This document discusses the importance of spiritual friendship. It notes that friendship must begin and continue in Christ, sharing something in common like faith. True friendship requires sharing time together, like the disciples did in Acts. Friendship is meant to last, as shown by Jonathan Edwards' parting words to his wife about their spiritual union continuing forever. The overall message is about connecting with others through spiritual friendship centered on Christ.

1. FALL 2014
ST. JB

2. THE LIFE
CONNECTED
“IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER”
Colossians 1:17
FALL 2014
ST. JB

3. CHRIST
THE NEEDS OF
THE CITY
DAILY LIFE
EACH OTHER
FAITH
COMMUNITY
JUSTICE
VOCATION

4. CONNECTING
TO EACH OTHER
RELATIONSHIP?
COMPANIONSHIP?
FELLOWSHIP?
FRIENDSHIP?
COMMUNITY?
WEEK 2ST. JB

5. SPIRITUAL
FRIENDSHIP
Aelred of Rievaulx
“Friendship must begin in Christ,
continue with Christ, and be perfected
by Christ.”
“Spiritual Friendship”

6. FRIENDSHIP IS SOMETHING
WE ALL
NEED

7. Genesis 2:18
“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not
good that the man should be alone;
I will make him a helper as his
partner.”

8. JOHN 15:15
“I no longer call you servants,
because a servant does not know his
master's business. Instead, I have
called you friends.”

9. FRIENDSHIP MUST HAVE
SOMETHING IN
COMMON

10. “That is why those pathetic people who simply “want
friends” can never make any. The very condition of having
friends is that we should want something else besides
friends. Where the truthful answer to the question Do you
see the same truth? would be I see nothing and I don't
care about the truth; I only want a Friend, no Friendship
can arise. There would be nothing for the Friendship to be
about; and Friendship must be about something, even if it
were only an enthusiasm for dominoes or white mice.
Those who have nothing can share nothing; those who are
going nowhere can have no fellow-travellers.”
C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves, 63

11. FRIENDSHIP REQUIRES US TO
SHARE

12. “They were continually devoting themselves to
the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and to prayer.”
ACTS 2:42
“We looked up the disciples and stayed there
for seven days.”
ACTS 21:4

13. FRIENDSHIP IS SOMETHING
THAT
LASTS

14. ACTS 21:5-6
“When our days there were ended, we left
and proceeded on our journey… we knelt
down on the beach and prayed and said
farewell to one another.”

15. “It seems to me to be the will of God that I
must shortly leave you,” he said.
“Therefore give my kindest love to my
dear wife, and tell her that the uncommon
union, which has so long subsisted
between us, has been of such a nature as I
trust is spiritual and therefore will
continue for ever.”
Jonathan Edwards: A Life

16. GET
CONNECTED
“Friendship must begin in Christ,
continue with Christ, and be perfected
by Christ.”
Aelred of Rievaulx“Spiritual Friendship”