What Christ Expects

Week 4 Day 4
When disciple’s fellowship with other believers, they take care to develop Christ-honoring relationships with others. Relationships do not just happen. They require careful cultivation and nurture. All of us have sinful nature, we can fall into patterns of thoughtlessness in the way we treat others. Hatred snobbery, jealousy and backbiting have no place in the life of a follower of Christ. The scriptures instruct us about how Christ expects us to treat others with whom we fellowship.

Friendship: A High Priority

Read John 15:9, 12-13- “ As the father has loved me, so have I loved you. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his live for his friends.

Why are you to love other persons?_________________________________________________

At the heart of friendship is the willingness to _____________________ if necessary.

Jesus made friendship a high priority! Jesus laid down his life for others and later some of His disciples did too. Fellowshipping with other believers and loving those believers with the kind of sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated are important parts of life in Christ and of a lifelong, obedient relationship with Him.

Read the following verses and see what the Bible says about the way friends are to act toward one another. Match the correct statement with the right scripture

(Proverbs 17:7)- A friend loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity
(Matt 18:15)- “ If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listen to you, you have won your brother over, but if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”.
(James 4:11) – “Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it”
(1 John 1:3)- “ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with His son, Jesus Christ”

__1. Proverbs 17:17                              
__2.  Matthew 18:15                        
__3. James 4:11  
__4. 1 John 1:3

a. Friends care enough to confront one another if necessary.
b. Friends do not gossip or make hurtful remarks about one another
c. Friends want the best for one another and therefore present the gospel to friends who do not know Christ.
d. Friends love one another regardless of the situations they face.
Once you have completed this assignment put a star beside the trait or traits that you have challenges with in your own friendships. Then stop and Pray that God help you in these areas.

The Cost Of Neglecting Relationships

Sometimes you may find that you have closed yourself off from persons who care about you. Do you shut out persons rather that get involved in their lives? Do you avoid persons rather than risk cultivating relationships? Because you have been hurt in past friendships perhaps you withdraw rather than make yourself vulnerable again. Even if you attend church, you may not allow friendships to form there. You may think you can attend, listen to the sermon and then spend the rest of the week avoiding fellow believers who might want to get involved in your life.
Underline the statements or questions with which you can identify.

If you avoid fellowshipping with believers because you do not want to risk relationships, you miss opportunities to serve your family in Christ. When difficulties come your way, relationships with other believers can provide resources to meet your needs. The most serious result of neglecting fellowship with believers is that it inevitably creates distance between you and God.

Using Time Effectively

A lack of time is an excuse you may use when you assess why you do not take advantage of or create opportunities to fellowship with believers. Perhaps you have already had difficulty finding time to do other things that are needed in life. So you feel you do not have to time to be with other believers. When we treat time as a gift from God, we spend our time in ways that are more consistent with His purposes.

Here are some steps for using our time more effectively

Redeeming the time: We search for time and yearn for more. Time has become our most cherished possession
Ask God's Purpose for Our time: Time is God's gift to us. We are responsible to Him for every min.
Ask God's Direction for the Day: Time is an opportunity God gives us to discover and carry out His purpose
Prioritize what you do before you do it: The wise use time means being alert to every opportunity for Christian ministry and witness.
Leave yourself open for God to redirect you: We experience freedom when we obey God's purposes.

Check the benefits you are receiving from your daily quiet time.
__ Learning how to take things easily
__ Learning how to rest as God commanded
__ Learning how to meditate and pray
__ Rediscovering inner peace
__ Learning to distinguish between what is really important and what is secondary


Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-13 in your quiet time. After you read about Paul’s love for and ministry with Christians at Thessolonica, Complete the Daily Master Communication Guide.

Daily Master Communication Guide

What did God say to you?_______________________________________________
What Did  you say to God?_______________________________________________