Our Spring series is dealing with the theme of friendship.
We are looking at the lives of Bible characters who teach and model for us some great qualities that we should possess and seek in those who would be friends on our life journey.
An overriding principle we've learned is the importance of choosing wisely those who would be closest to us.

Today we will look at a group of 4 friends, instead of one single individual. Their story is found in the book of Daniel.

A good many of us have a group of friends, or several groups of friends, that we do things with. The factors for this group coming together vary but it's usually because those involved have a number of things in common.
The same is true of this group in the book of Daniel. As we look at Daniel chapter 1, we'll see some of the factors that formed the friendship of these 4 individuals.
- they are all teenagers
- they are all Jewish boys
- they had experienced hardships
- they faced great dangers
- all were forced to leave home and settle in a new land
- we might say they were the cream of the crop in Israelite culture

There are many different famous groups of 4 in our culture and in history.
Examples
Talk together about the some of the other groups of 4 that you can think of.

This morning's text will be in Daniel 1. The story takes place approximately 2,628 years ago, in 605 B.C. This was an incredibly important time in the world and especially in Biblical history.

- the Middle Eastern world was in tremendous turmoil. The Assyrian Empire, which had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel along with Egypt, was defeated by the Babylonians which gave them free reign over the area we know as Israel.
- the Babylonians attacked the southern kingdom of Judah 3 separate times and carried the key people off into what is known as the 70 year captivity.
- This is where the book of Daniel comes into play. Chapter 1 tells the story of how 4 Jewish teenage boys are taken captive, but then used mightily by the Lord to impact the Babylonian culture for God. Their attitudes and actions renew hope in the Jewish people and set the stage for their return to their homeland.

This is an incredible friendship group that we are calling The Faithful Four today. They endure a number of temptations and trials but stay faithful to their God, their personal convictions, and to the future of their nation.

Sometimes life changes drastically and quickly. It's hard for us to imagine a foreign nation conquering the USA, seeing our family members killed, being carried off to a foreign land, and having our identity whitewashed.
As we listen to chapter 1, see if you can identify numerous factors that led to these young men not only surviving, but thriving as friends, as followers of God, and as faithful influencers of the world around them.

Let's look at just 4 of the many contributing factors that helped these young men become The Faithful Four:

1. They SHARED a common heritage and historical timeline.
Daniel 1:1-4

2. They SPENT a lot of time together on the road called life.
Daniel 1:2

3. They STOOD against the pressure to compromise and change.
Daniel 1:2-8

4. They SERVED God in the midst of their circumstances.
Daniel 1:17-20

These factors and many more drew these Faithful Four together and deepened their relationship for many decades.
1. Thank God for your friends and His care for you.
2. Take time to reflect upon your friends and let them know you appreciate them.
3. Trust God in spite of your circumstances.
4. Think about whether you are having a positive influence for God.

Birthdays and Anniversaries We're Celebrating This Week!

Saturday, May 20th - Kevin Erb, Andrew Hoxie
Sunday, May 21st - Lilian Burt, Vaughn Reid, Dan Cheadle, Keith Carpenter
Monday, May 22nd - Bryan & Sarah Carpenter
Tuesday, May 23rd - Norine Armour
Wednesday, May 24th - Paul Schilz
Thursday, May 25th - David Berkimer, Jason Cook, Jackson Scheick, Henry & Cathy Felder
Friday, May 26th - Jane Norris