In human life, there are different types of agreements based on various reasons. Some agreements are based on benefits, others on responsibilities, and others on love and trust.

The covenant between an employee and an employer is based on work and payment: the employee works and the employer pays. When the work is no longer available or the salary stops, the relationship can immediately end.

However, friendship is not based on benefits; it is built on trust. Friends stand together in good times and in difficult times. Even though married couples may sometimes disagree, when they face a common attack, they immediately unite their strength and fight it together. Their unity is based on a deep relationship that goes beyond temporary interests.

This is also the kind of relationship that Jesus Christ desires to have with us. In His message, Jesus clearly explained that He does not want people who only serve Him as servants, but rather true friends.

In John 15:14 it is written: “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” These words show that friendship with Jesus is defined by obedience to His word. Anyone who wants to be a friend of Jesus must do what He commands.

Jesus continued explaining why He calls them friends rather than servants. In John 15:15 it says: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, because everything I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

A servant works for his master and receives wages, but does not fully understand what the master is doing. When there is no work, there is no employee; the employer remains alone. Likewise, when the worker does not receive payment, he will not come. But friends rejoice together and share life together.

A servant is not close to his master like a friend; he simply performs his duties. That is why employees must present what they have done and give reports in order to receive recognition or payment.

In the same way, when someone sees himself only as a servant of God, he always tries to show what he has done in order to receive recognition. But when someone is a friend of Jesus, he avoids doing anything that would hurt his friend.

Jesus also showed that He is the one who initiated this friendship. In John 15:16 it is written: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.”

These words show the responsibility of the one who chooses to be a friend of Jesus: to bear fruit. Bearing fruit is a sign that a person loves Christ and that his life has been transformed by the Word of God.

Jesus once found a tree without fruit and cursed it. Even though it was not the season for fruit, He cursed it as an example. He was showing that for believers, Jesus expects them to bear fruit at all times. A tree has seasons of fruitfulness, but a Christian is expected to bear spiritual fruit at all times.

Jesus also gave us the answer concerning our prayers: the way to receive answers is by bearing good fruit. Lasting fruit requires sacrifice and the strength of the Holy Spirit. When someone asks for the Spirit of God, He helps them bear good fruit in their life.

However, in the journey of faith there are many trials. There are things a person may see, hear, or encounter that test them and force them to choose between falling into sin or continuing to bear good fruit.

There are people who give only when they are asked. Yet God desires a person to give from their heart, not because of pressure. If someone wants their prayers to be answered, they must show signs that they are truly a friend of Jesus.

Receiving answers requires bearing good fruit. A person should not seek blessings by relying on friendship with a pastor or someone in the church thinking that person will connect them to God. Neither should they depend on prophets or other people to obtain blessings. What matters most is that a person themselves bears good fruit.

Jesus also taught His friends not to fear people. In Matthew 10:28 it is written that “we should not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather we should fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Some people are afraid to bear good fruit because they fear the opinions of others. They worry about what people will say or how they will be treated, and they choose to betray God in order to please people. Such people cannot be friends of Jesus. Anyone who wants to be a friend of Jesus must be ready to suffer with Him and stand for His truth even if it requires sacrifice.

When someone truly loves another person, they do not fear them; instead, they respect them. Love leads a person to honor the one they love and avoid hurting them. Fear of people can create insecurity, but respect brings peace and trust. That is why a Christian should not allow difficult circumstances to cause them to betray God. Every situation a person faces on earth has its limits.

On earth, people may kill the body, but they cannot take away the hope of eternal life. However, when a person offends God, they risk losing the hope of resurrection. That is why a person should fear God alone. When someone understands that all trials in life have an end, it helps them remain faithful without fear.

If we want to be friends of Jesus, we must protect our faithfulness even more than we protect positions we hold in the church or other worldly benefits. Faithfulness is the foundation of true friendship.

When a person is faithful to Jesus, it guides their thoughts, their words, and their actions. A person must be faithful in what they think, say, and do, because God also looks at the heart.

In conclusion, Pastor Christian Gisanura explained that when a person applies all these principles in their life, they enter into God’s answers. Bearing good fruit, living in faithfulness, and loving Jesus are what demonstrate true friendship between a person and the Lord Jesus Christ.