Friendship

Week One:Teaching Topic: Serving your friends
Bottom Line: Serving our friends shows them we have their back.
How do we serve our friends?
           How would you want your friends to serve you?
           Would you want them to watch your back?
           Or would you want them to allow someone to stick a knife in your back?
            When you think of true friendship what comes to your mind?
Where is there tension in serving our friends?  
           When we don't receive something out of the process of serving them.
           When it might cost us something.  Like sticking up for them, watching their 
           back when others might attack. 
           When our parents don't want us to be friends with them. 
           When other friends question why we are friends with them. 
           When our friends don't want our help, but we know 
           they need our help.  (Having the hard conversations)
Truth:
     Text: 1 Samuel 20:4 Jonathan said to David, Whatever you want me to do, I'll do   
               for you.
           The text is pretty straight forward, but we must apply wisdom to this verse, 
           otherwise they my be lead to tension, Simply put, you must be a friend that 
           will watch the back of your friend and stand up for them and assist them 
           with the things that they need help with.  
           Safety Net on this verse to not add more tension:  If they are a true friend,
           They will not ask you to do things that go against your character.  
           They won't do this because they know who you are!

           So when we look at this text we will be asking the question, what would you
           do for your friends, even if there is tension in you doing it?
Application:
            Who has been there for a friend?
            Who can think of a time that a friend has been there for you?
            How did those experiences affect you and impact you?
            
            Friendship can be easy, or it can be extremely hard for people, but either
            way the only way to develop lasting deep friendships is to sacrifice 
            for them and watch their back when no one else has it.

Challenge:
             What stand out to you about your friendships?
             What are you willing to sacrifice for your friendships?