Vantage Point: Real Friends Versus Fake Friends
Brother Felmar Serreno: “Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who you are”, “You become who you hang out with” or “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future”, are some quotes or expressions about friendship.
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MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL
Bro. Felmar Serreno
Brother Felmar Serreno: Making friends is important, but who are the ones really worth keeping? That’s on the table today here on Vantage Point.
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Despite so many changes
Let’s move forward together
This is
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Vantage Point
Brother Felmar Serreno: With us on the show today are Natalie Fitzpatrick, Justin Manaois and Brinelle Meekam. Hi, guys. Now, Natalie’s been with us since episode 1, so a familiar face to our viewers by now. As for Justin, here’s a little bit about Justin. He’s from Surrey, Canada, and is currently Operations Manager and Project Lead at Elim Housing Society. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. PNP designation.
As for Brinelle, she is originally from Cameroon, Central Africa but now currently resides in New Brunswick, Canada. She is currently a production worker at Irving Personal Care. She holds a diploma in mathematics science, and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Moncton University.
Hello to you both, and thank you for joining us on the show.
Brinelle Meekam: Thank you, Brother Felmar, for having us.
Justin Manaois: Hello, it’s so nice to be here.
Brother Felmar Serreno: Brinelle, how about getting our discussion underway here by describing for us, in your own words, what makes a friend.
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UNIVERSITY STUDENT
Brinelle Meekam
Brinelle Meekam: Brother Felmar, what makes a friend to me is someone present in your life no matter what. Someone who can sacrifice some of her or his time to be with you, someone who is able to tell you the truth, and as a member of the Church Of Christ, someone who can help you to become a better version of yourself, and when it comes to the performance of our duties and help you to grow in faith, and these go both ways.
Brother Felmar Serreno: Justin, how about you? What makes a friend?
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OPERATIONS MANAGER
Justin Manaois
Justin Manaois: Well to me, Brother Felmar, what makes a real friend has something to do with what my dad told us when we were still young. Real friends are friends that do not change who they are with you despite various circumstances that happen in life.
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Real Friends Versus Fake Friends
Justin Manaois: People have different paths in this life with different journeys, but real friends keep their friendship and are always there for each other.
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GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Natalie Fitzpatrick
Natalie Fitzpatrick: Brother Felmar, our topic for today is Real Friends Versus Fake Friends. So is there really such a thing as a fake friend, and does the Bible have anything to say about that?
Brother Felmar Serreno: That’s a good question, Natalie. Let’s turn to the Bible here in II Corinthians, chapter 11 and the verse is 26:
In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends.
[II Corinthians 11:26 Good News Translation]
Brother Felmar Serreno: According to the Bible, fake or false friends do exist.
Natalie Fitzpatrick: I also noticed that the Bible identifies false friends as a danger to our own well-being.
Brother Felmar Serreno: Correct, the apostle Paul was enumerating here the dangers that he experienced in his many travels, and what were some of them.
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Real Friends Versus Fake Friends
Brother Felmar Serreno: He said, “dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, and dangers from false friends.” So even the Apostle Paul could not avoid encountering fake or false friends: people who presented themselves to be genuine friends at the start, but in reality they were not.
Justin Manaois: Well, Brother Felmar, I don’t think anyone wants to make false friends on purpose, especially people who would harm our well-being. So Brother Felmar, what’re the friendships that are really worth making?
Brother Felmar Serreno: The Bible gives us the following guidance and instruction, here in II Timothy Chapter 2 and the verse is 22:
Avoid the passions of youth, and strive for righteousness, faith, love, and peace, together with those who with a pure heart call out to the Lord for help.
[II Timothy 2:22 Good News Translation]
Brother Felmar Serreno: The Bible teaches us to strive for righteousness, and to be in the company of people who call out to the Lord for help. When we are making friends with these types of people, what effect will it have on our life? According to the Bible, we will live a life filled with faith, love, and peace. And companions who strive to live a holy life will surely never lead us towards danger, but will be around to help us when we need helping.
Natalie Fitzpatrick: I’m wondering, Brother Felmar, is there an example in the Bible of someone who used godliness as the basis for making friends?
Brother Felmar Serreno: There is! Listen to what King David said when considering his circle of friends. Here in the Book of Psalms, the chapter is 119 and the verse is 63:
I am a friend of all who serve you, of all who obey your laws.
[Psalms 119:63 Good News Translation]
Brother Felmar Serreno: King David was eager to be a friend of those who serve God or wanted to obey God’s laws. The question is, is that also how we choose our friends? Because, as Christians, we look to the word of God as the foundation for right living. So these Bible based teachings should be the standard we base our decision on when choosing the people we surround ourselves with, or when choosing our friends. So Brinelle, if I may ask you, have you experienced this: making friends with those who call out to the Lord, like what the Bible said earlier?
Brinelle Meekam: Yes, Brother Felmar. I have friends that are members of the Church, and I can definitely say that the differences are very much noticeable from acquaintances I have had before. With my friends who called out to the Lord, I spent most of my free time with them fulfilling church duties or church activities, and we actually became friends because of our similar duties.
Justin Manaois: And what about you, Justin, what has your experience been with making friends who live a life of faith, love, and peace?
Justin Manaois: Actually, Brother Felmar, similar to Brinelle. Actually ,most of my friends are all members of the Church Of Christ. We actually became friends because when we were kids, waiting for our parents to finish their church duties, we started talking and playing, and from that we built a lifelong friendship. We then became officers of our own in the Children’s Worship Service choir, and now we all hold various duties inside the church.
Brother Felmar Serreno: Natalie, if we can go to you now. In your own words, what are some of the challenges nowadays in the work or school environment, or in society in general. which can make it difficult for someone to follow what the Bible teaches about making true friends?
Natalie Fitzpatick: Truthfully, I think this is something I’ve personally struggled with all of my life, at least when finding real friends, because I’ve had superficial friends growing up, you know, the kinds that barely scratched the surface and don’t really feel the need to get to know you on a deeper level, and a lot of the time, the barrier that would cause that lack of interest came from my heavy involvement within the Church, or my views in comparison to their own.
So when it came to traditions and holidays that they might celebrate—because I wouldn’t entertain those same events or ideas that they would—I pretty much got dubbed ”the church girl” growing up, and there was always that wall of being “the church girl” and I think that became most evident when I was in high school when parties were really big, and people were drinking socially.
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Real Friends Versus Fake Friends
Natalie Fitzpatrick: And that also carried on of course when I went into college too. So, while other people outside of the Church might find these things normal, it’s not something we entertain or we encourage inside the Church Of Christ, and I know that I’ve had many, many days where I’ve had to explain this to my friends, and having that conversation can be a bit of a challenge.
Jason Manaois: If I could add to what Natalie said, there are definitely barriers to making friends in accordance with the teachings of the Bible and being a member of the Church. The world has evolved to become super sensitive to social and moral values. We also live in a world full of “cancel culture” where you can be canceled or rejected because of your values and if they’re not in conformance to what is popular or what the world views as right.
Brother Felmar Serreno: As youth members in the Church Of Christ, what are your words of encouragement to our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith who are looking for true friends? Natalie, if we can start with you, please?
Natalie Fitzpatick: Pay attention to the way that you’re treated. Actions really do speak louder than words, and I say that from the heart because I’ve witnessed it time and time again where people get used to telling us exactly what we want to hear, but that can be hurtful when it comes to proving it with the way that they treat us and we’re given false expectations, and I think having a real friend means having someone you can be real with and can also expect them to be real with you, and that is being honest, straightforward, understanding, but also someone that can motivate and push you to be the best you can be.
Brother Felmar Serreno: Brinelle, would you like to add to that?
Brinelle Meekam: My piece of advice to my brethren in faith, when it comes to looking for true friends is, ask yourself, does that person respect your belief?
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Real Friends Versus Fake Friends
Brinelle Meekam: A friend that does not respect your beliefs can easily influence your values, and try to lead you away from them. And, as a member of the Church Of Christ, does that friend understand our obligations in the Church? Do you share a loving and honest relationship with that friend? And Brother Felmar, I also speak French, French is my first language, so allow me to say this in French:
Nous devons donc être très pointilleux et prudent lors du choix d’un ami. Pour mois, si une personne peut répondre positivement aux questions que j’ai posé plus tôt, vous avez été béni par Dieu. Parce que je crois qu’un véritable ami, qui vit une vie de foie, d’amour et de paix, vous aide à mieux grandir et est une bénédiction de Dieux.
[English: So, we must be very picky and careful when choosing a friend. For me, if a person can positively answer these questions I asked earlier, then you have been blessed by God, because I believe that a real friend who lives a life of faith, love, and peace helps you to grow better and is a blessing from God.]
Brother Felmar Serreno Well, that’s all we have for today. Thank you, Justin, Natalie and Brinelle, and everyone who tuned in. Stay safe, and God bless.
Sister Brinelle Meekam: As tu aimé l’épisode d’aujourd’hui ?
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[English: Did you like today’s episode? Share and tag us @vantagepoint.inc and give us a follow on Instagram, for you to get the latest updates on Vantage Point. Looking for more Christian content? Be sure to explore our main site, incmedia.org. See you next time!]
