Friendships are an important part of life. For the Christian, our new life in Christ not only brings us into God's forever family, but we also become mission friends. Friends can make our quality of life better by providing companionship, comfort, encouragement, and accountability. Solomon (wisest man to ever live) once said of the value of friends, "a person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."

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Self-help, self-promotion, and self-preservation are dominating themes in our culture today that have affected the church and its witness in the world. As it was true in the early church, it remains true today that self-centered philosophies diminish the gospel of Jesus Christ. The book of Colossians serves to confront false teaching and deceitful philosophies by leading us to a proper understanding of what it means to live in Christ unblemished by the world.