Psalm 41:9

Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.

From Background Notes [BN] for November 9^th & 10^th  written by Pastor Bob Brown:

So, the offer of friendship by the church to newcomers can be risky for them. We don’t always know what experiences newcomers bring to their encounter with us, which would include incidents in previous churches or loss of confidence in a friend they once trusted.

Asking people to be our friends in a sense that is deeper than a Facebook presence requires time, patience, understanding, and a willingness to listen to unpleasant stories about their religious past. Remember, the number one charge against the church is usually, “The church is full of hypocrites.” And while we might be inclined to argue with the remark, it’s more critical that we understand why this person or that family feels that way than to solve the world-wide problem of religious hypocrisy!  [BN,6]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am