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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for May 11, 2010
“You Need Some Good Christian Friends”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
I signed a lease to live in a house with four other guys.
That was in the spring of my junior year in college.
Then that summer I gave my life to Christ.
In the fall we moved in together and “Surprise! One of your housemates is a Jesus freak!”
Oh, they were still my friends, but now we had a lot less in common. They wanted to do things I didn’t want to do, so I couldn’t really hang out with my old friends, but I didn’t have any new friends. Now what?
I started going to a church, but I just didn’t click with the young people there. Oh they were friendly enough, but honestly, I was looking for people with fire in their bones, people who were dying to the world and living for Jesus. And by my definition, you weren’t dying to the world when you promoted the showing of a Stephen King movie right there in your facility. Or when you are proud of your secular music collection. Or when you don’t mind having a drink at the bar.
But then I wasn’t exactly Saint Douglas. I spent much of that first year trying to find my footing as a Christian. I would do good, then not so good, up and down. And I’m not blaming my old friends, but at times they were a real stumbling block to me. I should have been stronger, but spiritually I felt like a baby taking his first steps.
I finally got to the point where I said, “Lord, I’ve blown it. I know You wanted to use me, but I’m just not strong enough.”
Then I was invited to a new Christian group there on campus, and I finally found some kids on fire for Christ. And let me tell you, it made a big difference in my life. My walk stabilized. I grew spiritually. It was just so nice to find other young people living the way I thought a Christian should live, the way I wanted to live.
So instead of having friends that were tripping me up, I had friends that were building me up. We all encouraged each other, and we all grew spiritually by being friends.
And that’s when I came to this conclusion. If you are going to be a good Christian, I think you just have to have some good Christian friends. Without them it’s going to be really hard to grow and stay strong in the faith.
Proverbs 12:26 says, “A righteous man is cautious in friendship…”
Why? Because our friends are such a huge influence in our life.
But you knew that. The big question is not if we need good Christian friends, but how to find them!
Well here’s a couple of old sayings that can help: “Birds of a feather flock together,” and “Like attracts like.”
If you want good, strong Christian friends, then start by being a good, strong Christian yourself. When you do this, other strong Christians will be drawn to you, just like a magnet finds metal shavings in a pile of sawdust.
But that means you need a pile of sawdust, right? So where is that pile of sawdust, if you’ll pardon the analogy?
Well that’s easy. Christians gather at churches all across the country every single weekend. So if you want to find some good Christian friends, then find a good Christian church and go to it.
“But Doug,” you say, “I go to church and I still have no Christian friends. No one is reaching out to me.”
Well I have an answer for you. This is what I’ve done at every church I’ve attended and it always works.
At your church, find something you like and volunteer. Maybe it’s a committee or a work crew or whatever. Just join it, and you will instantly begin meeting likeminded volunteers. Instead of waiting for some social invitation that isn’t coming, get to work. Then as you work beside people, you’ll get to know them and they’ll get to know you. That is fertile ground for good Christian friendships.
It works the same at parachurch organizations. If you like sports, for example, consider volunteering with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
We used to sing a Christian song years ago with these lyrics:
“We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
We will work with each other, we will work side by side,
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and crucify man’s pride.”
That’s what happens when you have good Christian friends. They will guard you on the one side, but challenge you and hold you accountable on the other.
Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Your friends can sharpen you spiritually, or dull you spiritually. Which do you want?
Well the heart’s desire of most Christians is to grow and be spiritually strong.
And to do that I think you simply must have some good Christian friends.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2010 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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