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FRIENDS OF GOD — Part |
‘By ARTHUR L. BIETZ
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(Sabbath sermon presented to the young
reople at the General Conference session at
Cleveland, Ohio, June 28, 1958.—Editors.)
If you were asked to tell what it
is to be a Christian, what would you
say? Many answers have been given
down through the years, but what
<loes it really mean to bea Christian?
How do vou distinguish a’ Christian
from a non-Christian? .
We are always wise toihear the
words of Jesus on any matter of im-
portance. If Jesus were tq give us
the answer to our question, what
would it be? Let us hear His words:
“Greater love hath no man than this,
that a man lav down his life for his
friends. Ye are my friends.
Henceforth I cal’ vou not’ servants;
for the se vant knoweth not, what his
lord doeth: but I have called you
friends; for all things that I have
heard of mv Father I have made
known unto you. You have not
chosen we, but 1 have chosen vou”
(John 15:13-16).
Young people will readily admit
that their greatest need is the need
for friendship. This greatest need
will never be fulfilled apart from the
friendship of Jesus Christ. Therefore,
our question is unswered—to be a
Christian is to De a friend: of God.
It is to experience His personal love
and good will in every experience of
life. One cannot be a Christian with-
out being a f.iend of God.:
In another place we are ‘told that
to know God is equivalent to having
cternal life. Listen to these words:
“This is life eternal, that they might
know thee the onlv true God, and
Jesus Christ. whom thou Hast seht”
(John-17:3).
My happiness as a Christian is not
dependent on ‘my capacity: to love
God. My ability to love: God is
meager indeed, If I.were to depend
on the love I have, there would be
a ——
little assurance of happiness for me.
But there is scmething better—God’s
infinite capacity to love me. He does
not love me because of my ability to
respond but because of the fact that
He is love. It is His nature to love,
end that love = not dependent on my
vesnonse. :
There are times when all of us
know that our love for God is not
what it ought to be, and it is then
that we must be sure of God's con-
tinuing love for us. Gods love is
continual; it is not shut off and then
turned on again. His friendship
toward us is constant.
Three. of America’s famous physi-
cians were together in a medical con-
vention in the city of Philadelphia.
These men who were in friendly con-
versation were all active Christians.
The conversation turned to religion.
One of them asked, “What is to vou
the strongest reason for the existence
of God?” As the discussion went on
for some time the youngest of the
three sat in thoughtful silence. One of
the older men said to the young man,
“Now let us hear what the voung
doctor has to sav”.
“Well, to me,” he said, “the strong-
est reason I have for believing in God
is that I am personally acquainted
with Him.”
I think we will all have to agree
that the voung doctor's answer was
correct. He knew God as a personal
Friend, There are some who have onlv
a religion of the head. It is a religion
of arguments and ideas. They know
how to debate and sermonize, but
they are strangely. uncomfortable
when someone starts speaking of God
in a very personal wav.
Some think of God as a Big Boss
who gives out the orders and snaps.
the whip to make people get busy
and ‘obey. This type ‘of Christian ex-
perience is not satistying. God has
Tan
called us friends. I we love Him,
we will keep His commandments.
There are no tequiremnts outside of
the context of friendship with Cod.
God does not wish service from slaves,
but He does ove the response of His
friends.
Friendship with God involves the
whole being—mind, body, and soul.
There is a logic of the head and a
logic of the heart. And there is the
greatest of all logic—the testimony of
the whole life that is brought forth
in friendship. In friendship the mind
and heart and ‘the whole being are
brought into full activity.
When vou study the New Testa-
ment vou are immediately impressed
with the fact that Jesus was a won-
derful friend. When Lazarus was il!
his sisters sent word to Jesus and
said: “Behold, he whom thou lovest
is sick” (John 11:3). The sisters of
Lazarus, as well as Lazarus. knew
that Jesus loved them. They felt them-
selves being loved by Jesus. It was
this feeling of being understood that
made them happy to have Jesus in
their home.
Our real friends are those who un-
derstand us. Someone has said that a
friend is one who when you make a
fool of vourself does not believe that
vou have done’ a permanent job of
it. Enemies always wish to stick labels
on a person, but we may be sute that
every label is a libel. Someone has
spoken of friendship as the comfort
of feeling safe with a person. It is
being able to pour out vour thoughts
without weighing them, and speak-
ing without constantly measuring
words, knowing that the hand of a
friend will take the wheat with the
chaff and blow the chaff awav with
the breath of kindness.
Jesus is just that kind of friend.
Tesus does. not look at us as. we are
but as we can be through His friend-
hip. If we take people as they are,
they will always become worse, but
if we take them as they can be, they
will become better. Jesus, saw Zac
—
Missionary Volunteer Week of Prayer - ~March un
FEBRUARY, 1959