Nurturing Relationships That Make Disciples

“Nurturing Relationships That Make Disciples”

But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” Ruth 1:16

Intro: Today I want to talk about “Nurturing Relationships That Make Disciples.”

The Bible teaches us that relationships are really important to living a Godly life.

In the Old Testament the book of Genesis 2:18 “It is not good that the man should be alone.”

and God created a companion for Adam.

Proverbs 27 verse 17 “iron sharpens iron” so two friends sharpen one another

Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work if one falls down his friend can help him up.”

In the New Testament Mark chapter 3:14 we read the Jesus appointed 12 disciples

“so that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach”

the reason Jesus chose 12 disciples was not just so that they would go out and make other disciples

but that they might be with him also to encourage him and support him

Even Jesus needed friends and people around him.

I think we have lived into a culture where making friends and nurturing relationships is a lost art.

There are three levels of healthy friendships

1. One is you have casual friends.

You see them once every two or three months

but you have such a blending of spirits that you are able to pick up that friendship

right where it left off

2. Then you have close friends that you might see every week

and you're in each other's homes

or go out to eat together

you do things together

they understand you

you are comfortable being with them

3. Then there are intimate friends

a friend is somebody who knows you so well that you can say anything and do anything

be yourself totally

that person knows enough about you to ruin you but they don't do it

because they know you know enough about them to ruin them also

Now if you have one or two intimate friends in the course of a lifetime you are blessed

We could say that Jesus had 120 casual friends or so that he met with every few months in the upper room.

And 12 disciples who were close friends.

And then Peter James and John that were his intimate friends in the inner circle.

Hebrews 10:25 says “don't forsake the assembling of yourself together as the manner of some is,

but encourage one another and all the more as you see the day approaching.”

I know he is talking about that as we are nearing the last days

As we approach the final return of Christ and the end of the age

We are to encourage each other and all the more to stand firm against the attacks of the adversary

So Christian Disciples are to meet with each other

We do this on a weekly basis

Every Sunday and throughout the week in small groups

We are to meet together on a regular basis:

To encourage one another.

To share our faith.

To get closer to the Lord

To support one another through times of struggles

To strengthen each other and grow in our relationship with one another and God.

Difficulties should never be excuses for missing church.

Rather the less time you have

and the harder life is

the greater the need and more the effort you should put into faithful attendance

and your personal relationship with Christ.

Life is not meant to be lived in isolation

It is meant to be lived in Community

It is meant to be lived in the family or household of God.

where we support one another.

Put our arms around each other

Love on one another in the spirit of the Lord.

Romans 16:16 “Greet one another with a holy kiss.”

IN OTHER WORDS greet one another with Christ like love.

Today the world has become increasingly crowded

But the more people there are…, the more we struggle with loneliness

Recently I called a number to make a payment over the phone.

I talked to a computer for 10 minutes.

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