prison (Acts 12:12-14). Jesus and John sons of Zebedee; Stephen and Philip the Evangelist; Paul and Timothy and others friends of Jesus. These were all friends of Jesus. They studied the word of God, worked together and prayed together. They encouraged one another in the Lord. They encouraged the persecuted brethren to continue with the Lord. They also preached the gospel to sinners and God blessed them mightily. Can you claim to belong to a group like these? Who is your friend?

2. EXAMPLES OF BAD FRIENDS: 1Kings 12:10, 11.

In the Bible, there were also people who had bad friends and God was angry with them. Some of them were (a) Rehoboam – He obeyed his friend’s bad advice and missed God’s blessings (1 Kings 12:10-11) (b) King Jehoshaphat had a bad friend called King Ahab (2Chronicles 18:1, 9, 31). (c) Demas and the people of the world (2 Timothy 4:10).

(2 Timothy 4:10). If you do not want God’s anger to come upon you; separate yourself from your unbelieving friend, who makes jest of you because you are a friend of Jesus, abuses his mother, runs away from house-work, steals money and invites you to worldly film shows and parties. You have to obey this advice because “evil communication corrupts good manners” (1Corinthians 15:33). If you are not yet a friend of Jesus, you cannot be a good friend to others. Turn away from your sins today. Ask God to forgive you and cleanse your heart with the blood of Jesus. Invite Jesus into your heart as your Lord and Saviour. Promise God that you will not go back to sin.

3. WHO IS YOUR FRIEND? Amos 3:3.

There is a saying that goes thus, “show me your friend and I will tell you whom you are”. Who is your friend? (i)For you to have a good friend, (ii) First become a friend of Jesus and receive His permanent friends; keep away from bad children and from their evil practices. (iii)Attend fellowship regularly with your friend. (iv)Study and obey the word of God together with your friends; and serve God faithfully. As a friend of Jesus, God will strengthen you spiritually and you will have power over all the powers of darkness. God will use you to bring sinners to Him. And at last, you will wear crowns of righteousness in heaven.

QUESTIONS:

1. There are two types of friendship. State them.

2. Mention two good friends in the Bible and say what they did.

3. Mention two bad friends in the Bible and say what they did.

4. What will you and your friend do to make Jesus happy?

5. How can you maintain good friendship?

ACTIVITY: The teacher should lead the children to sing, “The best Friend to have is Jesus…..”Followed by an altar call.