Our Pentecost focus unit is an excellent resource for centering your study on this special day. This unit gives an overview of the Feast of Pentecost, covering the command to keep it, how we know when to keep it, and the lessons we learn from this holy day. It begins in the Old Testament with the first Pentecost at Mount Sinai. It then moves to the New Testament, to the Temple in Jerusalem that is the stage for the dramatic events in Acts 2, and it concludes with lessons for us today. We encourage all to use this unit to concentrate on the Feast of Pentecost and sharpen your grasp of this significant day!
Here’s what is in the unit:
Pentecost and the Old Testament. This section gives 7 lessons from Passover to the first Pentecost. It also covers the foundational covenant at Mount Sinai, the importance of the wave sheaf offering, and the church eras of the Old Testament.
Pentecost and the New Testament. This covers the Temple, reviews the incredible Pentecost of 31 AD, and studies the gift of the Holy Spirit and what it means for us.
Lessons from Pentecost. Here, we cover the significance of the number 50, Pentecost and our family history, and a Psalm traditionally read at Pentecost.
Tools and Resources. This section includes graphic aids of scripture lists, details on the names of Pentecost, and more. These handy resources pack a lot of information in an easy-to-read format!
Voices of Experience. Here are five podcast style interviews with ministers. They share a key focus point about Pentecost as well as motivating stories of God’s Spirit working in His people!
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
James 1:17-18 NKJV
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Read about this year’s tree-mendous mountain biking activity!
The Living Education–Charlotte students geared up for an exciting experience—a midweek mountain-biking adventure at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte! As the name clearly suggests, the Whitewater Center is famous for its biking trails. Kidding! Every year, at least one student thinks that the activity is whitewater rafting and not biking. However, the center does have over 50 miles of trails available for mountain biking, hiking, and running.
Raising the Stakes
The bike trails are ranked by difficulty—green means “easy,” blue is “more difficult,” and black is “very difficult.” Having mercy on us, Mr. McNair picked a green trail, but easy is a bit of a relative term; it still took concentration and precision to ride on the narrow trails with steep turns and sharp hills.
Students survey the green trail
To make things a little more interesting, Mr. McNair divided the students into three groups and gave them a task to complete: ride a three mile trail around a lake and take group pictures at specific points. He marked the trail map and selected team leaders who had to make sure that the group was in the right spot, adding a little map-reading challenge to the mix.
Student leader team at checkpoint 1B-team at checkpoint 2
For a few students, this was their first time getting off the beaten path on a bike. It was certainly challenging learning to ride between the trees, rocks, and roots, but everyone got the hang of it, without too many crashes. By the end, we were all enjoying the thrill of cruising between trees, over hills, and through bumps.
A-team at checkpoint 3Student leader team at checkpoint 4
The team leaders did a nifty job navigating the trails and taking pictures at the right spots. When the challenge was done, the students had the chance to ride a few more trails around the Whitewater center. After several hours, the Living Education students packed up and headed home, pretty exhausted but with shared memories of a great new experience!
The last exciting event for the Living Education students was a music recital at a senior care center. Read about that here: 2023 Music Recital.
Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.
Mr. Kenneth Frank spoke to the students of Living Education – Charlotte about something that pertains to all of them: youth.
First, he mentioned that “the Bible is big!” It contains a total of 66 books—39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. Inside, it addresses God’s commands for people of all age groups. An important thing to understand about the people of these ancient times is that they had a different idea of “youth” than we do today. It was defined by strength and vigor, rather than simply age. Benjamin, for example, was called a youth at the age of 30. Joshua was also called a young man at the age of 40. In the times of the Old Testament, you could go to war at 20, as well as be taxed. The book of Proverbs has a lot to say to young people. “Man” is the most used word in the book, and “Lord” the second most. It emphasizes heavily the relationship between man and God, making it an important read for young people. What imperatives can younger people learn from the whole of the Bible?
Study
As we get older, we gain wisdom. Unfortunately, this means that younger people are more likely to be led astray in their morals and beliefs, especially in this day and age. Psalm 119:9 tells us, “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.” If a young person is consistent in their Bible study, they will have a better chance of staying strong in the faith. Memorizing scripture is beneficial to us, as well.
Praise God
In the words of Psalm 148:5, “Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created.” It’s important that we praise God. After all, He has provided us with countless blessings in our lives—some that we may not even think too much about. Sometimes, in our prayers, we may get too swept up in making our requests known to Him and forget to make praise to Him. We should follow the example of the model prayer found in Matthew 6. Notice how the requests (“Your kingdom come. Your will be done”) are sandwiched in between praises (“Hallowed be Your name…. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever”). Follow the structure presented to us directly from Christ!
Honor Your Parents
To “honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12) is the Fifth Commandment, which Paul called the “first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2), because God promises that our lifespan will be increased if we follow it. Mr. Frank stressed that we should especially make the effort to honor them while they are still alive, because our Creator did not intend for people to live forever physically.
Fear God, Trust Him, and Seek Him
“Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” (Psalm 34:9-10). If you fear God and diligently seek Him, He will make you prosper! Hopefully, you are throwing your entire life into God’s hands. If you serve God your whole life, you will understand things most people are not able to. Seek wisdom and a godly way of life. Proverbs 8:1 says, “Does not wisdom cry out, and understanding lift up her voice?” Notice the use of the word “her.” Wisdom is personified as one of the two prominent “women” of the book of Proverbs—the other being a crafty harlot (Proverbs 7), representing the ways of the world. Which one will we allow to influence us? Let it be godly wisdom!
Rejoice in Your Youth and Put Evil Away
Many young people today are more likely to suffer from depression and other mental illnesses, in part because of overexposure to things like social media. As was stated earlier, younger people are more likely to turn away from a godly way of life. Ecclesiastes 11:9-10 tells us:
“Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these God will bring you into judgment. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity.”
Ecclesiastes 11:9-10
The earlier we diligently seek God in our lives, the more we will spend our lives rejoicing. After all, youth is temporary, so why spend it in sadness and regret?
Forget the Shame of Your Youth
People are often deeply ashamed of the sins that they committed in their youth. The Bible tells us we are not to be ashamed of sins that we have since repented of, as is seen in Isaiah 54:4: “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth.” Those that have a hard time getting over past sins should know that God will not hold those sins against them if they repent.
Bear the Yoke of Responsibility
God is good to those who choose to bear godly responsibilities, enduring in them until the return of His Son. As we read in Lamentations 3:25, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”
Be Sober-Minded
In Titus 2, we read about some of the qualities of a sound Church. Paul exhorted young men to be “sober-minded.” Some younger people fail to see the importance of taking their life seriously, and suffer the consequences because of it. A sober mind draws us closer to our Father.
Submit to Spiritual Elders
Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5 that younger people should submit to their elders, keeping a humble mind and attitude, “for ‘God resists the proud.’” Those who still have the strength and vigor of youth should not think of themselves as greater than those who are older and have a depth of understanding younger people have not yet attained.
Overcome Satan
In the same chapter in 1 Peter, Satan is described as “a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” He will not hesitate to corrupt anything he can get his hands on. Therefore, we have to be strong in order to fight back. How can we make ourselves stronger? Mr. Frank tied his last point back to his first: study! We should never fail to come back to our spiritual relationship with our Creator. Biblical study must be personal, so that our one-on-one relationship with Him grows stronger daily.
God did not omit certain age demographics from His instruction. If we consider ourselves young, we should take these points to heart! If they do so, young people can truly achieve great things for God.
Nathan Kroon is a Student Leader at Living Education. He originally hails from Washington State and is a 4th generation Christian. Currently, he works at Headquarters as a Video Editor and is the Lead Landscaper at the LivingEd dorms. His hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music, drawing, and watching movies.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/pexels-helena-lopes-745045.jpg10191500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2023-05-11 08:00:002023-05-09 15:11:55Biblical Imperatives for Young People
On the Feast of Weeks (Pentecost), seven weeks after the first omer of the harvest had been presented to God, two loaves of bread were to be offered to Him (Leviticus 23:16–17). These two loaves were different from normal meal offerings in that they were leavened. What did these two different grain offerings symbolize? Why were the two loaves at the end to be leavened, and why were there two loaves offered on Pentecost?
The Living Education students heard a presentation from Dr. Roedolph Opperman, a systems engineer who worked on NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover.
In his forum, Dr. Opperman covered the accomplishments of mankind in exploring space, how the human body reacts to space, and the vastness of God’s creation. This summary gives a glimpse into Dr. Opperman’s fascinating forum.
What Has Mankind Done?
Over 50 years ago, mankind slipped the surly bonds of Earth and set foot upon the moon. From there, man shifted his focus to Mars, flying numerous missions to the Red Planet and landing robotic explorers on its surface. These accomplishments required tremendous effort, thousands of people, and brilliant minds. Dr. Opperman showed a video titled “7 minutes of Terror” that depicts the intense challenge the rover Curiosity faced when landing on Mars. There were seven minutes from the moment the spacecraft carrying Curiosity entered the atmosphere to the moment the rover touched the surface of Mars, and it was an extremely complicated seven minutes, involving parachutes, rockets, and precise maneuvering. And it all had to happen without any human control. It takes 14 minutes for a signal to get from Mars to Earth. The Rover was on Mars for seven minutes before NASA even knew it had entered the atmosphere. All they could do was hope for its successful landing.
Curiosity survived its automated landing, and so did Perseverance, a rover almost identical to Curiosity (see actual footage of Perseverance landing on Mars). The Perseverance Rover also carried with it a little partner robot: Ingenuity. This explorer is not a rover, but essentially a remote-controlled helicopter. It is the first powered aircraft to fly on Mars! Since 2021, Perseverance has taken over 300,000 pictures of Mars, traveled 7 miles, and taken 43 soil samples. Ingenuity has flown over 50 times and now helps scout locations for Perseverance to explore.
Perseverance Rover with Ingenuity in the background on Mars
Perseverance and Ingenuity represent the latest in NASAs missions to Mars and are major success stories. Dr. Opperman himself worked on the Perseverance mission as a member of the fault protection team. But not every mission succeeds. All countries combined have attempted 43 missions to Mars, and less than half were successful. While the Perseverance mission shows the progress mankind’s space ventures have made, man has more ambitious plans for the future, like colonizing the moon and even Mars.
Human Beings Are Not Designed for Space
The Artemis program currently aims to put man back on the moon by 2025, hoping to pave the way for “colonization” of the lunar land. But Dr. Opperman emphasized the critical fact that the human body is simply not suited for space. He explained that the lack of gravity creates issues for fluid circulation and leads to muscle atrophy and bone mass loss, even with intense exercise.
And there are bigger issues than zero-gravity, like radiation. Dr. Opperman explained that sun or intergalactic radiation is a major threat to humans, and there is simply no good solution for protection! In fact, the previous Apollo missions were miracles themselves as they all occurred during periods of low radiation. But months of space travel would make a lethal radiation event a statistical inevitability. As Dr. Opperman said, “We are mere fleshly human beings; we are ill-equipped to explore the universe in our current state.”
What Has God Done?
Mankind has walked on the moon and sent robots to Mars, yet our accomplishments are nothing compared to God’s. “Our best efforts can barely scratch the surface of exploring this incredible universe that an awesome Creator made by merely saying the word,” said Dr. Opperman. The fact is that God created everything, including the sun, the earth, and the universe as a whole, and mankind’s achievements are comparatively tiny.
A World Made Just for Us
Planet Earth is a massive miracle, mystifying skeptics. It is exactly the right distance from the sun—in the “Goldilocks zone”—and this makes life possible. Here, water in all three phases and mild temperatures and conditions allow for complex molecules. Additionally, Earth has an axis tilt that makes seasons, an ozone layer that protects from ultraviolet radiation, and a strong magnetic field. Even the other planets in our solar system, like Jupiter, protect Earth from comets and asteroids. And the Earth is only the beginning of God’s awesome creation.
How Big Is the Universe?
Dr. Opperman shifted his focus to the universe as we know it, and the enormous scale in which it exists. The sun is absolutely massive—it could fit around 1.3 million Earths inside of it—and reaches temperatures of 27 million degrees Celsius in its core. And the Sun is vital to Earth for its heat and light. Light itself is not only specifically listed as a creation of God (Genesis 1:3), but also is an essential part of how we observe and explore the universe. We use light to determine composition of celestial bodies through spectroscopy, to determine distance through trigonometry, and to see if a celestial body is moving toward us or away from us via red-shift/blue-shift. We also use light as a scale for the universe’s size. Light is the fastest moving mass or energy, traveling at around 186,000 miles per second. For context, light can travel around the Earth seven-and-a-half times in a single second. If a light particle/wave traveled for a year, it would go 5.88 trillion miles! To understand the scale of a trillion, Dr. Opperman gave this example: If we were to go back in time one trillion seconds, we would find ourselves in 30,000 BC!
But in the vastness of the universe, even light seems slow. The nearest galaxy to the Milky Way is 2500 light years away, or 14,700 trillion miles! The scale of the universe is impossible for humans to comprehend.
The universe is not just overwhelming in size, but also in beauty and structure. The more we learn from instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope, the more beauty we see in the massive galaxies, nebulas, and star clusters. The more we learn about the massive universe and its trillions of stars, the more impressive Psalm 147:4 is: “He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.”
The Universe and Us
The universe is so large that humans really cannot comprehend it or travel it. The fastest matter or energy can go is the speed of light, and that requires thousands of years to reach even the nearest galaxy. While we, in our current state, are not suited for such vastness, Dr. Opperman highlighted that spirit beings can move instantaneously, not limited by physical laws. Thus, the expanse of the universe awaits us as our inheritance. Dr. Opperman concluded by saying that there are trillions of planets estimated in the universe—even more than the number of stars—and maybe these planets are reserved for the future members of God’s Family!
Mr. Ames gave a forum talking all about the amazing planet that is Earth and how unique it truly is in the universe. Read about that here: Is Earth a Privileged Planet?
Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.
Here is an inspiring section from our Pentecost Bible study course!
The Pentecost course has a few podcast style interviews in the section Voices of Experience. In these, we ask field pastors Pentecost-themed questions about their experiences with their local congregations. Here’s a look at the topics these discussions cover.
1. What is a key focus point that is on your mind to bring out to the members in your area in regard to Pentecost this year? 2. What is an example where you’ve seen the power of God through His Holy Spirit really working in your area over the past year? 3. In what way do you see the members in your area really reflecting the admirable elements of the New Testament church that we see recorded in the early days following the pouring out of God’s spirit in Acts 2?
We hope you find these stories and experiences insightful and encouraging!
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4 NKJV
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Read about this year’s music recital for the Living Education students!
Music recitals are a staple of the Living Education program, but for several of the students, this was a totally new experience. Adding to the excitement, this year’s recital was held at a senior care center for the first time since 2019. Most of the students played a piano piece or sang a song, and all first-year students performed in the Living Ed Vocal Ensemble for two songs, which had been practiced as part of the music class.
Students getting situated for performances
The Recital
The senior care center had a nice piano for the students to use, and the LivingEd students brought speakers and microphones for the singing performances. Following a few minutes of set up, the recital began at 6:30 pm and was well-attended by families, faculty, and, of course, residents. It began with individual pieces performed by Living Education students and some additional students from the music teacher’s private studio.
Students performing their individual pieces
After these exciting renditions, the first-year Living Ed students performed the two choir songs they had been practicing in class. The recital concluded with America the Beautiful and an open invitation for all guests to sing along.
The Vocal Ensemble performing
The previous events the Living Education program arranged were the men’s and women’s trips. The ladies went to Charleston and the men went hiking!
Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.
https://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DSC7317-1.jpg8441500Jonathan McNairhttps://www.lcgeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/logo_basic-website-300x94.pngJonathan McNair2023-05-05 05:15:002023-05-04 17:17:352023 Music Recital
In 1976, Ambassador College was trying to gain accreditation in order to act as a fully-fledged liberal arts college.
Many people who had taught there were required to gain a masters’ degree if they were to continue teaching, including Mr. Richard Ames. In this forum, he spoke to us on interpersonal communication, the subject of one of the college courses he had taken in getting this degree, and explained why it is important that we improve how we communicate with others.
Types of Communication
Before exploring the different ways to improve our communication with others, Mr. Ames first spoke briefly on the other types of communication we most often use: intrapersonal and group. While interpersonal communication is how we talk to other people, intrapersonal communication is how we communicate with ourselves. “Basic to all forms of communication is a consciousness of self,” said Mr. Ames. In other words, you have to know how you think before you go sharing your thoughts with others. He recommended we watch his sermon “Practice Godly Meditation” for help in finding ways to teach ourselves how to think better. It is our duty to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Christ was able to instantly reject the external thoughts of Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness. What can you take away from your own intrapersonal communication?
Five Keys to Improve Interpersonal Communication
Practice Biblical Principles of Communication
The Bible holds many lessons in how we are to communicate with each other. Mr. Ames listed some of these:
Always speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).
Put away lying and corrupt words (Ephesians 4:25).
Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. You can be judged for your words—even idle ones (Matthew 12:34-35).
Mr. Ames stated that if you sin with your words, God will forgive you if you repent of them. It’s important that we pray for godly wisdom so that He can help to guide our words.
Analyze Your Transactions
Mr. Ames read from the book Games People Play, by Eric Berne, to explain the types of transactions people can have during conversation. The author explains that there are three ego states a person can take in a conversation: Parent, Adult, and Child. The Parent state is instructional and controlling, the Adult state is factual and informative, and the Child state is expressive of feelings. While Mr. Ames said that while it may not be the greatest way to explain how it works, the theory can help us to see what kind of transactions in conversation are harmonious with each other. The example he gave was if one person asks another, “What time is it?”, which would be asking from an Adult state, and the other person replies “What are you asking me for?!”, from the Child state. Such a transaction would not be considered harmonious. It may be beneficial to analyze what state of mind your transactions with other people are coming from.
Practice Positive Reinforcement
It is important to consider the power of positive reinforcement in conversation. Upon Christ’s baptism, God said that He was well pleased with His Son. Although Christ was already perfect, God still applied positive reinforcement to Him. We as human beings are imperfect, but it is our duty to positively reinforce our brothers and sisters in Christ. If people’s actions are met with criticism, they will tend to not repeat them. Positive reinforcement has the opposite effect, and psychologically benefits a person’s mind. Using courtesy (“thank you,” “you’re welcome,” etc.) can also help us to encourage each other.
Share Your Life
The practice of self-disclosure, sharing personal information with others, will also help us in interpersonal communication. Quoting from his old textbook for his class on interpersonal communication, Mr. Ames said, “For someone to be important to you, you must also know something about him or her that matters to you and makes a great difference to you. If you don’t know much about the person, it is not likely that your acquaintance will amount to much of a relationship.” Mr. Ames said that his first introduction to his future wife involved finding many things that they both had in common. The more they shared, the more comfortable they felt sharing personal things with each other. Be willing to share your life with others! There may be widows in your congregation who are looking for an opportunity to be able to share their lives with others, as well. Don’t deprive them of the opportunity to do so.
Love Your Neighbor As Yourself
The Bible tells us that it is important to look out for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3 says, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.” It’s a good thing to serve your neighbor and their needs. Be perceptive to what these needs may be!
If you want to improve your own interpersonal communication skills, review these five keys and apply them to your life!
Nathan Kroon is a Student Leader at Living Education. He originally hails from Washington State and is a 4th generation Christian. Currently, he works at Headquarters as a Video Editor and is the Lead Landscaper at the LivingEd dorms. His hobbies include playing guitar, listening to music, drawing, and watching movies.
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Scripture reveals that God established His covenant because of hesed, a Hebrew word that could be rendered into English as “covenant love.” Hesed is more than just a general type of fondness. Learn more about what it meant for the Old and New Covenants here!
Mr. Jonathan Bueno gave a forum presentation explaining the importance of fellowship.
Mr. Bueno, Area Pastor for a number of congregations in the northwestern United States, gave a fantastic forum for the Living Education – Charlotte students. In it, he explained the importance of friendship and showed how fellowship is even better!
Make Friendship a Priority
Is having friends or being a friend a priority in our lives? If it isn’t, it should be! Studies reveal that loneliness is as harmful as alcoholism and heavy smoking. Inversely, having friends boosts our sense of belonging, confidence, and promotes healthy lifestyle choices. The Bible explains that “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). However, God’s people can have more than just friendships.
Friendship vs. Fellowship
The Bible talks about friends in good ways—like how we are friends with Christ and God—and bad ways, like how friends will deliver us up to persecution (Luke 21:16). But the Bible also talks about a different relationship: fellowship. This term comes from Koinonia (G2842) and describes a close association between people with mutual interests. In fact, this term describes how Christians are all in one communion (Koinonia) in the blood and the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 10:16). John also says, “Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Thus, the ideal relationship with God and one another is not friendship but fellowship.
Reality Check
Friendship has many benefits, but fellowship takes those benefits to a whole new level. Friends can give us a reality check by providing invaluable feedback and pointing out our flaws—hopefully in a gracious way. As the Bible says, “Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful” (Proverbs 27:5-6).
How does fellowship go one step further? Christians actively look out for one another. As James says, “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20). Christians give reality checks in gentleness, even bearing the burdens of others (Galatians 6:1-2).
Accomplish More
Friends working together can accomplish more. “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). How does fellowship take this one step further? We have “fellowship in the gospel” (Philippians 1:5), fulfilling the Great Commission and Ezekiel Warning. We are accomplishing an all-important work together!
Hard Times
Friends can help us through hard times. They can encourage and provide a helping hand. Mr. Bueno quoted The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse: “Asking for help isn’t giving up…. It’s refusing to give up.” Friends are a great aid to us in our times of need. But fellowship takes this one step further.
Our friends in the world cannot help us with persecution or spiritual struggles, but our fellowship in God’s Church absolutely can. We support each other, taking comfort in knowing that while Christians suffer alike in this world but we can overcome and endure (1 Peter 5:9).
Not Being Alone
Friends keep us from being alone. Mr. Bueno again pointed to Genesis 2:18: Man was not meant to be alone. We are not meant to have this “loner” mentality that many people are developing today. According to a 2018 survey, 30% of American adults report that they are lonely. The solution is friendship. Friendship gives us good human company, and fellowship does even better. We—married, unmarried, rich, poor, old, young, etc…—are all part of the Body of Christ. In this, we experience a oneness that is unique in the universe, both with God and Christ and with one another.
Highest Calling of Friendship
Mr. Bueno concluded by encouraging the Living Education students to go beyond friendship and strive for fellowship. We can have friendship with people in the world, but we can only have true fellowship in God’s Church. He referred to a passage of Paul: “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness” (2 Corinthians 6:14)? Friendships are good, but we must prioritize fellowship with God and the Church. We should push for the highest calling of friendship: fellowship.
Earlier in the program, John Strain also gave a forum talking about friendship where he focused on methods for making and keeping friendships. Read that forum here: The Best of Friends.
Kaleb Johnson is a student in the Living Education-Charlotte Program. He graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville in the spring of 2022. In addition, Kaleb enjoys writing, video-making, trying new activities (anything and everything), playing chess, and debating (it’s not arguing!) with people. He currently works in the Living Education department producing written content & videos and helping with a variety of other projects.
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