Chuck Swindoll Wrote, “The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit that there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give His church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace; escape rather than reality, but it is permissive, accepting and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable. It is democratic. You can tell people secrets, and they usually don’t tell others…or even want to! The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers!”

Genesis 2:18 tells us that God looked upon the first mortal placed in the midst of paradise, in a personal relationship with God, the way none of us have ever experienced. Yet, God looked at the man and said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” We usually read that passage in the context of a wedding, but it is saying something far deeper than that. As human beings we have a fundamental need to be in relationships with other people. It is a part of every person that God that God cannot fill because God created us to need others. So, God gives us the gift of companionship and help.

Christians believe in relationships therefore we defend the family and try to be kind and welcoming to all who enter our lives. Yet, the church is ambiguous about friendship. Churches gather for “fellowship” and talk about “community,” but rarely do churches promote gathering for “friendship.”

I think this is one of the greatest struggles in today’s church. We emphasize spiritual growth without emphasizing the importance of relationships in helping growth happen. We want to think that we are united in our purpose when we are hopelessly untied from each other.