The Anatomy of a Friendship
Proverbs 17:17
Introduction
- Distinction between acquaintances and true friends.
Qualifications for Elders
- Hospitality and Relationship Building
- Importance of hospitality in elders
- Challenge to the notion that ministers can't have close friends in their congregation
Biblical Perspective on Friendship
- Jesus’ Example
- Jesus had special friends among His disciples
- Jesus’ relationships with Peter, James, and John
- Jesus’ close relationship with the beloved disciple
- Jesus’ Welcoming Homes and Support
- Homes of Mary and Martha
- Support from certain women
- Quiet retreat in specific gardens
Characteristics of Biblical Friendship
- Unconditional Love
- Commitment
- Proverbs 17:17: "A friend loves at all times"
- Commitment beyond circumstances and performance
- Confrontation
- Proverbs 27:5-6: "Open rebuke is better than hidden love"
- Importance of honest confrontation in true friendship
- Commitment
- Uncompromising Loyalty
- Sustaining Relationship
- Loyalty brings encouragement and support
- Example of Jonathan and David’s friendship
- Stimulating Relationship
- Iron sharpens iron: mutual edification and growth
- Sustaining Relationship
Practical Implications of Friendship
- Fear of Rejection
- Fear as a barrier to deeper relationships
- Importance of vulnerability and acceptance
- Need for Varied Friendships
- Friendships with people of different personalities, ages, and backgrounds
- Benefits of diverse relationships
Conclusion
- Challenge to Rethink Friendships
- Encouragement to build genuine, biblical friendships
- Reevaluating common notions about relationships in ministry
*The above summary is AI-generated, so discrepancies may exist. Please refer to the audio or video file to verify accuracy.
About the Contributors
Howard G. Hendricks
Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, known simply as “Prof,” directly or indirectly touched millions of lives in the evangelical community and beyond. For more than sixty years Prof served on the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught more than ten thousand students. He served as the chairman of the Center for Christian Leadership for over twenty years. He also ministered in person in more than eighty countries. Through speaking engagements, radio, tapes, films, the sixteen books he authored and coauthored, countless journal and popular-market articles, his service on numerous boards, and his work as a chaplain to the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1984), his reach was and is worldwide.
His legacy, in partnership with Jeanne, his wife of more than sixty-five years, includes four children and six grandchildren. Holding large audiences enthralled at venues such as Billy Graham’s conference center or Promise Keepers’ stadium rallies, Prof would confide, “It’s wonderful to be here with you, but I have a group of delicious students waiting for me back at the seminary.”
Contributors
