Lessons on Friendship 10 (Jesus’ Discipleship Model of Friendship) | Rev. COS Fawenu

Who is this? A Wisdom Bible church, the

Church of a distant Christian, the Jesus Discipleship model of

friendship and a text of Scripture to drive the teaching

can be found in Gospel according to Saint John chapter 15, verse

John 15:15

15 in consequence study. As we push the study forward,

we're going to read more verses of the same chapter of the

Scripture. But for today, let's start with

verse 15 of the chapter 15 of Gospel account to Saint John.

Henceforth I call you not servants.

Here is the Lord Jesus Christ addressing His disciples.

The connotation of this is that before now there is a level at

which they were operating with Him.

There's a level of confidence He has in them.

Now they have passed some tests and is concluded that they are

due for graduation to the next and better level of

interpersonal relationship, he said.

Henceforth witness either to there was a level that they

were, but now they are translating, they are graduating

to a higher level. I pray that in your world with

Christ, you will become more intimate with Him in the name of

Jesus Christ, he said. For the servant knoweth not what

is Lord doing to. If they remain at the level they

were before, there are certain mysteries they will never be

privileged to, because at the level of a servant to the master

there are certain things that will never be disclosed to the

servants, because the servants will forever operate at the

level of an hourly. Praise the Lord, he said.

But I have called you now friends, for all things that I

have heard of my father, I have made known unto you.

So with me, they have had privilege to some level of

mystery and secret. He has confided in them and they

did not betray the confidence. And because they didn't betray

that confidence, he no longer call them servants, but he now

call them words friends. So looking at the concepts of

friendship, that's a natural way to consider it, But in this

place, our Lord Jesus Christ in the Scripture just read to us is

initiating or pointing our attention to a more radical

approach, a more radical understanding of the concept of

friendship. So the model that our Lord Jesus

Christ initiated in this Scripture cited Abu, is too

radical for a capitalist society where a servant will be

considered to be at par, at friendship level with the

master. That is too radical for a

capitalist society because in the capital city society it is

believed that all animals are not equal.

And even when we pretend that they are equal, we will still

turn around and say but some are more equal than others.

But Jesus Christ, with this model, is pointing us to a much

more radical understanding of what friendship should be.

So in virtually all matters pertaining to human relation,

there is always the people's worldview, and there is also the

Jesus worldview. So what we are considering today

is the Jesus worldview to friendship.

And so the case we are dealing with today is to just a focus

between the natural concept of friendship and the Jesus

discipleship model of friendship.

What is the natural concept of friendship?

The natural concept of friendship is horizontal in

nature, and at that level friendship at that palace can

only take place between people of common social pedigree.

You will agree with me that the distance between Jesus from all

angle and the disciple is just too wide for anybody to cover.

Who can be equal to Jesus in any respect.

Now Jesus is now saying those that he had out very far in all

part Tommy Bumbayo, he said to them, come, I call to you, we

are friends, praise the name of the Lord.

So when it comes to the natural concept, the human world view of

friendship, it is always horizontal in nature, where only

people of common social pedigree can be called friends.

But from the model that Jesus is espousing to us in this

Scripture, and he has also practice, we can observe a great

concept that broaden the scope of friendship as a relationship

that can transcend peer group brackets.

Now if you are in the company of people in your age bracket, OK,

you say my friend, nobody will raise eyebrow.

But if you say to somebody of your father's age bracket, I say

Salaam my friend, people will want to ask.

Hope you don't require examination in your brain.

Press the name of the law, particularly in this part of the

world. So from what Jesus was saying in

Gospel to Saint John chapter 15 verse 15, he was actually

John 15:15

broadening or expanding the scope of friendship beyond peer

group brackets. It was spanning the scope beyond

social gradient brackets. In other words, the discipleship

model that was practiced by the Lord Jesus Christ reveals to us

a friendship model that is wider than what can be caged inside

social gradients brackets in in the cage called social gradient

bracket. Only the poor can be a friend to

the poor. Hello, and only the rich will be

a friend to the rich. If I it is commonly said among

my people who play loneliness or Lulu, utu Shilos or utu C.

But Jesus is saying in his own community of faith, it is not

so. Am I talking to somebody?

It's not so in the Christian community of faiths where the

Lord Jesus Christ owns the ideology that drives the system.

It's not a place where a pastor cannot have friends outside the

cleric cycle. So it's an expansion of the

scope of friendship beyond social gradient brackets, but in

the narrow natural order. Friendship will be ordinary,

limited to interpersonal relationship between a specified

age good bracket. But in the Jesus discipleship

model of friendship, a son can rise by proper behavior to the

level of becoming a friend to his father.

A daughter can rise by proper behavior to the level of

becoming a friend to his father, a friend to his mother.

Ditto for his son rising by proper behavior to the level of

becoming a friend to his mother. And when this happened, OK, it

will be without element of insolence or contents in any

form. So you can become so close

knitted to your father and your father will respect you to bring

you to the level of friendship companionship.

Yet you will not lose your respect for your Father.

Am I talking to somebody? When does yourself to disciple?

As for I no longer regard you as servant, but I call you my

friend. There was not any place where

this disciple now take things, take I mean to Jesus for

granted. The respect was still retained.

Are we together? They still regarded him as the

Lord. So in this model espoused by

Jesus Christ, a servant can become a confidant.

You know, he mentioned that either at all at the level of a

servant, A servant does not know what his master is doing.

A servant cannot be trusted with information and the information

will be saved. But in Jesus model, a servant

can become a confidence that can be trusted with the destiny of

the son, as can be seen in the story of Abraham and his most

senior servant. Let's examine Genesis chapter

Genesis 24 · chapter mention

24. I read the force 6 verses

Genesis 24 And Abraham was old and well striking in age.

And the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.

And Abraham said unto his headest servant of his house,

not the headest son of his house, not his biological son in

any way, but his servant in the house, the rule over all that he

had tell somebody develop proper behaviour.

So this servant by proper behaviour OK, rose to the level

whereby he was not being treated as his servant.

It was been given the responsibility of a hair

apparent Are we Together You can rise to the same level under the

tutilage of your employer. You can rise to the same level

in any system if you will be mature enough to develop proper

behavior. So by proper behaviour, people

in his lifetime, Abraham entrusted all that he had to his

servants. Put, I pray thee, thy hand under

my time, and I will make this way out by the Lord, by the Lord

the God of heaven and the God of the Head, that thou shall not

take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanite among

whom I dwell. But thou shall go unto my

country and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.

So the destiny of even the promised child was being

entrusted onto a responsible Sabbath that has grew and

developed by proper behaviour to the level of being treated as a

confidence, being trusted with convenient information.

And the service said unto him, adventure, the woman will not be

willing to follow me onto this land.

In other words, As for me, I will act accordingly.

I will not betray the trust. However, how do I handle a

negative situation that may hinder me from carrying out your

wish? Accordingly, how do I agree?

You see, you see, freedom of of communication is not a yes.

Where you know that this assignment, I will not be able

to carry it out. You will say, master, let's

trust it together. What if I come across this

complication? What do we do about it?

What other option do I ask? Must I need bring thy son again,

or to the land from where thou chemist?

And Abraham said unto him, Beware that thou bring not my

son either again. And if you read the story, you

will discover that is so much perform the task and carry out

the task to detail and fulfill the wish of Father Abraham.

Praise the name of the Lord now. So in the in the Jesus

discipleship model of friendship, his son, like I

said, can rise by proper behavior to the status of a

friend to his father. His servant can rise by proper

behavior to the status of a friend to his master.

And when we are considering the issue of this senior servants in

the household of Abraham, we should also not forget that Lord

was once in the equation of the family of Abraham and Lord was

connected to Abraham by blood. Hello.

This servant was only connected to Abraham by service, yet a

role that somebody like Lord should play in the life of the

son of Abraham. It was a servant that was

playing that role. Am I talking to somebody?

I pray in the name of Jesus in your family circle, the role you

should play as a responsible uncle.

A stranger will not take it over.

Proper behavior, maturity, sense of responsibility.

If it is not there, forget about being a friend to anybody that

is similar to you. Friendship to senior citizen

doesn't come cheaply. Are we together?

Friendship to island place people that can be of help to

your destiny doesn't come cheap. It come by developing proper

behavior, a high level sense of responsibility.

Lot though connected to Abraham by blood, he missed out and the

role he was supposed to be playing as the big uncle in the

family. It was a senior servant.

He was also supposed to be an ordinary servant, OK, but he has

to be called a senior servant because he has demonstrated a

high level of what responsibility he can be

trusted. And then Abraham now do him.

He had to himself. He became a confidant and

Abraham entrusted everything to him while Lord was struggling to

have his own OK. Everything that belonged to

Abraham was entrusted to his servant.

If Lord has stayed in his proper position, he will have his own

and he will still be the manager of Abraham estate.

Am I talking to somebody? All these ally struggle to have

his own. OK then which he eventually

lost. You know he eventually lost

everything as Sodom and Gomorrah.

But if he has stayed in the in his proper position.

Whereby he can rise to the level of becoming a confidant to

Abraham. He will have his own.

And yet, OK, all that Abraham had in his estate, including

Isaac, was not been entrusted to him.

The weight was entrusted to his servant.

So we should not forget that Lord was once in the question of

the family of Abraham, and ordinarily it should be in the

best position to undertake the task.

But friendship is not attained by just bloodline relationship,

it is attained by tested stable character.

Friendship is not just attained by bloodline relationship,

friendship is attained by tested stable character.

That senior servant was first tested with the material things,

the words, the resources, the material resources of the estate

of Father Abraham. He passed the test and therefore

Father Abraham can now go on from there to entrust even the

destiny of his promised child Isaac unto him.

And he managed the two properly. You mean our God himself?

Do you know that God is not only a father, he's also a friend to

those who merit it? Hello.

I keep on emphasizing again and again that when it comes to

interpersonal relationship, friendship is the highest level.

Pressing words is the highest level.

So even God himself, yes, our Heavenly Father is not only

interested in being our Father, he's much more interested in we

becoming his friend, becoming his confidence, becoming people

that he can trust with mysteries, becoming people that

he can trust with destinies of men.

And we will not mess up. So this concept that we are

looking at today, where you scrutinize the Scriptures was

foreseen in relationship between God and Abraham, Genesis 18.

So whatever you see Abraham doing to that senior servant was

what he first enjoyed in his relationship with God.

Am I talking to somebody? Genesis 18.

Let's read about 3 or 4 verses from verse 16.

And the men rose up from France and look towards Sodom, and

Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

These were the three men that visited Abraham.

We are the promise of his son was again emphasized the

covenant the promise of the covenant child Isaac was again

emphasized. You knew all that happened where

Sarah laughs and the Angel felt no, why should he laugh OK and

she told the lie all that so after this men were now on their

way going. Abraham went with them.

Then verse 17 and the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham?

Remember what Jesus said in first I mean in the Gospel go to

Saint John 1515 henceforth I no longer call you Sabbath, because

the Sabbath does not know what is master doing.

And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I

do, saying that Abrams has surely become a great and mighty

nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in

him, for I know him. Now what we know about you, can

it give us the confidence to trust you?

Therefore, I do what I know him that he will command his

children and his household after him and they shall keep the way

of the law to do justice and judgment.

That is not the bring upon Abraham that which he had spoken

of him. See what happened here why God

had that level of confidence in Abraham.

We didn't know it on the we start to read about the light

that God gave some prophets about that relationship and that

level of relationship was eventually this described by

prophet Isaiah as friendship level of relationship.

Isaiah 41 eight. But thou instray at my servant

Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, My friends.

Hello. How I wish that Jacob will also

be able to rise to that level. Praise the name of the Lord.

So there is always the servant level, and there's always the

friendship level. Not all servants of God are

friends of God. Hello.

Not all servants of God are friends to God, he said, But

thou Israel at my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen, the seed of

Abraham, my friend. So whatever they are enjoying as

covenant benefit is on the credit of Abraham, who was the

friend of God. I pray in the name of Jesus that

all that the patriarchs of faith has acquired and credited to our

own account, we will not waste them in the name of Jesus.

Israel almost wasted it all because they stayed perpetually

at that level of servants. So the reason God could say

concerning Abraham that I will not hide anything from him,

shall I do this thing and hide it from Abraham was because

Abraham rose by proper behavior, he rose by discipline, he rose

by right standing. You know that was a point in

chapter 15 when God told him, walk before me and be perfect.

So and because Abraham heeded and observed that protocol that

was recommended to him, he rose to the level whereby God could

call him what is confident his friend.

Same in Second Chronicle chapter 20 verse seven.

I thou not our God, would this drive out the inhabitants of

this land before thy people history and gave it to the seed

of Abraham, thy friend forever, and thou not our goal.

Remember I mentioned that wonderful that God is our

Father. Hallelujah.

But by intimacy, He expects us to also rise beyond the level of

Him being a father to us, to the level whereby He can also call

us what his friend Jesus said to the disciple.

Henceforth, I no longer call you my servant.

Now you are my friend because I have revealed certain mysteries

and secrets to you and they will properly manage.

You have become my confidence. Let's begin to wrap it up for

today and continue next week. Any interpersonal relationship

that has not grown to the level of friendship is still maturing,

including marriage. Any form of interpersonal

relationship that has not grown grown to the friendship level is

still maturing. The full maturity stage of any

form of interpersonal relationship is friendship.

The full maturity stage of any form of interpersonal

relationship is what friendship? Because on what ground will

Abraham as a servant, I said, put your hands on my lap.

So in my consideration, it is for what of order nomenclature

that mere crossing each other's paths and build things together

is regarded as friendship. Oh we we come to church, we just

cross each other's path. We meet in school, we cross each

other's path, we attend, maybe we go on excursion together.

OK, they have together and then we call ourselves friend.

Wonderful. But it is for want of other

nomenclature that we call that friendship.

Friendship is deeper than the mere applicants.

Friendship is deeper than being mere what I could as.

Like I keep on saying, the highest level of interpersonal

relationship is friendship. So it therefore be also on even

couples to raise their relationship beyond marital

connection and cultural connection to the friendship

status. That is where the stability of

your own lives if you don't rest it to friendship status, you

will be claiming right, Hello, you what claiming right.

There will be contention for position.

So until you raise your relationship, even in marriage

beyond marital connection and conjugal connection to the

friendship tattoos, it is very possible for legalism of culture

or even social protocols to stand against the liberty that

makes friendship the most relaxed environment for free

communication and mutual understanding.

So when you raise your relationship to the friendship

level, 1 big thing that you enjoy is a relaxed environment

for free communication and mutual understanding.

Even when the other partner says something that looks

disrespectful, you relate with the hearts and not with what the

person here has said. Am I talking to somebody but in

a situation whereby you have not come to the level of friendship?

Same in Lombardi. So we'll collect labour by a pay

or culinary ayan. Legalism of culture and of

social protocol will stand against the liberty that make

friendship the most reliable environment for free

communication and mutual understanding.

So what does friendship does where you find it?

Friendship brings about simplification of interpersonal

relationship. Friendship bring about the

simplification of interpersonal relationship.

May I tell you relationship in a generality is a complex concept.

So what make relationship universal and easy to operate is

when it come to the friendship level.

Are you with me? You want to deal with your

mother. That's a way you have to deal

with your mother. You want to deal with your boss

in the place of work. OK, it will not be the same.

Will it be? Answer me.

You will say this one should be official.

This one should not be official. This one is formal language, the

other one is in formal language. The way in the African setting,

the way you talk to the you talk to the children is different

from the way the children will talk to their parents.

The way the younger brother will relate with the single brother

should be different from the way we relate with the people of

this of this age. Are you with me?

Then you bring it to the extended family marriage

situation, OK, The way the wife of the elder brother, we talked

to the junior brother. In fact, it can be so, it can be

so amusing in some setting that they will compel the wife, OK,

to accord respect of an elderly person to the pregnancy that was

not yet born when they marry the woman to the family.

Are you aware of that? You you will you will see some

senior housewife. OK.

They will fight the junior wife, the wife of the wife to the

junior brother of their own husband.

That why are you not calling my son with a respectable title?

Because moti lono relative post to Mefa.

So when it comes to the issue of relationship, it can be very

very complex. The only thing that can simplify

relationship is friendship. I mean where relationship

generally can be very very complex.

The only thing that can simplify relationship is what friendship.

So you achieve simplification of relationship where there is what

friendship. So friendship brings about

simplification of interpersonal relationship because

relationship in the generality is a complex concept.

It is friendship that simplifies some level of relationship,

generates natural tension. Natural tension.

So some of you, if you are in the office, you are working in

an office and say the GM want to see you, you will quickly run to

the toilet to ease yourself. Am I talking to somebody years

back when I served in car where we have the opportunity or

there's a need for us to meet the chief executive of the the

chief executive of the state in my own casual we are just best

natural. So if we put some Baba on the

list to join us to go to go to Government House.

If you see the kind of Abada and they will, they will deck, you

will know that this Abada has been staying in reserve for the

last five years. It is not that they are going to

go and meet the chief executive that they are bringing it,

bringing it out. In fact, some of them will still

call you. I say bright dress, wear press

the name of the Lord. Because when it comes to a

relationship, if there is no friendship, some level of

relationship will generate natural tension.

So but when relationship graduated into friendship, every

form of tension dissolves. There are people you cannot look

straight into their eyes. There are those who cannot stand

in their front without fidgeting.

Such kind of interaction has not entered the friendship mood.

But we still find some husband who still constitute themselves

to that kind of unhealthy authority, both to their wife

and to their children. Most of the time.

Why our children lie to us is because we have not introduced

the friendship mode of relationship to them.

Are we together? So we allows so much tension in

our interaction with them and so they also come up with the way

to go around it and deceive us to have their way.

But by the time you understand the concept of friendship, the

way Jesus espouses it, that it will not just be at horizontal

level. It can also operate at the

practical level where somebody you consider junior come by

proper behavior accommodated into your friendship circle.

Then you will discover that there will be mutual

understanding. There will not be tension in

your relationship. So if your spouse is not your

friend, rigidity will characterize the affair of your

home. As a result of that, so much

protocol will end up free flow of communication if your

children are not your friend. You will be disconnected from a

number of fighter aspects of their life and some of those

fighter aspects of their life, your inputs that is needed to

guide them, you may deprive them of that.

Grace will be given to us to understand that as we study

Jesus, as we embrace its discipleship model, we will get

to understand that life can be so easy to manage and we will

still be ultimately the beneficiary of our submission to

the principles of the scriptures.

God bless you in Jesus name. We believe you'll be blessed by

the ministry of this message. You will do well to be the doer

of all you've heard. For further inquiry and

spiritual help, contact this number is 08035685882 or worship

with us at Oasis of Wisdom Bible Church or Justin's University of

Ellorin Teaching Hospital or Kelsey Ellorin.

God bless you.