FRIENDSHIP THAT ENDURES
If you started coming to Harvest after 2010…
This Sunday’s guest speaker is Jon Miller. Jon and his wife Adrienne live in Burlington, Ontario with their four children. He has served as Chief Ministry Officer at Scott Mission in Toronto since 2021, a Christian ministry that cares for some of the city’s most poor and marginalized. Previously, Jon served in pastoral roles for more than 15 years, including time here at Harvest and with Prison Fellowship Canada. His greatest passion is seeing lives transformed by Jesus Christ.
If you started coming to Harvest before 2010…
You’ll remember Jon and be thrilled that he’s back! Make sure you’re here in person this Sunday as he brings the next message in our series, Imitators of God. Between now and then, swap a few “Remember the time…” stories from his eight years on staff, overseeing youth and family ministries.
In this Sunday’s message, Jon will be preaching about a Friendship That Endures, using the example of Jonathan and David from 1 Samuel 23:15-18. More specifically, we will be looking at the qualities of a good friend and the important roles they play as caregivers and encouragers in our lives.
Series: Imitators of God
Message 2: Friendship That Endures
Text: 1 Samuel 23:15-18
Jon Miller
Harvest Bible Chapel
April 19, 2026
Two things are essential in this world—life, and friendship. Both must be prized highly, and not undervalued. They are nature’s gifts. We were created by God that we might live; but if we are not to live solitarily, we must have friendship.
– Augustine
I think to a feeling mind there is no temporal pleasure equal to the pleasure of friendship.
– John Newton
What does it mean to be an imitator of God in my friendships?
If I am to imitate God in my friendships…
…I will SHOW UP, especially when it’s hard for them. (v.15-16a)
…I will SPEAK UP, strengthening them with what God has said. (v.16b-17)
Friendship should be more like a submarine, holding few and going deep. But we’ve made it more like a cruise ship, filled with lots of nice people whom we don’t know well at all […] We often float on the surface of our conversations, sharing little more than the most general details of our lives. We note our plans for the day, share a few interesting (or uninteresting) details about our week, offer a few sports or political opinions. But we don’t share the climate of our souls. We don’t share our struggles with sin. We don’t share our experiences of spiritual renewal or admit that we’re sitting in a season of darkness. No one knows when our soul feels spiritually chilly. Nor are most of us adept at drawing out others in these ways.
– Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship
A friend is someone you tell your secrets to, someone you let in on the real things that are going on in your life. They’re the ones who really know what’s going on with you. They know your temptations, and they know what most delights your heart. They know how to pray for you instinctively. […] A friend is not merely someone who knows your Facebook page. A friend is someone who knows your soul.
– Sam Alberry, 7 Myths about Singleness
…I will remain STEADFAST, sticking with them for the long-term. (v.18)
1 Samuel 18:3
1 Samuel 20:16-17
1 Samuel 20:42
Ruth 1:16
When you have found such a man, and proved the sincerity of his friendship; when he has been faithful … to you, grapple him to yourself with hooks of steel and never let him go.
– Charles Spurgeon
Psalm 54:4-7
