Friendship

May 29

Read: 2 John… it is short :)

Friendship

“…and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever.” (v.1,2)

There is a powerful connection that exists between the people of God. We don’t always recognize it at first. The same spirit - the Holy Spirit - is in ALL of God’s people. Because of this we are drawn together in unique ways beyond our own understanding. This is why UNITY in the body is so important… you can’t say you “love” one “part” of the body and hating the other; we are all one. Paul says as much; “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Eph. 4:4-6, cf. 2:16) I am quite thankful for this truth.

John highlights this idea when writing to “the elect lady and her children”. John outlines his great love and admiration for this Godly lady and her household. He tells her that she is someone whom he “loves in truth”. This is a “true” love… a honest love… a genuine love… NOT just “lip service” and empty “church talk”. This sort of love and care is made possible by the “Spirit of TRUTH” which is the Holy Spirit. (cf. 1 John 5:6, et al.) This is how we “love in truth”. But the real kicker is that John says, “and not only I, but also all who know the truth, because of the truth that abides in us and will be with us forever.” This “elect lady” is loved by “all who know the truth”… all who know The Spirit. If we want to get to know the Holy Spirit, we better be ready to get to know and love other believers! The gifts that the Spirit gives are inherently DESIGNED to be used with OTHER PEOPLE… so of course we would be drawn closer to one another as we draw near to Him. (cf. Eph. 4:12)

This sort of love is a “never ending love”… a love that comes from The Spirit which “will be with us forever.” (v.2) As the people of God we are connected so much more than we realize. Our ignorance of The Spirit goes hand in hand with our ignorance of our own interconnectivity.

The deepest and most powerful relationships we can build will be with one another. This is NOT to say we don’t have real, powerful, and meaningful relationships with non-believers. We do, but just NOT TO THE SAME EXTENT. I believe there are limitations to the depth of relationship we can build. Remember, death and life are opposites of each other… and sooner or later when death and life drawn near to each other… something has to give or there is a retreat… a pulling away… space. There are limits to worldly friendships that are not there in the body of Christ. I am thankful for the ways I can feel connected to all of you even though some of you I have never met or hardly know. The prayers you offer up for one another matter. This is not just “church talk”… this is “love in truth”. Have you been looking for depth in a certain relationship that cannot be there? Have you forgotten about the supernatural power of Christian friendship? Do you want to draw near to the Holy Spirit… just not to other people!?! LOL… it doesn’t work that way… although I get the feeling. It gets messy… I know… but it is worth it! The byproduct is that, “Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father's Son, in truth and love.” (v.3) I LOVE you guys in truth. - JDP