End Time-The Solutions: Friendship

Definition from Webster's

Friendship
Friendship is the mutually cooperative and supportive behavior between two or more people. In this sense, the term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, affection, and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis. Friends will welcome each other's company and exhibit loyalty towards each other, often to the point of altruism. Their tastes will usually be similar and may converge, and they will share enjoyable activities. They will also engage in mutually helping behavior, such as the exchange of advice and the sharing of hardship. A friend is someone who may often demonstrate reciprocating and reflective behaviors.

Quotes:

“To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.”

“Even though we've changed and we're all finding our own place in the world, we all know that when the tears fall or the smile spreads across our face, we'll come to each other because no matter where this crazy world takes
us, nothing will ever change so much to the point where we're not all still friends.”

Now Christopher Robin said to Winnie-the-Pooh, "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

Also from Winnie-the-Pooh: “If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.”

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”

"True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it be lost."

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

"A friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else."

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

"Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you."

"Give others freedom to be themselves. Appreciate the differences between their ways an yours."

"It's the friends you can call up at 4am that matter."

General Scriptures

Proverbs 17:9 He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

Proverbs 18:24 A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Amos 3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Now this is an especially interesting verse in that it is a judgment and rebuke against Israel. Notice the first two verses of Amos 3:

Amos 3:1-2 Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying, You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.

Now notice the commentary:

Can two walk together - While ye loved and served me, I dwelt in you and walked among you. Now ye are become alienated from me, your nature and mine are totally opposite. I am holy, ye are unholy. We are no longer agreed, and can no longer walk together. I can no longer hold communion with you. I must cast you out. ---end quote---

Clearly this verse has to do with the relationship of God and His people. Amos 3 is without a doubt speaking of the physical nation of Israel but the verse is even more applicable to the relationship between God and firstfruits.

This being true, it also has meaning for the relationships between firstfruits or friendships in the church. There has to be agreement in the binding doctrines of God. To us, this means the thirty-three binding doctrines of the church. This "agreement" is not referring to Personal Elements of Belief [PEBs] or to all the normal, human opinions, street beliefs, educational background or life experiences. There will clearly be differences there but even so, since we operate on the Word of God and live by every word of it, we will respect the PEBs and opinions and worldly differences between ourselves. That is, we will invoke love, gentleness and respect one for another and therein is our "agreeing".

We see this in the next general scriptures on this solution:

1 Peter 1:22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

1 Peter 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren [be loving to the brethren], be pitiful [tenderhearted], be courteous [friendly-minded, kind].