John 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. 15 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. 16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. 17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.
‘ I Have Called You Friends ‘
.. He said ‘ I’m calling you my friends.. ‘ He’s revealing something intimate there. He’s saying ‘ I don’t want you as a slave.. a servant.. I don’t want you obeying because you have to whether you like it or not. ‘ He’s saying ‘ I haven’t called you for that, I haven’t saved you for that. I’ve saved you with the freedom of choice, and you are choosing to obey me because you want to. You want to follow me and because of that we can now be friends. ‘
Free To Follow Or Leave
Friends converse and talk – they have a relationship. This does not happen with a servant. Servants have their set place as do masters but God doesn’t call us like that. That is why it’s so wrong to lord it over the flock as do many ministers.. Jesus never did that, they were free to follow Him or leave, He never went running after them to control them.
Choosing God’s Way
‘ I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth – what his masters heart and desire is for him. I’ve called you to be friends with me ‘ Jesus was sharing His Fathers heart with His friends.. Father’s will. He’s appealing to our freedom to choose. That is why when you see dictators who are forcing people to become enslaved that is so contrary to what God granted. That’s why I say pray for democracy because of this very thing. It’s all rapidly changing brothers and sisters.. .. ..
John 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: 4 and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. 6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.
Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
John 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 9 and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
