WELCOME ICEBREAKER

Who was your best friend in grade school?

WORSHIP

Enter His presence with worship!

WORD

Below are the notes from the message that Pastor Anthony spoke on this last Sunday. As a leader pick out the scriptures that you think would most apply to your group and review them. This is a broad subject so take a piece of it that most applies to your group and have fun discussing it. Cheryl and I are enjoying Hong Kong and praying for you!

Notes
By Anthony Greco, Pastor Calgary Life Centre

Luke 6:12-13 And it happened in those days that He went out into a mountain to pray, and He was spending the night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples. And He chose twelve of them, whom He also named apostles:

Proverbs 12:26 A righteous man is cautious in friendship, but the way of the wicked leads them astray

Jesus the Son of God, spent an entire night in prayer before choosing His friends. A wise man carefully considers those he allows into the inner circle.

You can have friends by decision or by default. A wise person chooses!

• Prov. 27:19 A mirror reflects a man’s face (outer) but what he is really like is shown by the friends he CHOOSES.
• Developing quality friends is intentional not accidental
• Want to solve your kid’s problems? Choose their friends for them.
• Beggars can’t be choosy. Leaders get to choose who they lose!
• People to choose or lose:
• Proverbs20:19 A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.
• Proverbs 22:24—25 Do not make friends with a hot—tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.
• Proverbs 17:17 A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
• Proverbs 27:6 Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

When you choose your friends, you have sealed your destiny.

The kind of friend that you are is the kind of person you will attract. God said to Samson, only hang out with my people and date the girls in my camp. He went DOWN to Timnah and DOWN to Gaza. If you hang out with the wrong people you’ll go to the wrong places. They will break your priories. Wrong people cause you to break God’s principles in your life. It is a matter of when not if!

• If you lie down with dogs, you are going to get fleas.

Paul warns us that "evil company corrupts good morals" (1 Cor. 15:33)

Those nearest you make you or break you. Empower or devour.

• Prov. 18:24 The man of many friends [a friend of all the world] will prove himself a bad friend, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
• Ecc. 4:12 By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three—stranded rope isn't easily snapped.
• 2 Cor. 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mismatched alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness?
• Prov. 27:17 Just as iron sharpens iron, friends sharpen the minds of each other.
• Prov. 14:7 Stay away from fools or you won't learn a thing.
• Prov. 13:20 Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.
• Genesis 13:14 The LORD said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, lift up your eyes from where you are and look north and south, east and west.

Jesus had an inner circle. You must understand the purpose and level of relationships. There are 5 levels of friendships. Do you know them?

The Law of the Inner Circle—It takes a leader to raise up a leader. You cannot do it all by yourself! No leader has that much power. The ultimate potential of any leader is largely determined by those closest to him or her, which puts a huge premium on the ability of the leader to develop those colleagues into dynamic leaders themselves.

Luke 8:49 He was still speaking when someone came from the synagogue—ruler, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead, do not trouble the Teacher.” 50 But when Jesus heard, He answered Him, saying, “Do not fear, only believe and she shall be healed.” 51 And coming into the house, He allowed no one to go in, except Peter and James and John, and the father and the mother of the girl. 52 And all were weeping and bewailing her. But He said, “Do not weep; she has not died, but sleeps.” 53 And they ridiculed, knowing that she was dead. 54 And He put them all out. And He took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise!”

When you choose friends, you are qualifying them to have influence in your life.

• CRITERIA #1 Reserve this place for people who are committed to Biblical values and convictions.
• CRITERIA#2 They must increase you. Bring out your best.

Areas of relational alignment that will affect your life.

• First, your marriage.
  
  If a woman marries a lazy man, she will live in poverty. Prov. 10:4 Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth.
• Secondly your church
• Co—Workers
• Social Ties

God assigned connections are in your life right now. Everyone is designed to be connected to specific people. God assigned connections – purposed to perpetuate, nurture, and complete our God idea.

God sends great people into our lives, how we treat them determines whether they will stay or leave.

• Contacts – They network us
• Friends – They affirm us, committed to us.
• Partners – Share a common goal or interest with us
• Mentors – They produce change in us
• Protégées — Learn from us

Mentors will not always be friends, and contacts may not always be partners.

Jesus was able to relate to a vast segment of society, lawmakers, tax collectors, fishermen, religious leaders etc. Your world can be enlarged and your contacts increased by not limiting yourself exclusively.

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

John 2:23 But when He was in Jerusalem during the Passover Feast, many believed in His name [identified themselves with His party] after seeing His signs (wonders, miracles) which He was doing. 24 But Jesus [for His part] did not trust Himself to them, because He knew all [men]; 25 And He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man [needed no evidence from anyone about men], for He Himself knew what was in human nature.

Matt. 12:48 And He answered and said to him who told Him, Who is My mother? And who are My brothers? 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, Behold, My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever shall do the will of My Father in Heaven, the same is My brother and sister and mother.

You cannot rise above the vital relationships around you.

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

WORK

Pray for good friendships to be developed in the group. Pray for friendship struggles that may be in the group.