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we’re going to go into this first week

of what God’s placed on my heart

it’s family Sunday and some people are

dressed beautifully together and some

people didn’t get the memo

and so they dressed how they wanted to

um but what we what we wanted to do is

have people dress alike and with their

friends and their family and they’ll be

pictures that’ll be taken in all this

other stuff but God is really placed on

my heart this this idea of family fr am

ILY friendly it’s friends and family but

I begin to ask God like okay Lord you

want friendly Sunday what do you want me

to talk about how do you want me to talk

about this this seems like a concept

that may be a little far-fetched for

some people we’re talking about family

in church and God begin to just download

to me the importance of having friends

in your life um it’s an epidemic running

rampant in church that many people do

not have real friends if we were to take

it into a context where it was just me

and you just us talking a lot of people

do not have friends that what I are what

I call every season friends friends that

will be there when you’re up friends

that will be there when you would now

friends that are there when it’s all

good friends that are there when it’s

and when it’s all falling apart

see a lot of us with the age that we

live in right now many of us have

digital friends Facebook for oh yeah I

know what they do it you’ve never talked

to him you just talking I commented on

something they said last week we have

digital friends and and and we have

friends that we work with that we call

friends but you know if something ever

went wrong you would never even think to

dial their number we have we have this

idea of friends that we go to school

with or friends by association um but if

we really pull back all of the

and all of the curtains and all of the

things that we try to do to insulate and

secure ourselves to make us feel like

we’re not losers and that we’re a part

of society and we’re doing good many of

us don’t have real friends we don’t have

friends friends that are like family or

family and I’m beginning to listen and

look at it and I was like God is that is

that an example that that’s really in

the Bible he said it’s all through

Scripture he said where there were

people who were not born into the same

family but they were so close to each

other that their destinies aligned and

they reached purpose together and I

begin to think about that with us being

the body of Christ and how God’s whole

thing is unity in our lives and all this

other stuff today I want us to just

really evaluate our lives and see if

there are any people in our lives that

are really friendly to us friends who

have been invited into the innermost

parts of our life that they’re like

family friends that know our ugly

secrets oh you know you know the friends

that that when you and your husband are

in an argument you can come into their

house and still be in an argument

see y’all faith because y’all know

usually this is house go no we’re gonna

honor the bing-bong yeah hi how are you

or you’re in the car you going off your

the phone ring hello but but I’m talking

about those friends who know you were in

the thick of it and you can be

transparent hey y’all give us one second

don’t ever do that again or what about

those friends that you actually call

when you have no money oh because we’ll

go to we’ll go to Arvest in Bank of

America and overdraft at 22 percent

because our pride is so high that we

wouldn’t ask people who said they were

there for us oh come on y’all now we’re

going to get real real today

do you have anybody in your life that

can tell you your child is bad no no no

I love him but he’s bad do you have any

friends in your life that can say you’re

working out of pride that decision you

just made that was pride and you don’t

excommunicate them out of your life

because they told you something that you

needed to hear I’m just business self

evaluation right now do you have any

friends any people that are in the

intricate parts of your life right now

that when you say it’s God they can

challenge it now I’ll see y’all what God

told me to marry him

now you just met him last week you don’t

have a job any ugly what did now you see

the parameters of relationships a lot of

time only go until we’re uncomfortable

and at the moment we get uncomfortable

that we probably are not going to be

friends anymore the calls get less and

less I stopped getting invited to the

parties and what we do is we recycle

friends we change friends if I ask you

in your life many of us have a three to

five year cycle of friends as much just

turnover and it’s new people and and

people you used to hang with and you

used to be with and you used to because

at some point it goes from just being a

friend to being framily to where it goes

from just being acquaintances and we

have the standoffish all we know each

other we hang out we go places together

to being intimately involved in each

other’s life and my prayer for every

person and I believe God’s will for

every person is to have family to have

people who can walk with you through

life people who will be able to tell you

about you people

who are going to be honest even at the

expense of making it uncomfortable

between y’all and I’m and I’m telling

you this because this is a topic we

don’t talk about in church this is this

is not we just talked about love your

enemy love your free and love everybody

but we don’t talk about loving those

people who are supposed to keep you

accountable for the purpose and the

wheel that God has called you to and I’m

just here to submit to you this is what

God told me to preach so you could be

mad at him if you don’t like this but

I’m just here to submit to you that I’ve

been around Church all my life and I’ve

seen people pour out their lives for

years ministering to people touching

their lives and die lonely I’ve seen I

know I’m serious I’ve seen people that

they make one mistake publicly and all

the people who were their friends turn

their back on them I mean gave you a

platform put you in a place to be able

to do anything at the moment you made a

mistake done with you

see what you got to understand is if

you’re not discerning of the people that

are in your life you will be fooled to

thinking somebody has a deeper whale

than they actually do for you and you’ll

step in trying to cannonball and you’ll

stand up because it’s shallow so you’ll

try to jump into the relationship but

it’s only a little bit of water there

and what God desires is not for

everybody in your life to be your family

but you got to have at least a couple to

be the ones and this is the thing many

of us have never prayed for that we’ve

prayed for our marriage partner and when

when some of y’all say that’s my family

that’s the one no the two shall become

y’all need somebody to does everybody

understand what I’m saying everybody

needs those people in your life and as I

begin to look at description I begin to

look at

family I begin to look at relationships

like David and Jonathan and you can go

search this later in in the Bible but

first samuel 18 says that Jonathan was

knitted to the soul of David that

Jonathan loved him asks his own soul

like it said that they were talking and

it was like man there was an instant

connection and these two dudes wrote it

out together I mean I even recall a time

where Saul um Jonathan dad was trying to

kill David and he told him he sent word

to him he said hey bow don’t come to

dinner tonight bro the spaghetti is

spiked don’t come – trying to kill you

he understand what I’m saying he he

cared for him he was there in the height

he worked through a family crisis with

him you think about these things that

God desires for us to have and I’m not

trying to discourage anybody’s like I

knew it I was coming in search of Dan

he’s just going to remind me that I’m a

freaking loser I don’t have any money I

don’t have no friend I’m having any

money my dog won’t even come when I

asked like come now what I’m trying to

do is just change your perception maybe

to be believing God for something new

maybe instead of believing God for a car

or a house maybe we’ll believe God for

friendship that will help us reach

purpose maybe instead of believing God

to be the CEO of a company let’s ask God

to have somebody that will stick with us

through the hard in the bad times and

you see that relationship in Jonathan

and David you see that relationship in

Ruth and Naomi um some of you know that

that naomi was roofs mother-in-law so

this tells me something beautiful that

it doesn’t have to be an age thing there

can be a generational gap and you still

can be friends in a place that that will

help your life and I want you to see a

in roof chapter 1 verse 16 they became

such good friends that this was Ruth

what she said um Ruth replied don’t urge

me to leave you and turn back from you

where you go

going where you stay guess who’s

sleeping next to you your people will be

my people and I love this your God will

be my god where you die now this is

gangster imma die and there I will be

buried right on top of you may the Lord

deal with me be it ever so severely she

didn’t care the cost if even death

separates you and me I want you to see

this she had found a relationship that

was so valuable to her that she said it

doesn’t matter what happens we gonna be

together we are going to the deposit you

make in my life

in the exchange that we have is so great

and so valuable that I cannot lose this

she was even said if you’re gonna die

we’re gonna die together now I want you

to see that this is not just something

we should desire this is something we

should be see the difference is

everybody wants this but do you want to

be it I want everybody to understand

that the Bible tells us and we’ll get to

the scripture in in a minute but I just

a paraphrase it that if you want friends

you have to show yourself y’all mean you

stuck up you got too much clicks oh I

don’t like that I don’t like that and I

don’t like that stop it because what God

wants to give you is who you are my

question is if God gave you who you were

would you be satisfied if the level of

your consistency is what he gave you

would you be a good friend if if if the

way that you responded in hard times if

that’s what you had would you be a good

friend would you want you as a best

friend see because what the challenge is

today is for us to come off of our high

horses in our places of Pride and be

able to get to a place where we say God

moves me make me let the fruits of the

spirit take root in

my life so I can be the friend that

sticks closer than a brother that I can

be the friend that helps walk somebody

through a hard time that I can be the

friend and I know for some of you you

say I need I needed a word about my

healing I needed word about deliverance

I mean where all that comes in

friendship let me help you James tells

us that if you’re if you’re sick he said

um – – y’all can get together and begin

to believe and you ask the elders to

come and pray for you and if you believe

for that thing to be changed in your

life you can be healed healing happens

in community and many of us are walking

outside of community or we have

communities that don’t keep God’s center

we have communities that are based

around other things other than God and

that’s what I want to talk about to you

today because I really do believe that

God has a purpose and a plan for each of

your life that is bigger than you but

it’s going to take others to help you

reach it and help you keep on track and

to help you stay in the place God’s

called you to but many times we’re

looking for people to come into our

life’s to just Pat us on the back and

tell us we’re doing a good job and keep

us feeling good and we need some friends

to get down in the dirt with us to be

able to stand with us to be able to pray

for us you can’t be my friend if you

can’t pray for me no that doesn’t mean

we can’t have a relationship but that

title of friendship this type of godly

friendship that we’re talking about you

cannot be my friend if you cannot go to

God for me because there’s some times

where I’m not going to have the words to

say and I need my friend that’s close to

me to look into my eyes and be like bro

you ain’t even gotta say nothing father

I thank you for my brother I thank you

for my sister I know that they’re going

through they shouldn’t even have to tell

you but see when we talk about that type

of stuff that’s relationship like job

and his friends

see see y’all wouldn’t be able to be

jobs friends because job lost everything

y’all know everybody everybody quotes

job like like they no joke no no baby

Joba lost everything his wife his

children his land he lost everything but

the bible tells us about three of his

friends and three of his friends it said

when they heard of all that job had

suffered they got in the corner and said

did you hear what happened to Joe they

didn’t do that because that’s what most

of us would have done we would have gone

and tried to figure it out and talked

about it in all this

they were in three different regions of

the land and nobody even had cell phones

or communication all of them people were

so sensitive to the needs of their

friend that they all left what they were

doing and they went to be with their

friends and listen what the Bible says

it’s in job chapter 2 verse 11 this is

so powerful it says the friends got

there and they sat down with him on the

ground for seven days and seven nights

and no one spoke a word to him they were

just there for him see I want to show

you biblical friendship isn’t it not

that I got a run in and save you but I’m

gonna be there with you I’m gonna I’m

gonna sit down in this crap with you

even though it didn’t happen to me I’m

here for you what kind of relationship

do you have with somebody when they’re

mourning over everything that they lost

that they sit down and they don’t even

say anything

but their presence brings comfort just

because they are there for you in a

season of hurt that’s what Joe’s friends

did and I bet and you know I just see

things in movies so I know there was

some awkward moment

seven-day you said tonight sitting there

not saying nothing they didn’t tell us

they eaten or anything I don’t know if

they was fasting but I bet I bet on that

eighth day somebody was like I’m hungry

and other ones like I was waiting for

somebody to say something and maybe

there was a moment of joy I don’t know

this is just my imagination but but

maybe after all of that sorrow somebody

cracked a joke or somebody passed gas

you know you everybody crying like ah

like did some of y’all are just too sage

for these messages y’all have to go

somewhere else but maybe maybe I mean

just maybe something happened that that

just let them see that man just being

here was enough but this is a beautiful

thing those same three friends got to

watch God restored double to joke

everything he lost but what is the

friends being there at those seven days

what if that was the seven days that the

enemy was going to break his faith well

what if what if those were the seven

days that it was all hinging upon Jobe

still believing because you got to

remember how job starts it says um the

enemy comes to God and says um I can get

the job and he’s like no job is my

servant he’s going to be faithful he’s

going to stay with me he said no no no

the only reason he does that because you

got a hedge of protection around him to

take that take that hat off of them take

that hedge of protection I bet you I can

get them and God said I will do that and

I will prove to you that job will be

faithful through every trial and the

enemy ran crazy some of y’all have gone

through divorce after divorce you’ve

gone through bankruptcy you’ve seen your

kids walk away from you all these other

things and God’s just trying to see

where you be faithful but the key to all

of this is he had three friends family

that weren’t trying to get something

from job they were trying to give

something to job and my question to all

of you is what type of friend are you

what type of friend are you to those who

are going through what type of friend I

know that it’s it’s hard to be there for

everybody but are you there for somebody

I’m not asking you to be the savior of

the world because some of you right now

are trying to put on the Superman cape

we don’t need a Savior we already got

one of those he he already died for my

question to you though is are you being

the one to stand in the gap for somebody

in their time of need

you see friends like Jesus Mary Martha

and Lazarus see I love this one because

a relationship that you have with your

family should be a real relationship see

when Jesus meets Mary and Martha that’s

got a nice little dinner party and

they’re talking like all sit down thank

you Jesus let me wash your feet with my

hair look at this Remy like I end in

there okay we have a multi-ethnic

audience let me explain what I just said

black women wear weave okay many of them

okay not all of them but many of them

and there is a grade of hair called Remy

and so anyway just want to bring the

cultures together but she wasn’t feed

with the hair they had a great meal

they’re all walking together and so

they’re in relationship they’re having a

good friendship but then trial his

Lazarus he gets sick and they said oh no

problem no problem the savior of the

world that’s my boy can y’all go tell

Jesus that’s the one that he loves he’d

even say his name

that’s how close they were the one that

he loves is sick he should come Jesus

waited for days

to come and reply to this call now he

could have came at the moment but

sometimes a relationship what you want

to happen in relationship is not what’s

intended to happen in relationship and

many times this is where friction

happens and this is where many

relationships and friendships in this is

where family becomes back to friends and

we have no more relationship it’s

because I wanted you to do something you

didn’t do it and so we’re done you said

you were going to do this you went back

on your word and you miss mistrusted or

you misrepresented it so it’s finished

and so what ends up happening is Jesus

is like on the fourth day just rolling

in martha sees them from a ways off she

said they’re too good they’re going to

spoon right there and I can just see her

just ready but I want you to see the

transparency of their relationship right

here in John chapter 11 verse 21 I’m

just trying to paint a picture for you

of real relationship and real friendship

look what it says it says Lord I mean

mat biting the bottom of her limb and

probably tears started to come if you

had been here my brother would have not

died and I love the fact that the Bible

chronicles this because they could have

just fast forwarded to the end where we

know Lazarus he rises from the dead but

they put authentic relational components

in for us to see that when you have real

friendship with people there’s going to

be friction time if you’re throwing

every friend away because something went

wrong they just fake I just they just

say you’re fake for not trying to make

that relationship work no I want you to

see this is the prime example Martha

Mary could have been done with Jesus but

when he showed up he said baby girl this

is not going to end in death this is

God’s gonna get the glory

out of this thing the same way I’m

coming to tell you today there’s some

relationships that God has called to be

lifelong relationships that you need to

turn back they look like they’re dead

but God’s saying you know what I’m going

to resurrect those things because I’m

the one that can do that you don’t even

have to worry you just have to desire

for my will to be done in that

relationship and God can do it now on

the other hand there are some

relationships that have to be cut off Oh

y’all thought I wasn’t gonna go there oh

you thought this was over no no there’s

some relationships that need to be

sniffed and sniffed quickly why because

those relationships are not rooted

grounded and founded in the Word of God

I want everybody to go to Ecclesiastes

chapter 4 so that you can understand the

power of family the power of friendship

the power of having people that are in

your life to walk with a community it

says two people are better than one for

they can help each other do what succeed

two people are better than one because

they can help each other

say the word with me succeed how many

people want to succeed in life how many

people want to do everything that God’s

called you to do okay so you can’t do it

alone all you IND ESCP are you

independent women in the room are all

the people who I got my own I’m doing it

myself

hear me what I’m saying God is telling

you right now to are better than you

hear me say that to you because they can

help you succeed every married couple

that is one now you need at least one

more married couple that is intricately

in your life they know how many times

you cheated they know what your

struggles are they know it because they

will help you succeed see and I know

that’s all in your business right now

where we can just start from right here

we’re at a good place right now they

don’t need to know all of our business

because we was ratcheted back in the day

and we don’t know no somebody needs to

know they need to be able to see in here

and I

that messes with your probable god knows

well God said this too he’s trying to

let you know that your success is based

on relationship with others and I dare

say to somebody that that’s the reason

the business didn’t succeed is because

you tried to do it by yourself that’s

the reason that that some of the things

that you put your hands to as up because

God said that’s going against my work I

want you to walk with others I want you

to get counsel with others I want you to

stand I want you to get a business

partner not at the end I got to be the

boss I got to be the CEO there is no

successful CEO who has done anything by

herself I listen to podcasts all the

time listening to reading biographies

they always find people that are

like-minded going the same directions

that many times are better than them and

they partner up to see success and this

is what God is telling us if one person

falls verse 10 the other can reach out

and help but someone who falls alone is

in real trouble that’s the whole reason

I’m ministering this to you I don’t want

you to fall alone God doesn’t want you

to fall alone I just need you to hear my

heart for a second that God’s plan was

not to sit you on this earth and see if

you make it that wasn’t his intention

let’s see if the let’s see if they can

kid no his intention is for you to

succeed Jeremiah 29:11 I quoted almost

every Sunday because it’s so powerful he

said I have plans for you plans to

prosper you not to harm you to give you

a hope in a future I want you to succeed

but you’re going to need other people to

help you do it and so where we see the

best example of this in the church is in

acts 2:42 I want everybody to just turn

there and this is where we’re going to

end this service but I hope what happens

in your life and in your ministry and in

your family

leave from this point on is that you get

framily that you get friends that are in

your life that can walk with you to

every situation and this is what happens

in acts two I don’t know if many of you

know this but today is Pentecost today

is Pentecost and something like what’s

been a cause okay 50 days after Easter

the resurrection the Holy Spirit came to

the disciples for the very first time

and this is what was prophesied when

Jesus was telling the disciples they’re

like no you can’t leave us Master we

want to be with you and he said no

listen y’all want me to go cuz after I

leave another one’s coming and he’s

gonna be the helper and the comforter

and he’s gonna tell you all things and

he’s going to walk and talk with you and

when you want to do something crazy he’s

gonna help you not do it he’s gonna be

the Paraclete the one that comes

alongside to help I thank God for the

Holy Spirit I don’t know how people live

without him but I thank God somebody

just takes five seconds and thank God

for the Holy Spirit I know there was

times where I was about to mess

everything up and something told me

don’t do that that was the Holy Spirit

god I thank you reason I’m married today

is the Holy Spirit see see see what you

don’t understand is it’s not a it it’s

it’s a him it’s the Godhead it’s three

and one as a whole nother sermon that

I’m gonna have to preach at another time

but this is when we celebrate the Holy

Spirit coming to humanity which gives us

the power to walk right and do right and

live right and not text back and enter

because what we try to do is live the

Christian life

powered by good wheel it’ll never work

but if you put premium in this Christian

life the Holy Spirit is that it won’t be

by might it won’t be by power but it’s

gonna be by the it’s gonna be on the

spirit and see many of us don’t live by

the spirit we live regular and hope God

blesses it but but what Pentecost did

was give us access to God in our

everyday life when we talk about we walk

by faith and not by sight who’s giving

you those instructions the spirit that

that’s what it is and and so Pentecost

we celebrate the the holy spirit it’s 50

days after the resurrection and so what

happened on that day many people don’t

correlate it together it starts out with

the Holy Spirit coming down like a

rushing mighty wind people start

speaking in tongues but the people

thought they were gone on patron they

thought they was drunk things like these

people just tripping and then Peter said

no no no no they’re not they’re not

drunk they’re these people are about to

turn the world upside down because

they’ve gotten a power source that’s not

of this earth that’s um Acts chapter 2

verse 14 I’m just starting to paraphrase

because I can teach that whole thing

okay but what happens is is Peter starts

talking about what happens at salvation

I’m preaching to all of these people on

the day that the Holy Spirit came and

3,000 people joined the church God saved

that day okay I’m waiting for God to

revive us back to that place but but I

think I found the key to it that after

they received the Holy Spirit and after

they got saved they instinctively

developed family go to acts 2:42

instinctively like what do we do is

$3000 black white red yellow we have

never communicated together together

Jews and Gentiles different economic

classes all the system that we saved

with the family of God what do we do you

create family watch this acts 2:42 it

says the believers formed a community

and it said and all the believers

devoted themselves to the Apostles

teaching and to fellowship and to

sharing in meals including the Lord’s

Supper and to prayer and watch what

happened and a deep sense of all came

over them all and the Apostles performed

many miracles signs and wonders cuz they

got a right relationship with people and

all the believers met together in one

place and shared everything they had

they sold their own property and

possessions and shared the proceeds the

money with those in need they worshiped

together at the temple each day they met

in homes for the Lord’s Supper and they

shared their meals with great joy and

generosity and all the while they were

giving everything they praised God and

enjoyed the goodwill of all the people

and watch the result it starts with the

Holy Spirit coming but watch the result

of people becoming framily

getting in right relationships with

friends look what happens it says and

each day the Lord added to their

fellowship those who are being saved

what I’m trying to say to you is if you

were getting right friendship with

people it would become attractive to the

god you serve people will look at the

relationships that you and your wife you

and your husband you singly have with

other people and what it’ll do is people

say how did they get that well why are

they so happy why when they post on

Instagram and Facebook it looks genuine

I got a photo shot my happy like what

what what is it why does it look like

they actually care about each other what

do they have and then they’ll say

something like this what must I do the

problem is the church doesn’t make

relationship look attractive

I look at people in the world and be

like man maybe I should start drinking

because they have fun with what they’re

doing and we’re so deep in spiritual and

backstabbing with what we do I’m going

to talk real about it because if we’re

going to see a world transformed and

drawn into us we got to get this friend

thing right

it’s going to take us being able to

identify and qualify our own problems in

our own life and being humble to be

transparent before people to let God

work in the areas that nobody’s been

able to touch you need family you need

friends in your life that are like

family because it will help you so you

same time like where your points we only

got five minutes left what you about to

do I’m just going to list them out to

you because you and God are going to

have to wrestle with this like this is

not for me to tell you how to do this

this is for me to tell you that it’s

needed in your life you need friends you

need people that are going the same

direction as you and so let me say it

very clearly many of the people you

consider friends are not friends because

they’re going to opposite direction no

no let me help you and I’m not saying

that little pool keeping your friends

since forever you’re not saying I grew

up together we’re together we friends we

boys he know my secrets and all these

other stuff but if God is not the center

of that it’s going to cause destruction

for you so let me just give you some

scripture in these points and then you

wrestle with this and we’ll let the Holy

Spirit do his folk this so family

matters okay so this is what I want you

to write down my family should be

committed to God’s Word

the people who are your friends that are

like families should be committed to

God’s Word it said that all the

believers devoted themselves that means

they were committed to something my

question to you is what are your

so-called friends committed to what are

they committed to some of them are

committed to make up some of them are

committed to money some of her committed

to sex some of them are committed to up

doing or doing out doing somebody else

they’re there they’re committed to

grieve they’re committed what are they

committed to my

and my admonishment through the word is

the people that are in your family

should be committed to God’s Word look

what it says in Psalms chapter one it

says all the joys of those who do not

follow the advice of the wicked or stand

around with sinners or join in with

markers but they delight in the law of

the Lord that’s the Word of God

meditating on it day and night look at

the benefit of having these type of

people in your life

they are like trees planted along the

riverbanks that means they’re always

getting nourished no matter if it rains

or not they’re always getting water

that’s why if you see a tree that is

next to water it can be summer winter

spring fall there always have leaves

because they are connected to a source

we did a series a while back called

charged up James talking about

connecting to the source if you don’t

have friends who are connected to the

source they’re going to wither and die

at some point I need you to see it it

says they bring and bear fruit in each

season their leaves never wither and I

love this I need friends that prosper in

all they do if we mow in the lawn you

prosper in it boy look at them edges if

we’re playing a game

they’re big tennis and when I’m saying

you need people in your life that are

prospering and all they do so your

friends or your family needs to be

committed to God first

the second thing this is all in the

scripture my family or my family should

be committed to fellowship you got a

fellowship with people man you got to

get in white company with people you got

to have people over your house even if

it ain’t all the way like you own it

because we make so many excuses to not

have real relationship with people

get a meet at Starbucks it don’t matter

but you have to fellowship with people

why are we doing this picnic after

church because we want to give an

opportunity that you have no excuse to

come fellowship with other people no

excuse the foods taken for care of the

entertainment is taken care of it’s too

hot it’s too cold it’s raining go here

go home

but after hearing this message but

you’re going to go home lonely and to be

on Instagram seeing what they doing what

they doing what they do and God said I

have people that are around that are

waiting to connect they may not be white

they may not be black they might be tall

they might be you know we have images of

what we think our friends should look

like don’t worry about the package worry

about the content God loves people in

your life to help you develop and this

is the problem with many people

especially my generation the younger

generation and we love the fellowship we

love it but we fellowship with people

who are going the wrong way so let me

help you realize how detrimental

fellowshipping with the wrong people is

first Corinthians 15 verse 33 don’t be

fooled by those who say these such

things for bad company corrupts good

character I don’t care how good you are

get around some bad people they’re gonna

turn you back no I was called to be the

light in the darkness to them I was

called to stand flat-footed and declare

I will not be ashamed of the GUP Jesus

even sent his disciples out too cuz he

knew nobody is supposed to go into those

environments alone you need

accountability I’ll give you one more

cuz some of y’all like nah no no I’m not

a little Ray Ray that’s my dog til I die

proverbs 22 verses 24 and 25 don’t

befriend angry people some of y’all just

lost friends

don’t befriend angry people or associate

with hot-tempered people or you will

learn to be like them and endanger your

soul your mind your will and your

emotions so you have to be committed to

fellowship but let me take it one step

further you need to be committed to

fellowship with real believers not just

people who go to church I’m talking

Christ followers okay

this third one your family should be

committed to prayer

it says they they shared but they came

together to pray and I told y’all before

like I go through things in my life me

and my wife and I we need people in our

life that can pray for us every day is

not good for the pastor okay I want

everybody to understand that this is not

a life of roses this is a life that we

all have to walk out our salvation with

Jesus Christ and so when I call somebody

I remember this one time I call one of

my homeboys I was like bro I’m really

struggling with masturbation man I just

I really need you to pray for me is like

man sure

whoo that’s crazy bro all right then

what get all right then

I just tried to open up and let you into

a place in me but what I found out later

he was struggling with the same thing

and his relationship with God was not

centered at that time and so he could

not be the one to help me up in my time

that I bought he was in the ditch with

me and so what I’m telling you is you

need some friends that leaves if y’all

go for your fall at separate times do

you hear what I’m saying like okay your

turn boom okay your turn boom like we

need to have a pattern don’t fall with

me both of us would you do what you do

we just hear what I’m saying to you

that’s what that’s what the word is

telling us so clearly is that we have to

have friends that are committed to

prayer okay

the Bible tells us where two or three

are gathered in his name if they ask for

anything anything and everybody here

would have think anything they said

don’t have what they ask my question is

when’s the last time you prayed with

somebody about something you’re

believing God to do we’re just missing

an ingredient one plus one equals two if

two of what me you Larry get together

and we can pray about anything

cancer is that concluded in anything yes

anything I’m trying to challenge you

your friends will push you to that but

my question is will your friends even

bring up prayer it’s prayer of first

response or a last result y’all they

bout to die we need to pray

now we need it’s been six weeks the

situation is gone now we need to pray

but what happens at the mention hey it’s

looking bad let’s pray it’s just looking

it n even there yet it’s looking bad

let’s pray and I’m saying these things

because maybe these are some things that

you need to put your homeboy your

homegirl yo bestie yo partner whoever

you got you need to put them up against

because this is what the word says when

when revival happened when miracles

happen is when family friends that were

like family got in the right place and

they were committed to God’s Word they

were committed to fellowshipping

together they were committed to praying

for each other and the last one is they

were committed to sacrificing for each

other now this is a nasty one because it

says in there that they would sell their

own possession they sold their car their

house their Jordans their clothes their

stocks they sold them and joyfully and

generously gave them to everybody in

need now pass the hold on wait a minute

I don’t even give bums money you hear

what I’m saying like pastor what I’m

telling you right now is if we’re going

to really see a revival happen in the

church we may have to reprioritize this

American dream that has been planted

into our hearts and our minds we may

need to reprioritize all these man-made

systems who told you that you have to

have a house with bedrooms that nobody

stays in that’s stupid that’s poor

stewardship who told you you need three

cars and it’s two people in the house

what else to want to drive on the

weekend and I’m not saying there’s

anything wrong with those things but if

those things have you

and you don’t have those things and

there are people around you suffering

what kind of friend are we because it’s

going to take sacrifice for you really

to be a friend that sticks closer than a

brother but that’s what it is Fletch TM

iPhone I want everybody to see and hear

what God is saying in this place is that

you need to be the type of friend see

somebody said well person like we’re not

finding one of those do they sell them

somewhere is there somewhere I can get

on good friends calm no no it’s the law

of attraction become it you’ll attract

it so be a friend that’s committed to

God’s Word be a friend that that

literally loves the fellowship be a

friend that will pray at the drop of a

dime I hate when people say yeah I’ll

pray about that I pray about that

no you’re not we standing here right now

let’s just pray be a friend that

sacrifices for somebody and God will

surround your life with friends that

will begin I don’t care how older you

are because some people say man I’m too

old for that I missed that I’ve already

gone through my friendship patience and

all this other stuff I’m done no no God

still has purpose on your life if you’re

still drawing air it’s time for you to

walk into everything that God has called

you to be

can I just tell you one thing because

people were in right relationships and

acts 2:42 these are the things that

happen it’s that miracles happened these

people were joyous and generous and

salvations happened dots

I want to rerun last scripture to you

and then we’re going to pray scriptures

proverbs 12:26

it says the righteous choose their

friends let’s stop the righteous don’t

just befriend people who around cuz we

work together and we are the righteous

the people who are right standing with

God they choose no this this I can’t

have that a part of my life because if I

start doing that then then I’ll ah it’ll

start corrupting my purpose like I like

you like you’re funny

but but you cannot have access to my

heart like like your you actually are

fine I don’t really like to be your

friend Lord could you change your heart

please but I can’t give you access to my

heart because out of the heart flows the

issues everything in my life is going to

flow out of my heart so if I let you

into my heart and my thing is some

people have condos in your heart that

are destroying your future just look at

the scripture it says the righteous

choose their friends carefully but the

way of the wicked leads them astray I’m

asking everybody to look at the biblical

this is what the Bible’s at y’all and I

don’t know why God wanted me to talk

within my first time ever talking about

family friends that are close like

family but I really think that on this

family Sunday that God’s given us an

opportunity to redirect redirect what

our purpose looks like I don’t want you

to die alone I don’t want when you have

a funeral there to be a hundred or a

thousand or ten thousand people that

knew what you did but didn’t know you

God doesn’t want for you to have a

moment of wondering and brokenness and

you have no one to call but to receive

friends you’re going to have to first

show yourself friendly so I’m not asking

anybody to go out of here and be weird

you know cuz some people are weird you

don’t understand you have has a mic

method looky looky my friends no no I go

actually if they choose carefully

you’re not one note what I am saying is

that maybe this should be added to your

prayer list father I thank you that

you’ll send me godly friends that you’ll

help me reach purpose with I started

praying this about three years ago

because I know I had a lot of people

around me but I didn’t have a lot of

people who knew me I had a lot of people

or I didn’t have a lot of people who

knew me and God strategically started

sending people into my life to be my

friend I didn’t care that I was faster

Mike they didn’t they didn’t care about

they were my friend showed up I’m

cleaning the garage God told me to just

come over here oh you have a

relationship with God the Holy Spirit

actually speaks to you like my other

friends that I thought Wayne was

speaking to them web he was speaking

with him Beyonce was speaking to them

and so all they knew to do is to shake

it and put a ring on it and do all these

other things but when I started

connecting with people who heard from

God I remember one time distinctly five

months ago it may not even been that

long me and Natalie were sitting down

trying to figure out our finances and

some things that had happened and I just

said alright Lord this thing is in your

hands I don’t know how you gonna do this

boom boom

I mean we’re in the living room just

bimbo I said did you run somebody off

she was like no one of my friends was at

the door say man I’m so sorry to bother

you right now but can I come in

I guess you hear so come on let’s see

this is the beautiful thing real friends

they know the boundaries of relationship

he knew he could come over

he didn’t need permission he came over

they said my gods placed this on my

heart I don’t know why this is weird

but I mean my wife just wanted to give

you this I wrote a check to me and my

wife for four thousand five hundred and

some dollars almost five thousand

dollars

now hear me I’m not telling you that

because of the amount I’m telling you

that because it took God speaking to my

friend to meet a need that me and my

wife had at that moment I’m telling you

when you rightly align yourself with the

people God has in your destiny there

will be things that happen it won’t be

money don’t be looking for money look

for God don’t don’t look for a hookup

look for God I was not exposed the

furthest thing from my mind the right

relationship produced What did he say

a miracle I want to pray for you I want

to pray for everybody watching online

but this year will be the year of

cutting off relationships that are bad

for you hear me it’s better to cut them

off and let God bring people then to

wait for God to bring people to cut

other people off okay so just cut them

off and God is waiting for your faith

Act to say okay now I can release these

people into your life so I pray for

every person that’s hearing this message

God is your plan for us to have friends

let’s stick closer than brothers that’s

what your word says God first off we’re

not just praying for those type of

people to come into our life we’re

praying that we would become those type

of people let us be more generous let us

be more caring let us be more

sympathetic father to what others are

going through let us be like job’s

friends God who didn’t even have words

to say but just sat with a friend for

seven days god father whatever that

looks like in our context father take us

away from this mentality father God that

we can have friends that we don’t invest

in to take us away from this mentality

that a like or a comet makes us close

father God I thank you that all of those

relationships have their place but you

want something that will help us reach

purpose

and God I pray that in 2017 it’ll be the

year father of real relationships and

family Father give us the courage to cut

off everything that’s not like you and

God I declare that unity would begin to

run rampant in this church we release

the spirit of freedom that will produce

father God real relationships father God

and I thank you for miracles I thank you

Father God for salvation is coming as we

develop relationships and family have

your way in these people’s lives is my

prayer in Jesus name we agree we expect

a man let’s give God a shout of praise

in this place hallelujah