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1. Jesus told his disciples, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." (John 15:13-15) If there ever was a friend to the lost it was Jesus. He becomes our example of being a friend to the lost.
1. Friendship is shown by having compassion. Compassion according to Webster is "sympathetic consciousness of others distress together with a desire to alleviate it." In Matthew 9:36,37 we read, "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest." Here the Lord was moved with compassion because "they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." He had just healed a person from demon possession and the Pharisees had said he was casting out devils through the prince of devils (Mat. 9:32-34). Jesus went teaching and preaching through their cities and at the same time healing every sickness and every disease of these poor people. It is said that "they fainted" because they were in distress. Their sicknesses were overwhelming them and their poverty was almost unbelievable to us who live in prosperous condition. According to Boles, "Many of them came from other parts of Galilee and beyond the Jordan and were fatigued with journeying and dispersed about the fields in search of food and the necessary things of life" (Boles’ commentary on Matthew). Besides this they were neglected by those who should have been their teachers. They were ignorant, helpless, hopeless, dying, and unfit to die. Such a site moved our Lord to deep pity. Those who should have been interested in them were like wolves instead of shepherds and were misleading them, criticizing the Son of God, and neglecting their spiritual instruction.
2. The Harvest Is Plenteous. In many parts of the world today the same conditions exist. Even among our people there are many in distress and need desperately the precious gospel message of salvation and hope. Jesus offered help back then and he still offers help to people in need of him today. They had no understanding of the meaning of the law and the prophets nor their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. There are still very few who really understand the scheme of redemption as shown by God in the scriptures. There were few to teach them as there are few who teach now. The Lord told them to pray about it. We need effectual prayers about this today. Souls are entering eternity by the thousands every day and yet too many of us are more interested in our comforts than we are concerned about the destiny of lost souls. We are friends to Jesus when we do what he says. We need to pray to the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. Then we need to pray, "Lord make us instruments to reach our lost friends with the precious gospel message."
3. Are we moved with compassion like Jesus? People will be lost if they are not taught the gospel of Jesus Christ so they will know what to do to be saved. How many thousands die every year without the Lord in their lives? In the song "When in the better land, before the bar we stand; how deeply grieved our souls may be: if any lost one there should cry in deep despair, ‘You never mentioned him to me." We should certainly not harass our friends about the Lord nor try to force them to obey the gospel, but we should show in some way that we are concerned about them and want them to be saved. Someone wrote:
"My friend, I stand in the judgment and feel that you are to blame some how.. On Earth I walked with you day by day and never did you point the way. You knew the Lord in truth and glory, but never did you tell me the story. My knowledge then was dim; you could have led me safe to him. Though we lived together on the Earth, you never told me of the second birth. And now I stand this day condemned, because you failed to mention him. You taught me things that are true; I called you "friend" and trusted you: But I learn now that it is too late; you could have kept me from this fate. You let me live, and live and die; you knew I would never live on high. Yes I called you "friend" in life, and trusted you through joy and strife. And yet on coming to the end, I cannot now call you "my friend"
4. The best kind of friend we could ever be is to give the gospel message to our friends. That precious story of how Jesus cam and gave himself just so all of us can go to heaven. People need to know that without faith they cannot please God (Heb. 11:6). Then help them to have the one faith. People need to repent so tell them how patient God has been to them hoping they would come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). There are different things that different people need to repent of. Sometimes it is repentance from a lifestyle without serving God in it. Sometimes it is a terrible addiction that needs to be left behind. How important that our friends repent. The importance of baptism needs to be shown to everyone (Rom. 6:3-6). Also, the importance of regular worship is something that many need to learn. Show them how worship helps you and it will help them to get the same things from it. The happiness and joy of spiritual growth needs to be emphasized. Those babes in Christ need to study the scriptures, learn how to pray, and find the talents they have that could be used for Jesus. Then the service of Jesus becomes a challenge and a joy. This is when they are no longer just a presence but a part of the program of God.
5. Put away fear of men .The reason many are not telling the gospel story is that they fear the reactions of the people to the message they give. Jesus when sending out the twelve to teach said, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Mat. 10:28) Most of the time our friends will appreciate our interest.
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