Steve Wilkin’s book is an excellent introduction to a neglected aspect of the church, namely, friendship and hospitality. Here are some quotes from chapter one:
…we practice so little genuine biblical friendship. (9)
Whenever a society tolerates sin and covenant-breaking, loneliness becomes a common problem within that society, and its citizens begin to think of true friends as a luxury, not as a necessity. (9)
The folly of mankind has never been more plain: encouraging the very selfishness and self-centeredness that destroys true friendship, and then complaining of loneliness. (10)
But when children grow up in a culture that is unfriendly—in the true sense of the word—they grow up without the skills they need to build and maintain biblical friendships and relationships. (10)
Friends are not a luxury but a necessity. (11)
The church, as the great covenant family, is the example of true community and thus is the pattern for all human communities in the world. (12)
The survival of the human race depends upon companionship, communion, and holy friendship. (14)
Thus the ultimate fruition of sin—which is that ultimate expression of our selfishness, going our own way, and isolating ourselves—is the isolation of hell. (18)
We labor not merely to supply our own needs but to obtain an abundance so that we may have more to give. (19)
We are under holy obligation to be friendly to all men. It is the first demand of biblical friendship. (21)
One of the first marks of a man’s new heart is a gradual change of his friends. (24)
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