God Desires Your Friendship, but You Must Do One Thing

As I travel the country, God has me regularly share a word of encouragement and challenge to congregations. I have seen at times more than 80 percent of a church respond to receive their calling and releasing for what God has designed for them.

You are a vital force to be released on the earth to bring forth the kingdom of God. I believe today the Lord is looking for friends. God desires our friendship to accomplish His will and to enjoy us as His sons and daughters.

It takes one man or woman to believe God. They need to step out of their comfortable uninvolved boat. Some do this by becoming men who teach people to read English by using the Bible, women who go to the women’s prison cell, one who starts a small group to teach young mothers basic life skills or men who use their previous addiction to reach out to those still trapped.

What if Peter would have stayed in his boat?  What if he, like the others in the boat, only wanted to watch the miracles?  Then 11 people would have had less of a revelation of who God is.

How many have forfeited their ministry and kept others from seeing Jesus?  See, you are called to minister to your city, state and nation. It is totally up to you. If you don’t get out of the boat, who will?  You are the closest to the lost, broken and needy in your community. You are the solution for a small group, whether it be a home Bible study, Sunday school class or teaching young men how to start a business. There are hundreds of ideas your church or community needs. You are His hands and feet. You see the needs, and often what you see spiritually, you are responsible for spiritually. I encourage you to get out of the boat and jump in.

Be the only sea-stained, wet, trying, worshipper of God in your boat. Don’t look at what others in the boat are doing. They are spectators. You have a ministry, and sitting in the pew is not it. Do not just give money, warm a pew and watch your pastor and others minister. You are to be about your God-given mandate. Start implementing your ideas!  Dare to make your dream a reality!  Go for it!  

Let’s go back to John 15:13-17. I think now we know it takes getting out of the boat to be the friend of God, and that we need to get rid of our paradigms, history and ideas, and trust the word of the Lord and His calling for us into the waters of ministry.

Let’s review these verses:

Greater love has no man than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. I no longer call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I have heard from My Father have I made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that the Father may give you whatever you ask Him in My name. This I command you: that you love one another (John 15:13-17).

You see, when we lay down our lives by getting out of the boat and loving people we become the friends of God. According to this passage of Scripture, loving others is the family business of God. In other words, as children of our Father’s business or industry, our job is to love them.

Some of you are business owners. It’s a great day when your kids want to become involved in the family business, not just for the pay, but because they really enjoy it?  Hasn’t Jesus through His death and resurrection clearly made known to us the business of loving others?  

You are the kings and queens of the earth. Without your ministry, your church, community and nation suffer. If we live only for ourselves and don’t release Christ in us through some form of touching others, what kind of kings would we be?

I encourage you to seek the heart of God for your usefulness in the family business of loving the world and church. Find your ministry so the revival of God can come to you and through you. I really believe it’s when we rise and take our place in ministry that our churches will grow through people being saved and touched.

I pray God uses you all the days of your life. I love being in the family business of loving people. God will show you His will. He will guide you!  Welcome to the kingly ministry!  

Doug Weiss, Ph.D., is a nationally known author, speaker and licensed psychologist. He is the executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the author of several books including Ministry of Kings and Queens You may contact Dr. Weiss via his website, drdougweiss.com or on his Facebook or by phone at 719-278-3708 or through email at [email protected].