Servant:
Proverbs 29:19 NASB
A slave(servant) will not be instructed by words alone; For though he understands, there will be no response.
Matthew 10:24 NASB
A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.
… and many other NT references by Jesus concerning the servant relationship with Lord Jesus.
Friend:
John 15:12-15 NASB
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
14 You are My friends if you do what I command you.
15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
In all the gospel accounts of Jesus’ instruction to his disciples there is a reference to a slave/servant level of discipleship, (ultimately) progressing to a true friend level of discipleship.
Both a servant and a friend of Jesus are welcomed into the Kingdom of God. They are saved for all eternity. Everyone starts his journey of faith as a servant – yet not necessarily as a friend of Jesus.
For more insight on this reality see parables in Matt Ch. 10,18,24,25 et al.
A necessary condition of a true servant is perseverance, clearly required by Jesus for the faithful servant. Perseverance in a Christian will result in growing mature in agape love. It’s just the result of the disciplines of the Lord throughout life (HEB Ch. 12). Through the years of faithfulness, a servant can and should progress to a more intimate relationship with Jesus in which He then calls you His friend and no longer “just” His servant. You and I do not make that determination!
Let’s consider the servant’s relationship.
A servant certainly must be obedient. The many parables of servants in all the gospels make it clear there are various levels of obedience and disobedience. Some, perhaps many Christians never rise above a mediocre level of obedience to the Lord. Like the servant in proverbs, they really don’t know what God is doing or up to and so their obedience is limited by the level of their understanding or lack of it. So there is a buffet level of obedience – pick and choose what is easiest or convenient. Skip over the ‘hard ‘ words of Jesus.
There are all types of servants in Jesus’ many parables of the Kingdom: there are evil ones, unprofitable, deceitful, cruel, and wicked ones. Those adjectives describe servants who are disobedient.
Proverbs 29:19 TPT
19A stubborn servant can’t be corrected by words alone. For even if he understands, he pays no attention to you.
The true heart condition underlying the area of disobedience is exposed in disobedience. These unfaithful servants may fall away or cause damage and/or produce little fruit for the master due to various levels of disobedience.
But not so for the faithful persevering servant! We have all experienced failures and sin in our walk with the Lord as servants. The key is James 4:10:
10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Then, persevere-don’t quit! Nothing we have done or can do can be terminal to our walk.. unless we quit- permanently!
Now let’s consider who Jesus calls his friends.
There is a definite line of demarcation Jesus lays down in John 15 that separates His servants from His friends:
>A friend of Jesus loves other believers to the uttermost (as He did to them) john 15:12
> A friend of Jesus lays down his life for those other believers v13
> A friend of Jesus both hears, agrees with Jesus words and DOES them v14
These three above conditions preface why Jesus said they are now friends and demarcate the line between a servant and a friend of Jesus. The proverbial ‘line in the (spiritual) sand’!
Before we get too excited about judging ourself and others this demands a revelation from the Lord as to who you are currently: Servant? or Friend? of Jesus?
> A friend of Jesus knows and understand the signs of the times and what the Lord is doing in the present-day church and what He desires from their own life. A friend of Jesus is actively involved in the church today and extremely aware of the end days we occupy and are engaged in the Lord’s work in that regard.
>A friend of Jesus lays down his life not only for Jesus but also for his brothers and sisters. A friend of Jesus is not satisfied with merely the typical church ministry expectations- tithing, ministry, etc; but is actively laying down his life, self-interests, time and money in helping his brothers and sisters in following Christ.
>A friend of Jesus will hear and obey every discerned command and desire of the will of God in his life. A friend of Jesus will discern what God is prompting him to do and follow God’s will even at extreme personal cost.
In my observation and experience in the body of Christ in the West over the last 45 years I must conclude:
The churches in the West are predominantly, at this point in the last days, servants, but not yet friends of Jesus. I am referring to active engaged believers, not dropouts. Unfortunately, the dropout (currently comprising over 65% of those professing a Christian belief) has severed his/herself from the Body of Christ.
Yes, we are saved, dedicated, sincere, busy, involved, givers, etc -everything (or mostly) what churches need/expect and are status quo with.
Note: you can not necessarily distinguish a friend level Christian from a servant level Christian outwardly!
It takes a friend level Christian to do what Jesus declared at the very end of his ministry on the last night. Jesus didn’t call His disciples friends till the very end – after they left everything, did miracles, preached, etc. He still considered them servants (Matt 20:26, John 12:26) up to the end (John 15:15). They didn’t understand the big picture till the very end! Even then, they still became fearful and ran away that night! Because of Jesus’ intercession they still returned as friends, laying down their lives to the end.
The western church still falls short significantly ** from the purity of the gospel. This however is not a blanket statement defining all believers and western churches in 2026.
Yes, the present church in the west does have some friends of Jesus as disciples and as leaders.
Yes, there are even some churches who have more friends of Jesus than simply servants of Jesus. But there’s coming a time in these last days that the western church will be filled with friends of Jesus who lay down their lives for Him and one another without hesitation: the pure gospel of the highest love possible only by the Spirit: Love(agape) never fails (1 Co 13:8).
I daresay we are even now seeing the early seeds of persecution in the western church bearing fruit and raising up a ‘last hour’ generation of believers (old & young) that we can truly say are friends of Jesus.
Are you His friend.. yet?
** for further insight concerning the maturing western church also see:
Jan 2021 Prophetic Word: The Lord Says, ‘One Woe Is Past and Two More Are Coming’-Charisma Magazine
Jan 2023 Prophecy: Will it Be Well with Your Soul When Trouble Comes? – Charisma Magazine
Louis Posthauer is the founder of Hunters of the Harvest, a ministry focused on equipping the local church to reach and restore dropout believers. Posthauer consults with pastors and church leaders wishing to tap his expertise to mobilize their congregation with a biblical strategy to reach the dropout believer. He has been actively involved in the local church for 47 years and currently serves as a lay leader at Calvary Community Church in Houston. For more information, visit huntersoftheharvest.org.
