Rev. David Steward
4th July 2010

Just as a child undergoes various stages of development and growth, a child of God also passes through various stages of maturity in their faith. There are largely 3 levels of faith for those who know Christ. There are admirers of Christ, those who have faith primarily because of a miracle. They admire Christ and His teachings from a distance. Then there are those who have been personally touched by the power of Jesus Christ through a personal healing or an answer to prayer. And finally there are those who have been changed by the power of God, such as Mary Magdalene whose life was transformed by the love of Christ.

A transformed believer becomes a follower of Christ. A follower does whatever the person he is following, does. We imitate Christ in His love, His grace, His forgiveness, His mercy, His Holiness. We become like Him, we will begin to talk like Him, walk like Him, think and act like Him. People will see Him in us. And there will come a time when He will send us out to do His work. That’s the meaning of the word ‘apostle’ – the sent one. We do His work, we speak on His behalf and He trusts us with His message.

But there is another level of our relationship with Him – that of a friend. Moses, David, Enoch, John, Peter, Paul… there were many who were friends of God, but perhaps none like Abraham. James 2:21 to 23 talks about how Abraham was a friend of God and how his faith was evidenced by his obedience. God will always be our heavenly Father and will always love us as His children. But when we are His friends, there is an intimacy that comes from walking hand-in-hand with Him. We walk side by side, going where He wants us to, doing what He wants us to, obeying Him completely.

As we walk with Him, God will test our obedience. He will ask certain things of us, difficult things as we must prove our faith. As friends we will enter into the sufferings of Christ. In the Book of 2 Timothy, Paul writes to the Timothy and introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ. It is a lofty title but we understand it much better when we understand the circumstances under which Paul wrote that letter. Paul was writing it in prison, probably in a dungeon with his feet shackled. He was probably tired, cold, wounded, and in pain. He was in chains for his friendship with the Living God. And yet, Paul’s writings did not reflect his suffering. Paul was a friend of God.

Sometimes walking with Christ will take us through the wilderness, but when we go into the wilderness we are holding His hand and He is with us. When we come out of the wilderness, we will be leaning on Him. See Song of Songs 8:5.Our friendship with Him will become a deep dependence on Him. Let us seek to know Him as our intimate Friend who will never leave us nor forsake us. Hallelujah!