Scripture
14There we found some believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15And the brothers and sisters, having heard news about us, came from as far away as the Forum of Appius and Three Inns to meet us. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and was encouraged. Acts 28:14-15
Observation
Paul had just been through quite an ordeal. Imprisoned under false accusations, shipped to Rome in the middle of a storm, shipwrecked on the island of Malta, bit by a poisonous snake and so much more. So, when Luke writes that Paul thanked God and was encouraged when his friends traveled 30 to 50 miles out of their way to see him, this was not an exaggeration. He really needed some friendly faces and words of life to keep him going and to put courage back in to him. Perhaps Paul was thinking on this moment when he would later write in his letters to the churches about how essential encouragement is to sustain hope (Rom. 15:4) and nurture patience and kindness (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and Galatians 5:22-26) in the face of discouragement, disappointment and disillusionment. We weren’t meant to walk this faith journey alone. “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness,” Hebrews 3:13 tells us. First Thessalonians 5:11 says, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” In other words, friendship is not optional and it must be intentional.
Application
While we have all been worried about a financial recession it turns out there’s another recession that could be even more detrimental. The website Big Think released a video this past March announcing that the number of “Americans without friends has increased 400% in recent years.” Why is this happening? Social isolation has been on the rise since 2015 and, according to researchers, is bringing on a rise in mental health problems including depression, anxiety and hopelessness about life. The Atlantic reported this week, “there is no statistical record in any other period of history when people have spent more time on their own.” Last year an NBC poll concluded, “we never before seen this level of sustained pessimism in the 30 year history of the poll.” “The nation’s teens have traded face time for FaceTime,” The Hill wrote in a recent article. This might be why the isolation stats for teens are worse than any other age group. Research points to the decline in marriage and lack of involvement in a local church as two main contributing factors to this loneliness epidemic. The solution is simple. We need to put down the phones and spend more time investing in actual flesh and blood friendships. For example, it has been at true joy investing into friendships at our Fasting In February House Church. Every Tuesday night this month we get together over a meal and share our stories before diving in to that week’s study on fasting. This gathering around the table has quite surprisingly resulted in going farther and deeper in the spiritual practice of fasting than I ever have before. Just today I was texting my friend who encouraged me to go for two days of fasting and prayer instead of just one. This is not only causing my friendship with Jesus to go deeper, but is strengthening my friendship with my Christians brother as well. We must resist the social trend of isolation and friendship recession by putting roots down in our local church. Roots lead to fruitful friendships that can be consistent sources of encouragement and strength through the storms ahead.
Prayer
I just want to first thank You Jesus for the amazing gift of being your friend. This amazing reality is why I’m seeing fasting, prayer, and the other spiritual practices in a whole new light. This isn’t about getting You do something for me, it’s about a deeper union with You! This friendship with You leads to a deeper friendship with those around me, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” (Jn. 15:12-14) Thank You Jesus for the incredible friends You've brought into my life that keep me going when I don't have the strength on my own! May I never take these gifts for granted.
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