In the Church today, we see so many things happening and as more mega Church’s rise up with their large congregations, we see a very big need rising along with them. People need a place to feel secure and important. Not just another membership number or tithing opportunity, but a real person with real feelings, needs, dreams and desires.
Men and women of God, in all stages of their spiritual walk - who are going through many things in their own lives and have no one to be there for them. Who helps the pastors and leaders able to minister to them?
Think about tough times you went through in the past. Was it not the friend who cared to take the time for you that meant the world to you?
Was it not those close to you, who rejoiced with you in your success that meant so much to you?
Family and Friends are What Make Life Rich and Pleasurable!
How much more would that friendship mean if the Lord Jesus was in the middle of the relationship and His voice being the building blocks and guidance to your future together?
At the end of the day if even Jesus needed friends and those close to Him to help Him achieve all that He needed to do. How are we any different?
Lazarus was known as a friend, he was not one of Jesus Disciples! He did not stand up and preach big sermons that were recorded.
Yet this man meant so much to Jesus that Jesus wept with Lazarus’s sister and had compassion and love to raise him from the dead.
It was common knowledge that Lazarus supported Jesus ministry and each time He was in the neighborhood they had a place for him to stay. He was not always able to go out and preach and save the masses, but he along with Mary and Martha did all they could to have Jesus back.
Just look through the Word and you will see time and time again, how friendships helped the great men and woman of God achieve what they needed to do. It was the friends that gave them the courage to overcome and succeed.
Yet in the Church today, we seem to have lost something! We are so stuck on rules regulations and loyalties, that we have forgotten one thing… to have friends and to enjoy being with them.
What Does it Mean to be a Friend?
A friend is someone you care for and they care for you.
A friend is someone you go to in times of trouble and they come to you in theirs.
A friend is the first person you get hold of when something awesome happens to you.
A friend is an ear and a voice of reason when you cannot see the wood for the trees.
A friend is someone you want to grow old together with and have your children grow up together with.
A friend is someone who supports you in what burns in you and will help you in it.
A friend is not afraid to warn you and stop you from going the wrong way.
That is why we extend the right hand of friendship and fellowship, so that we can get back to something so important –Friendship! Here at AMI, we know the importance of friendship and being a friend and that is why we want you to be a part.
Whether you belong to a Church or are at home holding Church in your home with you family and friends.
Whether you are going through good or tough times and need someone to talk to, we are here for you.
Whether you are a new or old believer and needing an ear to talk to and give you some advice and help, we are here for you.
Whether you have a calling that burns strong in you and only you see it, we are here for you.
Colette and I along with our team reach out our hand and invite you into a friendship. We ask you to have our backs as we have yours.
HOW WE SUPPORT OUR FRIENDS
Because Jesus is the glue that holds us together, more than anything we are here to help you along with your spiritual walk. The best way we can do that is to do what any friend would.... to lend you a book!
We Want to Lend you Our Books
We have a library of incredible resources on www.ami-bookshop.com and because you are a friend, we want to share! So every month we will be sending you one of our e-books... just because we want to be there for you.
There for You When You Need Us
We know that life is tough, so we want to be there for you when you need us the most. Whether you are facing a crisis in your personal life or just need a listening ear, friends can call and visit to get the ministry they need. Along with our Fivefold Ministry Team, we are there to pray you through.
We are there to counsel, motivate and help you in your call and walk with God. Very often our friends call in just to touch base. Others visit for BBQ's at our center and others still come for ministry, meetings or just a place to sit in the presence of the Lord with us.
We Help You Make Friends
Because the Lord has given us such a fanstastic group of friends, we are more than happy to introduce you to them. We have seen the Lord connect so many ministries and true friendships through A.M.I.
HOW OUR FRIENDS SUPPORT US
From making their homes available for homechurch meetings or dropping by our center with an apple pie, our friends are close to our hearts and the joy in our lives.
Reach Out With Finances
Just like Lazarus supported Jesus, our friends support us as well. With their monthly financial backing we are able to reach into places we never thought possible. If this is the first time you have landed on our pages, you would not know how much our friends enable us to do what we do!
We are not loners, but realize that without the help of others, we are not going to get the truth into the Church. There are countries where they do not have access to resources like the United States does. Especially our division in South Africa, there is such a need for the simple truths so many people take for granted. Christians all over the world with a deep hunger for God, tied up because of lack of materials and support.
We are in the trenches doing our part. With the finances our friends help out with, they are part of the arm we extend to other parts of the Body of Christ. Just like the Early Church banded together to support the Christians in Jerusalem, so do our modern day friends help us do the same!
Support of the Team
Because of our friends, we are able to feed and clothe our team as they give their all for the Lord. All material sales and course fees go right back towards the running of the AMI Ministry center in San Diego and just barely cover rents and other expenses.
It is the support of our family that takes care of our daily bread. From providing gifts of food, equipment for our center or simply a birthday gift, our friends have been there to get our backs.
So why not join us and let’s start a long and meaningful relationship together! Why, you ask? -Because that is what friends do! Come on in and have a coffee with us.
