Dennis R. Wiles

First Baptist Arlington

September 28, 2025

Flourishing Together

First Baptist Arlington

2025 – 2030

2025: Flourishing Together: Rooted in Christ

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 (Gospel Guide: Matthew)

FALL 2025: It is Not Good . . . to be Alone

September 7 – November 1, 2025

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

Genesis 2:18

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

1 Samuel 18-20

Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and social health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality rate of being socially disconnected is similar to that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day, and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity. And the harmful consequences of a society that lacks social connection can be felt in our schools, workplaces, and civic organizations, where performance, productivity, and engagement are diminished.

-US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy

God designed us as relational creatures who are to flourish in community. We have the capacity for and the need of friendships.

LOVE – Friendships are forged through love.

UNITY OF SPIRIT – Friends share a sense of unity and companionship.

The essence of Christian spirituality is following Christ on a journey of personal transformation. The distant land to which we are called is not heaven; it is the new creature into which Christ wishes to fashion us, the whole and a holy person that finds his or her uniqueness, identity, and calling in Christ. Spiritual friends accompany each other on that journey.

-David Benner, Sacred Companions

ACT LIKE FRIENDS! Friends take time to express their commitment to their friendship!

LOYALTY – There is an underlying loyalty expressed in true friendships.

INTIMACY – True friends share and confide in each other in healthy ways.