This week, CATALYST youth returned, and we kicked off a brand new series called "WHO CARES?" where we'll be talking about friendship, generosity, selflessness (as opposed to selfishness) and kindness.
This week, we looked at the important of surrounding ourselves with REAL FRIENDS and being that kind of friend to others. What is a REAL friend?
A FRIEND SHOULD BE A VOICE OF WISDOM
One of the things the Bible says is that we should choose friends who are WISE.
Proverbs 13:20- Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.
What that’s getting at is that if you’re hanging out with people who use their heads and make wise life choices, it’s going to benefit you a lot! The Bible tells us here that wisdom rubs off! If you’ve got friends who are making good life choices, then they’ll influence you for the better! Of course, the opposite is true. If your “friends” are like the little devil sitting on your shoulder, it’s going to bring you disaster!
A FRIEND SHOULD MAKE YOU A BETTER PERSON
Proverbs 27:17- As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Back in Bible times, people would sharpen knives by rubbing the blades against each other, and this little proverb is telling us that a great friend will make you better and stronger! Being around them will make you a better person! They will be a benefit to you!
A FRIEND SHOULD BE THERE FOR YOU
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10- “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble”.
This verse again reminds us that TRUE friendship should be one where you HELP EACH OTHER SUCCEED, and then the last part of the verse says, “SOMEONE WHO FALLS ALONE IS IN REAL TROUBLE”. When you need help, a real friend should be there for you!
If you call yourself a Christian (if you've accepted God's love and forgiveness and are trying to follow Jesus with your life), there's one other thing the Bible encourages us about friendship:
A FRIEND SHOULD HELP OTHERS COME TO KNOW AND FOLLOW JESUS
When I was a teen, my closest friends were people who encouraged me in my faith. They would remind me sometimes of what the Bible said and how it related to something I was going through. They would actually PRAY for me and with me! They would encourage me to be a part of the church or a part of our youth group! They helped me grow closer to God instead of pulling me farther away!
That’s the kind of friend that God wants us to be to others!
John 1:43-46 tells us about how a guy named Philip was that kind of friend:
“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me”. Philip then found Nathanael (his friend) and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
Philip was a guy who met Jesus and was pretty much totally convinced that Jesus was the son of God- the Messiah—the person God promised who would save the world from their sins! So much so, that he left his job to follow Jesus around and help him! I imagine his friends and family thought he was completely crazy! But before Philip left to hang with Jesus…he did one simple thing- he went and found his friend Nathanael and told him about Jesus.
Nathanael had a lot of questions. He kind of doubted what Philip told him. He was a bit skeptical. He was like, “SURE…This person that you met from Nazareth is God’s promised savior. NOTHING good comes from Nazareth, it’s a small, insignificant town!”
And Philip simply said—“come and see for yourself”!
You probably have friends like Nathanael—friends who have questions about God or faith (even if they haven’t told you yet), they might have doubts, they might be a bit skeptical. Some of your friends have probably never heard of Jesus beyond hearing his name used as a swear word! They’ve probably never even been inside a church before!
SO CAN YOU HELP INTRODUCE YOUR FRIENDS TO JESUS?
Here are a few pro-tips to help you be like Philip:
PRO TIP 1: PRAY FOR YOUR FRIENDS!
Pray that they would come to know and follow Jesus and that God would use you to be a part of that introduction! Pray that your friends would make wise choices!
PRO TIP 2: LITERALLY STOP AND PRAY FOR YOUR FRIENDS!
If your friend tells you about something rough they’re going through, here’s a CRAZY idea that takes a bit of boldness—just offer right then and there to pray for them! Just say, “Would it be ok if I prayed for you right now?” Most of the time, even friends who have never been to church before will REALLY appreciate you praying for them and it shows them how much you love God and that you really care about them!
PRO TIP 3: BE OPEN AND HONEST ABOUT YOUR FAITH.
Don’t hide the fact that you’re connected to church or a youth group! When your friend asks you what you did over the weekend, tell them about CATALYST! They might ask you questions about it and there might even be an opportunity for you to invite them along with you!
PRO TIP 4: INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN YOU AT CATALYST!
Some of them might say “no thanks”, but some might want to come out! If you don’t invite them out, you’ll never know!
PRO TIP 5: IF YOUR FRIEND HAS QUESTIONS ABOUT GOD/FAITH, AND YOU DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER, JUST SAY, “LET ME GET BACK TO YOU”.
You can even email myself or one of our youth leaders with the question and we can help you out! You don’t have to have all the answers all the time! When Nathanael had questions—Philip didn’t have all the answers—he just told him to come with him to meet Jesus for himself!
PARENT/TEEN DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have your teen think about their friends. What are some of their AMAZING qualities? What makes them REAL friends? Do any of them share some of the characteristics that the Bible says are important?
2. Remind your teens of the PRO-TIPS that Pastor Ben shared. What are some simple ways that your teen might be able to show/tell their friends that their faith is important to them? What are some simple things they could do that might help introduce their friends to Jesus?
3. Parents- pray for your teens. Pray that they would be a REAL friend to the people around them. Pray that God would help them make great choices when it comes to the friends they choose.
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