Building Meaningful Friendships in Christ's Freedom

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Proverbs 13:13-20
- Mark 3:7-9
- Matthew 26:36-38

#### Observation Questions
1. According to Proverbs 13:20, what are the consequences of walking with the wise versus associating with fools?
2. In the sermon, what are the four types of friendships modeled by Jesus? ([33:30])
3. How did Jesus handle the large crowds that followed Him, according to Mark 3:7-9? ([34:50])
4. What significant event did Jesus share with His closest friends in Matthew 26:36-38? ([39:04])

#### Interpretation Questions
1. Why does the pastor emphasize the importance of having friends who share our spiritual, financial, and health priorities? ([41:28])
2. How does the wisdom in Proverbs 13:20 relate to the different levels of friendship described in the sermon? ([29:02])
3. What can we learn from Jesus' example of having an "A-team" of close friends, and how does this apply to our own lives? ([39:04])
4. How does the concept of boundaries in friendships, as discussed in the sermon, help us grow spiritually? ([26:18])

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on your current friendships. Are there any that you feel need to be re-evaluated based on the priorities discussed in the sermon? How can you approach this evaluation? ([41:28])
2. Think about your "A-team" of close friends. Do they help you grow spiritually and support you in your faith journey? If not, what changes might you need to make? ([39:04])
3. How can you ensure that your friendships are based on mutual enjoyment and support rather than utility? What steps can you take to cultivate such relationships? ([31:59])
4. Jesus had different levels of friendships, from the crowd to the A-team. Identify one person in each category in your life and consider how you can nurture these relationships in a way that aligns with your spiritual goals. ([33:30])
5. During the sermon, the pastor mentioned the importance of having friends who speak truth into our lives. Can you think of a time when a friend did this for you? How did it impact you, and how can you be that kind of friend to others? ([42:25])
6. The pastor encouraged the congregation to reflect on their relationships during communion. As you partake in communion, what specific relationships come to mind that need reconciliation or deeper connection? ([45:47])
7. How can you actively seek out and build friendships within the church community that will help you grow in your faith and character? What practical steps can you take this week to start this process? ([44:08])

Day 1: The Essence of True Friendship
Friendship is a gift that transcends mere convenience or personal gain. It is about forming bonds that are rooted in genuine affection and mutual respect, not in what one can extract from the relationship. In a faith community, these friendships take on an added dimension, as they are also about walking together on a spiritual journey. Such relationships are characterized by a shared commitment to each other's growth and well-being, both emotionally and spiritually. They are the kind of friendships that reflect the love and selflessness taught in the scriptures, where each person values the other for who they are, not just for what they do.

In this context, the church becomes a fertile ground for cultivating friendships that are not only personally enriching but also spiritually edifying. These are the relationships that encourage one to live out their faith authentically and to support one another in doing the same. They are friendships that endure through seasons of joy and hardship, offering a glimpse of the divine love that binds all believers together. [31:59]

"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company ruins good morals.'" - 1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV)

Reflection: Who in your life embodies the essence of true friendship, and how can you nurture that relationship further to support each other's spiritual journey?

Day 2: The Impact of Our Companions
The wisdom literature of the Bible, particularly the book of Proverbs, offers profound insights into the nature of human relationships and their influence on one's life. It teaches that the company one keeps can significantly shape one's character and destiny. Associating with wise individuals can lead to the acquisition of wisdom and a life marked by success and fulfillment. Conversely, surrounding oneself with foolish companions can result in hardship and strife. This principle underscores the importance of being discerning about the people one allows into their inner circle, recognizing that these relationships will have a lasting impact on one's life trajectory.

It is crucial, then, to choose friends who embody the values and virtues one aspires to. These are the friends who will challenge one to grow, who will provide wise counsel, and who will encourage one to pursue the best version of themselves. They are the companions who will not lead one into temptation or trouble but will instead be sources of strength and wisdom. [29:02]

"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." - Proverbs 13:20 (ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on your current friendships. Are there changes you need to make to ensure you are walking with the wise?

Day 3: Jesus' Model of Friendship
Jesus' life provides a perfect template for understanding the various layers of friendship and the importance of having close companions. He interacted with many people on different levels: the crowd, the tribe, the circle, and the A-team. Each group played a specific role in His ministry and personal life. The crowd was the largest group, consisting of acquaintances and followers. The tribe included those who were closer, sharing in life's significant moments. The circle was made up of those who were trusted confidants during challenging times. The A-team, however, was the innermost group—those few who knew Him intimately and supported His spiritual mission.

This model demonstrates the necessity of having a few close friends who can offer support, accountability, and truth. These are the friends who are present in every season, who see beyond the surface, and who help one to navigate life's complexities with wisdom and grace. They are the ones who can speak into one's life with honesty and love, helping to shape one's character and faith. [39:04]

"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17 (ESV)

Reflection: Consider your own circles of friendship. Do you have an A-team? If not, what steps can you take to form this kind of deep, spiritual friendship?

Day 4: Friends Who Build Us Up
The truest friends are those who prioritize our spiritual and personal development. They are the ones who encourage us to pursue a deeper relationship with Christ and who are not afraid to speak the truth in love. These friends are invaluable, as they help us to see ourselves as we truly are and as we could be. They hold us accountable to our values and spiritual goals, and they inspire us to live lives that are pleasing to God. It is essential to regularly evaluate our friendships to ensure that our closest companions are those who are helping us to become the people God intends us to be.

Such friends are a rare treasure, and their role in our lives cannot be overstated. They are the ones who remind us of our identity in Christ and who walk alongside us as we strive to embody that identity in our daily lives. They are the friends who challenge us to grow and who celebrate with us when we do. [41:28]

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy." - Proverbs 27:6 (ESV)

Reflection: How do your closest friends influence your faith and character? Are there conversations you need to have to ensure your friendships are building you up in Christ?

Day 5: Communion and Community
The act of communion is a profound reminder of the importance of community and the example set by Jesus. As believers partake of the bread and wine, they are called to remember Christ's sacrifice and the unity it brings among the body of believers. This sacred practice is an opportunity to reflect on one's relationships with God and others, to reconcile where there is division, and to align one's life with God's will. It is a time to consider whether the people one is surrounded by are leading them closer to God or pulling them away.

Communion is not just about individual reflection; it is about coming together as a community to support and encourage one another in faith. It is about being surrounded by people who share the same commitment to following Christ and who help each other to live out that commitment in the world. [47:43]

"Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." - Galatians 6:2 (ESV)

Reflection: As you partake in communion, consider the role of community in your spiritual life. Are there steps you can take to strengthen your relationships within the body of Christ?

Good morning! How is everybody doing this morning? Awesome, awesome. If you're watching us online, I am so glad that you're here this morning. So, I am Faith, the pastor here. If you are watching online, we love to know that you're there. Please drop us a comment and say good morning from wherever you might be.

You'll see on the screen behind me a couple of things that are coming up in the church's calendar. There are so many more things going on, but this is a slower week for the life of the church. I would just say, after the busyness of Easter, we're happy with a little bit of a slower month going on this month. Yeah. Aren't we happy? We're happy.

So, I just want to point out one thing: Parents' Night Out, which is one of our bigger events where we reach out to the community, has already got a fair number of kids signed up. If you would like to volunteer with that event, you can mark that on the card, the connect card on your seat, or let Katie know.

I'd like to invite you all now to stand for our call to worship. I will read the lighter parts, and you read the bold ones.

"Happy are those who follow the ways of the Lord."
"Those who follow God's ways are continually nourished in faith."
"Come, let us open our hearts to God's compassionate love."

Good morning again. It's so great to be here as we shift now and look at the Lord and scripture and think of our prayers and how we can lift them to God. I just want to take a moment and celebrate and thank y'all for your generosity. I wrote an article this week in our e-mag about three events that we did within the span of eight days. And in those three events, we fed 420 meals at our packing event. We hand-packed for our community that went to the food pantry. So thank you for that. You paid for them. So thank you for your generosity.

We also collected at the drive-up food drive; we collected more than 2,200 pounds of food for the food pantry. Is that not amazing? Some of that food was the food that you paid for, that we packed at the faith in action event, which we brought back to make sure it went back into our community. And then we also had... We had the kitchen of clay, and we served 143 meals at that food event as well. So, in eight days, we served three separate food events right here in our community. So thank y'all. Is that not amazing?

I broke it down into better details. If you want to actually see all the little bitty pieces, then go back and read that article. But these events are not possible without you giving of your time and giving of your finances. So thank you for giving to those who have needs more than we have.

If you'd like to give this morning to the church, you can do so at the time of communion. That's how we receive the offering. The baskets are up here at the kneeling rails, and you can bring those or give online.

Would you go to the Lord in prayer with me this morning?

Almighty Father, I'm so thankful for all that you give us and for the generous hearts of this congregation. As I reflected on how many different directions we went in a short amount of time to serve those in Clay County who have less than us, I just felt so blessed to be a part of such a great group of people who care for those who have less. Lord, I pray that each person who receives meals from our church or food donated know that they are loved. Not just by their community but by you.

Today, God, as we turn to go to your scripture, I pray that you help us to learn from you. That we may grow deeper in our relationship. And that your scriptures may speak to us. I also ask you bless our children as they study your word as well. And that they may understand who you are. We pray this in your holy name. Amen.

Now, today is the first Sunday of the month, which means our preteens stay in worship with us. We'd like to invite our elementary friends who are going to join Miss Katie to head on back. Y'all start a new series today. Have fun!

All right. So last Sunday, we celebrated Easter. Is that not an amazing day in the life of the church? Amen. Now, we can be a little more excited about that. Is Easter not an amazing day? Thank you. Easter's not over. We are now what's called the season of Easter, where we celebrate for many weeks that our Christ has risen from the dead. Amen.

Now, I hope last week, some of you shared that you found some things helpful in it. We started a new series where we're thinking about how we can live into the idea that Christ set us free. That is the whole purpose of Easter. The rest of this series, we're going to be looking into the Proverbs and learning more about how we can live into that freedom.

Now, Proverbs is not something that's preached often because it's poetry. I'm going to do my best. But if you would like to dive into the Proverbs, I have uploaded a free small group video study into the adult section. You can find that in the church app and on the podcast, the TV app, and on the website. So if that's something you'd like to learn more about, and you have questions, come ask me later. But I hope that as we go a little deeper, if that's something you later want to look into, it's not going away. It's up there for you at any time.

So as we think about this idea of living into the freedom Christ gives, this morning, we're going to think about it in regards to friendship. Specifically, what it means to have boundaries with our friends. Now, last week, we talked about this. We talked about boundaries were good things. That sometimes we have boundaries like these items up here that keep us safe.

I don't know about you, but I'm very thankful for things like railroad crossings and making sure I don't get hit by trains. My cousin, when I was in seminary, lived right next to the railroad track. I stayed with him sometimes over the summer. And I've never been more afraid in the middle of the night than when a train came down the track at 2 o'clock in the morning. And I thought that whistle was coming straight through our apartment. It never seemed so loud than when you were asleep at 2 a.m. And it was smack next to that track.

But then you think about if we didn't have these sensors to tell us not to go past. And every time you had to come up to the track, and you had to look far as you could see to make sure it was safe. That would be nerve-wracking sometimes. To make sure you're good. It's hard enough to handle crossing four-way stops, let alone if a train was barreling down. I'm thankful for other things that keep us safe too. We talked about some of those examples last week.

But the intention of the series is to think about how we live into the things we can't see. And how those things help us to grow spiritually. Now, to think about that, I'm going to read out of the book of Proverbs, chapter 13. And I'm going to read multiple verses to give you some context of this chapter. I'm going to pick up in chapter 13, verse 13. Here we go:

"People who despise advice are asking for trouble; those who respect a command will succeed. The instruction of the wise is like a life-giving foundation; those who accept it avoid the snares of death. A person with good sense is respected, and a treacherous person is headed for destruction. Wise people think before they act; fools don't and even brag about their foolishness. An unreliable messenger stumbles into trouble, but a reliable messenger brings healing. If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored. It is pleasant to see dreams come true, but fools refuse to turn from evil to obtain them. Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. Trouble chases sinners, while blessings reward the righteous."

Now, the book of Proverbs is a wisdom book. It kind of sounds like the fortune cookie of the Bible, let's just be honest, it does, doesn't it? But this chapter, specifically chapter 13, is describing the wise person versus the foolish. Every one is this contrast between the one and the other. And you hear it, you're like, "Oh, I want to be the wise person." I hope you all feel that. You're like, "Oh, I want to be the wise one. I hope I'm wise."

It is contrasting not just wise, but a... It is a righteous wise person. One seeking after God's way. And the fool is a wicked fool, or one that's seeking sinful ways. See, if we want to be wise, then we need to do things according to this chapter. We need to guard our mouth. We need to hate falsehood. Spend less than we make. Work hard. Act intelligently. Receive advice. If your parent ever told you in your life that God told you you need to work hard, it's in the Bible, there it is, right there in 13. If your parent ever told you that you needed to be true to yourself and not act falsely, that God said so, there it is, chapter 13.

Sometimes Proverbs get thrown out, though, sometimes without ever really thinking about it because they become those pithy sayings. See, you've got to contrast that with the fool because I don't want to be a fool. Why? Why? Because they don't listen to correction. They act shamefully. They allow sin to rule their lives. They pretend to be rich. They follow dangerous paths, don't turn from evil, and cause friends to suffer harm. See, I don't want to be any of these things. I don't want to be foolish.

But if we're not careful, we can all end up in these places, and we've probably all sometimes done these things. But the difference of a fool and acting foolish, as a fool lives into all the time. When we act foolish, sometimes it means we make mistakes.

Now, for the sake of today, I want to focus us in onto verse 20: "Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble." Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. Okay. Okay, is the proverb that tells us about friendship, the importance of friendship. And for the sake of today, I want to define friendship as this: See, friendship is a non-romantic relationship that is an attachment-based rather than function. Meaning, a friend is someone you just enjoy having fun with, not someone you get something from. Friends are people we want to be around just for their own sake. Amen.

The thing is, friends, that good friends make our lives better. They help us succeed. In theory, because we are in the church, we should be surrounded by good friends that make us better people. The studies have shown that when you have a good support system and good friends, you do better things. And that's why we need to be surrounded by good friends. You have a better family life, a better marriage, a better work life, better health, and better spiritual growth. They say that your friends are the most important relationship in your life. More important than your family, because your family succeeds when you have good friendships. Because if your friends are speaking negative about your family or about your spouse, then your spouse and you are probably not going to succeed. Therefore, your friends become the most important thing. And in the church, if we have good friends, then we should be most successful things in life, right?

And last week, we talked about trying to make sure the church is a safe space for spiritual growth. But we, the reality is, we don't all have these connections. So for just a short bit, we're going to look into Jesus's life and use it as some parallels to the different types of friends we can have. And I want you to think to yourself of who these people are in your life.

The first group is our crowd. See, the crowd, this is the big people. You know, when you have a wedding, and you invite everybody you know, and you're walking around going, and you're asking your maybe your fiancé or your child's fiancé's family, "Go, is that from... did you invite them? Who invited that person?" You're not quite sure how you're connected to everybody, but somehow, shape or form, you got a connection to everybody in the room. You know, it's the cousin's sister's brother, but it's your crowd. They're all there.

See, Jesus had a crowd too. If we look at Mark 3, "Jesus went out on the lake with his disciples, and a large crowd followed him." But friends, Jesus instructed his disciples to have a boat ready so the crowd would not crush him. See, his crowd often was so big and followed him so much, he had to find space away from them because they weren't the people he wanted to spend all of his time with. They were just there. They followed. They wanted the moments. And remember, the crowd turned away from him when things got hard and abandoned him. The crowd was there at Palm Sunday, screaming "Hosanna." And the crowd was there when he went before Pilate and hollered, "Crucify him." The crowd was not his support. They just watched.

So that brings us to a smaller group, which we're going to call the tribe. You see, the tribe is the people who tend to know what's going on in your life. They celebrate things with you. They're the ones you call when you get a promotion, or one of your kids have an exciting thing happen. They're the ones that maybe you invite to birthday parties and anniversary parties. They're the ones that you have spent life together.

And for Jesus, this was the people beyond the 12 that were his friends. Like Mary and Martha and Lazarus that we see repeatedly in his life that were not just the disciples. If we look in John, we see at the very end, right before he was arrested, that he's spending time with these additional people. John chapter 12: "Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus, the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus' honor. Mary served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him."

Jesus is just days away before his crucifixion, and he's celebrating his last Passover, and he does it with not only the disciples but his friends. Lazarus, he loved dearly. He mourned Lazarus when he died and then raised him from the dead. These are people close to him. This is his tribe. But he didn't spend every day with them. They were just people that he was close to.

Now, below the tribe, we have what we call the circle. At least I'm calling it the circle. Well, I'm going to call it the circle. And for Jesus, this was his 12. You see, this is the people that are much closer to us. You know, when there's a death in the family, they're the ones we lean on. When we need someone to be there no matter what because we're struggling. When something's happened, and we're not ready for the whole world to know, but we need somebody to give us support. When we need to go celebrate, and we're not throwing a big party, but we just need some people close. This is who we call.

And Jesus used the 12. And when Jesus would pull aside from the big groups, he came back to the 12. Because these are the ones he had chosen to carry forward beyond himself. We see him giving special teachings just to the 12. If you look in Mark 4, Jesus had been given special teachings to the 12. He's giving a teaching, and he sets it aside for the 12 later. "Later, when Jesus was alone with the 12 disciples and with the others who were gathered, he asked what the parable meant. And then he replied, 'You are permitted to understand the secret of the kingdom of God, but I use parables for everything I say to outsiders.'"

See, the 12 got the inside. Everyone else got the outside understanding of Jesus. But depending on our society, the size of our circle, not everybody in our circle can know everything about us. The good and the bad. The ugly. Not everyone can walk through every struggle in our life. And that's where we come to... Our A-team. And I mean that in all senses of the team, okay? All right.

This may be the people who get every level of our own dysfunction. Every bit of our quirkiness. They say, see us on our good days and on our bad days. They see us when we are at our best and at our worst, and they are there for every moment of life. They are allowed to be vulnerable with us, and we are allowed to be vulnerable with them. And it's small.

And for Jesus, he had three. He took them with him in his hardest moment. When he was in the garden and he was about to be arrested, we look at Matthew: "Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, 'Sit while I go over there to pray.' And he took Peter and Zebedee's two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed."

It's not the only time we see Jesus go with Peter, James, and John. He often took just the three of them because they were close to him. He knew that they were going to help build the church after he left.

Friends, we need a couple of people so close to us that they can lift us up. They can lift us up when we're struggling. They can help us when our relationships are hard, and we need someone to speak truth, or we need someone to just sit next to us and sit in the pain and hardship.

Remember that definition of friendship at the beginning? These are not people we're related to. These are not people that we have any of us any other connection other than friendship with. If we're not careful, our friends that are around us may not be helping make us into the people God wants us to be. That doesn't mean we get rid of friends, but we have to think about these circles because if the people that we're closest to aren't speaking God's things into our lives, they may not be the people we want on the A-team. We may need to shift who's in what circle because that piece of statistic I gave you at the beginning, that our friends are the most important relationships that we have.

We need friends that are seeking spiritual growth in the same way we are, that are seeking financial priority in the same way we are, seeking health in the same way we are. If we're surrounded by people who don't have things like that
Need to think about if there's a relationship, maybe that is in one circle of someone who's very godly, that maybe needs to move closer to you. Maybe you've just not thought of that person as such an influencer as you need to. That's what I'd encourage you to ask God to pray about. Because I know our church, we have amazing godly people. And I believe everyone has. Everyone has the ability to build relationships, to grow closer to.

If you would like to get connected with other church people, and you want some help with that, please let me know. Because I believe the church should be a network to bring people together, to grow closer to God together.

Let's pray. Almighty God, I am so thankful that Jesus didn't just go about ministry on his own. That he witnessed for us what it was like to live life in community, to do ministry in community, to grow and struggle in hard times in community. That this example that we receive from him helps us to know how we do all these things in community.

God, as we go through today and this week, I pray you help us to reflect on all the people in our lives. Help us to be a good friend, to help make others better. Lord, if there's people that we are already close to that we need to bring closer, show us that. If there's people whose advice is not always as you want it to be, please show us. But Lord, remind us that we don't need to just cut people off. That's not the intention. We need to keep you in the center and surround ourselves with the people you want us to surround ourselves with.

Lord, as we prepare to come to your table, I ask that you help us to reconcile with you anything that needs to be reconciled today. So we may come here as your redeemed children, ready to be the people you want us to be. We pray this in your holy name. Amen.

I think about what it must have been like for Jesus, with such a rowdy group of 12. We know from scriptures they were always arguing with each other about something. But yet, he found ways to always get them to work together. It's no surprise that he often, oftentimes decided to take time away with just three of them. It had been hard to pray in the garden with all of them back in the background, all 12. Could you imagine them trying to figure out who was going to protect Jesus? Trying to pray with the 12 bickering? That would have been hard. But yet, at the same time, he prepared them all for the work that he did. And he did so at the communion table at Passover, when he had all the people he loved right there.

And today, we come to the same table. And all God asks is we confess our sins together. So would you join me in the confession you'll find on the screen?

You have shown yourself to us, O God, by word and spirit, with signs and wonders, in flesh and blood. Yet we still struggle to live and believe the good news of Jesus Christ. Have mercy on us, forgive us, enter into our lives, and cast out our fears so that we may come to trust in you and have life in Jesus' name.

Take a moment, lift any requests or confessions in your heart you want to lift to God.

As Jesus sat with his tribe before his arrest, he took the bread and he broke it. He said, "This is my body which has been given for you." And he took the cup and he said, "This is the blood of the new covenant, poured for the sins of all people. Drink, just as you eat, in remembrance of me."

Almighty God, send your Holy Spirit upon this bread and this juice, and transform it into your body and your blood, so that we may be redeemed by your Spirit, and walk as your people in this world, ready to build other people up into the people you want us to be. We pray this in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And as God's redeemed people, we share this word of forgiveness together, friends: In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven. Amen.

I'm going to serve my helpers first. After I serve them, I will invite everyone forward. I'll go ahead and ask my helpers to come down. As they come, just a word of instruction: you'll receive a small piece of bread to dip into the cup. If you prefer, y'all can go ahead and come. It's okay. If you prefer your bread not to be touched, we'll have prepackaged communion here in the center, as well as gluten-free.

I'll invite everyone forward in just a moment. The Lord's table is all prepared, and you're all invited to come as you desire. We'll start in the back and come up the center and out the sides. There's no requirement, so you're all welcome. And the kneeling rails are open if you'd like to stop and pray.

Just a suggestion, if you don't have any like circles that you sit down and talk spiritual stuff with, the proverb study is a great way to gather some people. And if you want me to explain that more, come grab me and let me know. And we are going to have the Bible discussion after worship and admin today, if you have been reading the Bible through for the year.

So let me send you out with this blessing: Almighty God, send us from this place as people seeking to build authentic friendships, people who only want to make other people's lives deeper and more connected, not those who are just trying to receive things from others. Help us to do so through our identity rooted in you, and people who are renewed by you, deepened by you, and fed by you. So send us from this place, filled by your power and your spirit and your feeding, so that we may be the people you want us to be, loving our world. We pray this in your glory and honor. Amen.

1) "Walk with the wise and become wise, associate with fools, and get in trouble. Okay? Okay. is the proverb that tells us about friendship, the importance of friendship. And for the sake of today, I want to define friendship as this. See, friendship is a non-romantic relationship that is an attachment based rather than function. Meaning, a friend is someone you just enjoy having fun with, not someone you get something from. Friends are people we want to be around just for their own sake." [31:59](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



2) "You have a better family life, a better marriage, a better work life, better health, and better spiritual growth. They say that your friends are the most important relationship in your life. More important than your family because your family succeeds when you have good friendships. Because if your friends are speaking negative about your family or about your spouse, then your spouse and you are probably not going to succeed." [33:30](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



3) "The crowd was there at Palm Sunday screaming, Hosanna! And the crowd was there when he went before Pilate and hollered, Crucify him. The crowd was not his support. They just watched. So that brings us to a smaller group, which we're going to call the tribe. You see, the tribe is the people who tend to know what's going on in your life. They celebrate things with you." [35:27](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



4) "We need friends that are seeking spiritual growth in the same way we are, that are seeking financial priority in the same way we are, seeking health in the same way we are. If we're surrounded by people who don't have things like that as the same priority, they're not going to help us get there. That doesn't mean they're not friends. It just means they may need to shift from the A-team maybe to the circle so that their influence is slightly different in our life." [41:28](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



5) "I cherish them so much. But they believe, they believe in Christ the way that I do. And they seek Christ in the way that I do. And they seek discipleship and growth in the way that I do. And when one of them comes and tells me that I need to change something in my life, I hear it in a way I don't hear from anyone else. That's my deep desire for all of you." [43:17](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



6) "Have mercy on us, forgive us, enter into our lives and cast out our fear so that we, may come to trust in you and have life in Jesus' name. Take a moment, lift any requests or confessions in your heart you want to lift to God. As Jesus sat with his tribe before his arrest, he took the bread and he broke it." [47:43](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)



7) "Almighty God, send us from this place as people seeking to build authentic friendships, people who only want to make other people's lives deeper and more connected, not those who are just trying to receive things from others. Help us to do so through our identity rooted in you and people who are renewed by you, deepened by you, and fed by you." [01:00:18](Make clip | Crop for social media | Crop + Caption)