YOUTH RALLY, DEEPER CHRISTIAN LIFE MINISTRY

FELLOWSHIP SONG: THE LILY OF THE VALLEY

  1. I have found a friend in Jesus, He’s everything to me,

He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul;

The Lily of the Valley, in Him alone I see

All I need to cleanse and make me fully whole;

In sorrow He’s my comfort, in trouble He’s my stay,

He tells me every care on Him to roll,

He’s the Lily of the Valley, the bright and morning star,

He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

  1. He all my griefs has taken, and all my sorrows borne;

In temptation He’s my strong and mighty tower;

I have all for Him forsaken, and all my idols torn

From my heart, and now He keeps me by His power;

Though all the world forsake me, and Satan tempts me sore,

Through Jesus I shall safely reach the goal,…

  1. He will never, never leave me, nor yet forsake me here,

While I live by faith and do His blessed will;

A wall of fire about me, I've nothing now to fear,

With His manna He my hungry soul shall fill;

Then sweeping up to glory to see His blessed face,

Where rivers of delight shall ever roll,…

TRANSFORMING FRIENDSHIP THROUGH JESUS

Romans 5:6-10

True friendship is important to our happiness as human beings. No man is an island. None of us can live happily and fulfilled all alone. A great deal of our joy is in what we share with others. Yet we all know that not all friendship is profitable. Friends influence us a lot and we should invest in finding and maintaining friendship that will fulfil the promise of joy, which we so long after. True friendship must enhance our sense of self-worth, develop in us a noble character and enable us to make significant progress.

EARTHLY FRIENDSHIP Romans 5:7; Proverbs 19:6

Earthly friendship can be real, true and sweet. Yet it has its limitations.One, it is limited in deeds. Friends can do a lot for us but there are things which they are unable to do, even if they are willing. Two, it is limited in dependability. Earthly friends can exploit us or betray our trust, leaving us sorrowful.Consider the prodigal son! And three, it is limited in duration. No friend sticks forever. No friend can follow us beyond the grave.

EXEMPLARY FRIENDSHIP Romans 5:6-8

Christ’s friendship comes with a tone of surprise. It is easy to be friend with someone who has something to offer; but Jesus makes friends with us even when we do not merit it. Examples of such friendship are:

  1. Matthew the tax collector (Matthew 9:9-13).
  2. Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52).
  3. Mary Magdalene, the woman with evil spirits (Luke 8:1-3).
  4. Zacchaeus, the notorious chief of tax collectors (Luke 19:1-10).
  5. Nicodemus, who came by night (John 3:1,2; 7:45-53; 19:38-40).
  6. The woman caught in the very act of adultery (John 8:1-11).
  7. The man who was born blind and later cast out (John 9:30-38).
  8. Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of Christians (Acts 26:9-18).

Jesus could afford to make friends with rejected people because He had power to make a change in them. Christ’s friendship was transformational!

ENDURING FRIENDSHIP Romans 5:9,10

Just as Jesus made lasting friendship with others, His friendship with you will endure. Friendship with Jesus offers the following:

  1. Forgiveness: God overlooking our sins (I John 2:12; Romans 5:1).
  2. Freedom: the ability to do that which is right (Romans 6:7).
  3. Fellowship: sharing of common beliefs and activities (I John 1:1-3).
  4. Faith: a strong belief in God’s power (II Timothy 1:12).
  5. Favour: a gracious or friendly act that is freely given (John 14:27).
  6. Faithfulness: being steadfast in affection or allegiance (Hebrews 13:5).
  7. Fortitude: strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage (John 16:33).

Friendship with Jesus is a personal choice of faith. You can believe what is written concerning Him and simply turn your life over to Him. It works!