Has anyone cast a vision for friendship for you? Most of us have grown up without any vision for the importance of developing deep intimate friendships. The quality of our life cannot rise above the quality of our friendships. If we are not experiencing deep vibrant friendship with others we are not experiencing deep vibrant friendship with God. And if we are not experiencing deep vibrant friendship with God we are not experiencing deep vibrant friendship with others. It is an amazing reality that God desires friendship with us. He created us with a deep desire for friendship. And the only way we can explain this universal desire is that we were created in the image of God who has as part of His very nature and existence – friendship. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit have lived in perfect friendship and they call us to enter into that friendship.
What are Upper Room Friendships? Take some time to read Acts 1:12-14. These verses reveal the gathering of Jesus’ disciples, family members and the larger group of disciples that formed the Upper room 120. These people had moved from the outer circle of just “shared communication” friendship to the “shared community” circle and here they entered into the “shared communion” circle of friendship.
Upper Room Friendships are shared friendship with Jesus. This group was following Jesus in friendship together and this is what allowed them to move past just “shared communication” and “shared community” friendship into “shared communion” friendship with each other and Jesus.
Upper Room Friendships share eternal purpose and mission. This group was united and in one accord around the mission and purpose that Jesus gave them.
Upper Room Friendships strengthen through worship and prayer. The corporate worship and prayer this group shared fueled life and relationship. Upper room friendship gets excited about gathering for worship and prayer in all situations.
Upper Room Friendships are catalysts for growing faith and expectancy. There is a shared passion and pursuit of God and the filling empowering work of the Spirit. We are to push one another on as iron sharpens iron; we journey with each other through tough times and good times while always encouraging greater faith and expectancy. Do your friends fire the flames of faith within you, do they unite with you to ask for greater things?
Upper Room Friendships can only occur as part of the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ ascended into heaven to the right hand of God, so that His disciples, His friends, His followers could unite and become the Body of Christ on earth through the empowering Holy Spirit. We are now to re-present Jesus as His Body- the Church – the shared communion of friendship. Judas was an example of friendship without communion. He desired friendship with Jesus without intimacy and without communion and this kept him from upper room friendship.
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