If we claim to be friends of Jesus, we have to be friends to Jesus.

“The best advice for cultivating friendship is not to find a better friend but to become one.” 

The way the early church modeled friendship is marked by disagreement, warmth and justice. These characteristics are to mark the church today as well.

What does it actually look like to have intentional friendships? With marks of affection, covenant and transparency the purpose of friendship is to lead us to become better disciples of Jesus.

Friends shape us, influence the moral direction of our lives and encourage us through life.

When loneliness unravels us, relationships put us back together. God made you to need friendship. He designed you, like himself, to long for friendship.

Friendship is one of the most familiar yet forgotten relationships in our day.

Every person can pursue what matters most by choosing to hold onto what matters most:

• Hold on to the church with compassion and empathy
• Hold on to God's presence and provision
• Hold on to Jesus and his message of grace

Every person can find the motivation to run faithfully to the very end by taking these considerations: 

1. Consider the race others have run
2. Consider the race Jesus ran
3. Consider the hardships of this race as discipline

How do you respond with joy and perseverance to the hardships and persecutions in this life? Wayne Bushnell, lead minister, continues our look at the book of Hebrews.