laying down ones life for a friend
March 18th 2009 02:00
A friend of long standing recently emailed me a large file containing some pictures and a lot of enlarged writing spaced far apart concerning the ideals of what things constitute the ‘MARKS OF FRIENDSHIP’, but in his initial comments he put this :anxiously awaiting your response to this; which surprised me a lot…then I opened his email and read his transcription…it was a very moving piece that caught me flat footed; but knowing him as I do, I soon realized what his worries are, especially regarding his life in the future. You see I am a Christian now, but we were friends along time before God had changed me around and had judged me and found me guilty of every sin under heaven, and had fully pardoned me and filled me with His Holy Ghost for these past seventeen years now. And my friend is still much the same as a sinner, unsaved and unrepentant. And we really like and respect each other regardless of these differences between us. And I also know he has been failing with bad health for this length of time as well, and has had some strange experiences which he cannot account for, and which he would call me up late at night at such times worried out of his head…and in time he would become calm once more and try to head my advice as to what he ought to be doing from now on regarding these strange events….but he has not done much in the way of turning to God nor to Jesus Christ, so far. So I sent him this reminder of what God says are the ‘TRUE MARKS OF A FRIEND’, perhaps you would like to know them as well?
Dear Mark, maybe it has been a long time since I last emailed you, or phoned you, about our friendship, but some where along the road of lives together, you went from a man I disliked very much to a friend. I don't know how that happened, or when and maybe you had some thing to do with it and may be you didn't. But it has happened to me for you, and I know that God had every thing to do with it. But a friend is some one who will lay down his life for his friends, whether they want him to or not.
But the way in which that friend lays down his life for his friends may come in expected ways. Some times it happens when he tells you "your a prick" or 'your a bloody nuisance', or just by sticking up for you against all of the rumours happening behind your back, or by being there when you are locked up in prison and fights to set you free, until you are freed., or by fighting at your side when enemies attack you and that you both die side by side, or survive to tell your grand children about it. But the best one that I know of, is the friend who reminds you often enough, of your need to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to bow down before Him, and repent of your sinners life - and I don't mean, just those times when you did wrong in your life and have broken many of God's Ten Commandments either, though they too are important to be repentant of and to front up for - but more so I mean that we are all born sinners in the world, and that this sin is the sin of unbelief and distain for the Lord Jesus Christ, and for God's Word and Commandments, and for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to deny there is a life after death and that there is an eternal judgement upon all of us from the womb to the tomb and there after with which we are all born with, and no one but Jesus Christ himself can remove from off of your soul and life now and after death, in the resurrection to come. And unless you repent, of this your current life and take hold of Jesus Christ, as your only Justifier, Mediator, Saviour, no amount of friendship with any one can save you from being judged and left for dead unto eternal hell and damnation, by God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost…for this is the "MARK" of a true friend. And the other MARK OF A FRIEND, is one who will stick his neck out amongst his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus' name and chastise them for having walked away from true biblical doctrinal steadfast, and have corrupted them selves with the world in all that they profess that is godly and holy which by their won walk and life and undertakings, they have actually thrown away and gone back to the world and all of their ways in the world; fully knowing that when he does so, that they will shun him and cast them out from amongst them, because he has shown them the error of their ways and it strikes them in their hearts, minds and consciences, and they are ashamed but not repentant enough to want to admit it to them selves for too long, lest they too have to front up for these their wrongs and for the harms they have done to God and to every one else as well,a nd especially that friend who stood against them, so as to bring fret upon them to help them to repent and get back to being right with God and His Word as well.
These two things are the things that I do on a regular basis, and I am being shunned and cast out from amongst my Christian peers on a regular basis. But I don't mind it so much these days. And I still try to do the other as well, and have been cast aside by some of my friends from time to time, on these things as well - Which again hurts for a while.
I do not have to pass on any information by email attachments regarding how much I value my friendships with my friends.
I just keep on being their friend as best I can at the time. I sorrow when they are sorrowful and happy for them when they are happy, I help out when ever I can, and say no, when I must, and be in their home and them in mine as often as we find it needful and restful to do so, and we have dinners, in and out together and have holidays together at times, and I continue to let them be a friend to me at their own pace, but never do I let a misconstrued concept or false statement about God and about His Commandments and Doctrines go by, without bringing the truth to light from the Word of God, and the Westminster Confession of Faith, on such conversations, as I do not want them to hold them selves in ignorance on such serious matters like these. Never do I play the hero, nor the villain, nor the devils advocate with any one. But I keep my self in fit shape as to who I am before God, as one of His Ambassador, and Heirs to His Throne of Grace in heaven under His Full Authority at all times according to His infallible and incorruptible Word, as one of His predestinated and effectually called since before the beginning of the world which he alone is the creator and judge of. And all the while ‘They’ are still the same most of the time, and at times they are a bit different and in some ways we are in far better shape because of our friendship. To which I thank God for all of these blessings.
May be my friend, you know of a better way in which a man and woman, husband and wife, son and daughter, can be marked as a true friend in deed...smile...
If you do, then please let me know...
with love as your friend, Tom.
Dear Mark, maybe it has been a long time since I last emailed you, or phoned you, about our friendship, but some where along the road of lives together, you went from a man I disliked very much to a friend. I don't know how that happened, or when and maybe you had some thing to do with it and may be you didn't. But it has happened to me for you, and I know that God had every thing to do with it. But a friend is some one who will lay down his life for his friends, whether they want him to or not.
But the way in which that friend lays down his life for his friends may come in expected ways. Some times it happens when he tells you "your a prick" or 'your a bloody nuisance', or just by sticking up for you against all of the rumours happening behind your back, or by being there when you are locked up in prison and fights to set you free, until you are freed., or by fighting at your side when enemies attack you and that you both die side by side, or survive to tell your grand children about it. But the best one that I know of, is the friend who reminds you often enough, of your need to come to the Lord Jesus Christ, and to bow down before Him, and repent of your sinners life - and I don't mean, just those times when you did wrong in your life and have broken many of God's Ten Commandments either, though they too are important to be repentant of and to front up for - but more so I mean that we are all born sinners in the world, and that this sin is the sin of unbelief and distain for the Lord Jesus Christ, and for God's Word and Commandments, and for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to deny there is a life after death and that there is an eternal judgement upon all of us from the womb to the tomb and there after with which we are all born with, and no one but Jesus Christ himself can remove from off of your soul and life now and after death, in the resurrection to come. And unless you repent, of this your current life and take hold of Jesus Christ, as your only Justifier, Mediator, Saviour, no amount of friendship with any one can save you from being judged and left for dead unto eternal hell and damnation, by God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Ghost…for this is the "MARK" of a true friend. And the other MARK OF A FRIEND, is one who will stick his neck out amongst his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus' name and chastise them for having walked away from true biblical doctrinal steadfast, and have corrupted them selves with the world in all that they profess that is godly and holy which by their won walk and life and undertakings, they have actually thrown away and gone back to the world and all of their ways in the world; fully knowing that when he does so, that they will shun him and cast them out from amongst them, because he has shown them the error of their ways and it strikes them in their hearts, minds and consciences, and they are ashamed but not repentant enough to want to admit it to them selves for too long, lest they too have to front up for these their wrongs and for the harms they have done to God and to every one else as well,a nd especially that friend who stood against them, so as to bring fret upon them to help them to repent and get back to being right with God and His Word as well.
These two things are the things that I do on a regular basis, and I am being shunned and cast out from amongst my Christian peers on a regular basis. But I don't mind it so much these days. And I still try to do the other as well, and have been cast aside by some of my friends from time to time, on these things as well - Which again hurts for a while.
I do not have to pass on any information by email attachments regarding how much I value my friendships with my friends.
I just keep on being their friend as best I can at the time. I sorrow when they are sorrowful and happy for them when they are happy, I help out when ever I can, and say no, when I must, and be in their home and them in mine as often as we find it needful and restful to do so, and we have dinners, in and out together and have holidays together at times, and I continue to let them be a friend to me at their own pace, but never do I let a misconstrued concept or false statement about God and about His Commandments and Doctrines go by, without bringing the truth to light from the Word of God, and the Westminster Confession of Faith, on such conversations, as I do not want them to hold them selves in ignorance on such serious matters like these. Never do I play the hero, nor the villain, nor the devils advocate with any one. But I keep my self in fit shape as to who I am before God, as one of His Ambassador, and Heirs to His Throne of Grace in heaven under His Full Authority at all times according to His infallible and incorruptible Word, as one of His predestinated and effectually called since before the beginning of the world which he alone is the creator and judge of. And all the while ‘They’ are still the same most of the time, and at times they are a bit different and in some ways we are in far better shape because of our friendship. To which I thank God for all of these blessings.
May be my friend, you know of a better way in which a man and woman, husband and wife, son and daughter, can be marked as a true friend in deed...smile...
If you do, then please let me know...
with love as your friend, Tom.
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