Podcast Summary: "Be a Friend to Jesus"

Podcast: River Valley Church
Speaker: Dick Brogden
Date: October 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this powerful message delivered at River Valley Church, missionary and "Live Dead" founder Dick Brogden delves into what it truly means to be a friend to Jesus. Drawing from John 15:11-16, Brogden challenges the audience to reflect on their relationship with Christ—not just as followers or servants, but as true friends. He weaves together biblical insights, personal stories, global mission statistics, and memorable anecdotes, urging listeners to encourage Jesus, defend Him, stand with Him, share in His suffering, and honor the profound trust that Christ has placed in His people to evangelize the world’s unreached.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The World’s Unreached and the Call to Missions

• Jesus’ Command: Brogden opens with John 15:11-16, pointing out five references to love in the passage. He frames fulfilling the Great Commission as the direct outworking of the Great Commandments: loving God and our neighbor (01:00).
• Global Numbers:
  • 8+ billion people on Earth, divided into ~15,000 people groups
  • ~7,000 are “unreached”—less than 2% Christian, unable to reach themselves without outside help
  • ~2,085 people groups remain “unengaged”—no missionaries, churches, scripture, or access at all (02:20)
• Application: Even 2,000 years after Jesus, millions are waiting with no gospel access. "I believe Jesus wants us to do something about that." (03:50, Dick Brogden)

2. The Radical Notion: Jesus as Friend

• Misheard Song Story: In a humorous anecdote, Brogden recounts a Filipino church singing “I am afraid of God; He calls me Fred,” instead of “I am a friend of God; He calls me friend” (04:35).
• Theological Wrestling: Brogden questions, how can the self-sufficient, triune God even “need” friends? He refers to the doctrine of aseity (God’s self-sufficiency), but wonders at the biblical reality of God desiring friendship with people like Abraham, Moses, and Enoch (06:00).
• Striking Quote & Challenge:

  "Could it be that the God who needs nothing needs you to be his friend?"
  (07:17, Dick Brogden)

3. How to Be a Friend to Jesus

Brogden expands on practical and spiritual ways to express friendship with Jesus, paralleling human relationships:

• Encouragement:
  • “Good job, Jesus, you did a good job when you made that tree.”
    (07:50, Dick Brogden)
  • Invite listeners to regularly recognize God’s handiwork and speak encouragement.
• Defense:
  • “Don't you dare slander my friend Jesus, because I know him and he's good and he's kind and he's faithful and he's true.”
    (09:00, Rebecca Ketterling, paraphrasing Brogden’s points)
  • Stand up for Christ’s true character in a world of misinformation or rejection.
• Standing With:
  • Compares to Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese—publicly standing with the marginalized.
  • “Whatever you think about Jesus, think that about me. Because I'm going to live with Him, I'm going to die with Him, I'm going to go through every circumstance with him.”
    (10:30, Rebecca Ketterling/Brogden)
• Consolation:
  • Shares that true friendship shares in another's sorrow (compassion = to suffer with). Jesus grieves over injustice, abuse, and the billions with no gospel access; His friends should also be moved by these things (12:00).
• Trust:
  • Friendship is based on trust. Jesus has trusted humanity with what is most precious: the evangelization of the world (14:00).
  • “He didn't give it to angels...but to us, his friends.”
    (14:44, Rebecca Ketterling)

4. Who Is Chosen for This Mission?

• Feeling Unqualified: Brogden names all the insecurities people might have—“I’m too weak...too broken...too old...too afraid”—and refutes them by quoting 1 Corinthians 1 (“God has chosen the foolish things...”) and Andrew Murray ("Hidden and unfelt, every child of God has the mighty Spirit of God") (17:00).
• Memorable Exchange:

  “Don't you dare say that you could not be a missionary. Does God Almighty by His Spirit live in you, or does he not?”
  (17:35, Rebecca Ketterling)

• It’s Not About Strength: Uses “agramatos idiotis” (uneducated idiots, Acts 4:13) to underscore that the Great Commission is for those who have “been with Jesus” (19:41).
  • “It doesn’t matter if you have a PhD—or can barely speak English. Can you be with Jesus?” (20:13, Dick Brogden)

5. How Do We Steward This Trust?

• Historical Example – Azusa Street Revival:
  • Early Pentecostal believers were “expecting God to baptize their strength instead of their weakness. But baptized, their weakness is what the Holy Spirit did…” (22:45)
  • The movement began in humility, prayer, and unity across race, age, gender.
• A Chinese Testimony:
  • A Chinese house church leader, when asked what he’d learned after long imprisonment, replies simply,

    “Is He not worthy? Is Jesus not worthy?”
    (25:00, paraphrasing)

• Mission Is a Privilege:
  • Citing David Livingstone:

    “Away with the word sacrifice. Say rather, it is a privilege.”
    (26:30)

• The Waiting Villager Story:
  • In the Himalayas, a man waited 62 years for someone to come and share the gospel, after dreaming they would (27:15).
  • Brogden’s point: “Neither your friend Jesus, nor you, nor a lost world can wait 62 years.” (27:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Encouraging Christ:
  "Can we encourage our friend Jesus? Can you get up tomorrow morning and say, good job Jesus, you're doing a great job as Lord of all the earth..."
  (08:33, Dick Brogden)
• On Defending Friend Jesus:
  "Don't you dare slander my friend Jesus, because I know him and he's good and he's kind and he's faithful and he's true."
  (09:00, Rebecca Ketterling paraphrasing)
• On Worthiness:
  "Is He not worthy? Is Jesus not worthy?"
  (25:00, Story of Chinese leader)
• On Missions as Privilege, Not Sacrifice:
  "Away with the word sacrifice. Say rather, it is a privilege..."
  (26:30, quoting David Livingstone)
• Raw Honesty about Qualification:
  "God has put his great commission into the hands of uneducated idiots. Anybody feel that you qualify for that? Welcome to the club."
  (19:41, Dick Brogden)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Welcome & Introduction (00:00–00:56)
• Reading/Expounding John 15; World Missions Stats (00:56–05:00)
• Anecdote: “Friend of God” Song Misheard (05:00–05:20)
• Challenging Aseity vs. Friendship (05:50–07:10)
• Being a Friend to Jesus: Encouragement, Defense, Standing with, Consolation, Trust (07:14–14:44)
• The Trust of the Great Commission (14:44–15:35)
• Feeling Unqualified / God Chooses the Weak (15:57–20:13)
• How We Steward the Trust (Azusa Street, humility, unity, prayer) (20:13–25:00)
• Chinese Persecution Testimony: “Is He Not Worthy?” (25:00–26:30)
• David Livingstone on Privilege, Not Sacrifice (26:30–27:15)
• The Himalayan Waiting Man Story (27:15–27:35)
• Final Call to Personal Reflection & Prayer (27:35–30:29)

Closing Reflection & Practical Application

Personal Prayer Focus:
Brogden ends by inviting listeners into a time of stillness—no music, just reflection on two pivotal questions:

1. “Jesus, how do you want me to be your friend?”
2. “Jesus, how do you want me to honor the trust you have put in me to evangelize your world?”
   (28:10–30:29)

He encourages everyone in the congregation—some to pray, some to give, some to go—to see serving Jesus and His mission not as a burden but as a deep privilege of friendship.

Summary Takeaway

This message is a passionate appeal beyond mere religious duty—into authentic, vulnerable, and courageous friendship with Jesus. From the local neighbor to the unreached nations, Jesus entrusts His friends—flawed, ordinary people—with His great mission. The ask is simple, but the impact is world-changing: Be a friend to Jesus—encourage Him, defend Him, stand with Him, share in His sorrows, trust Him, and do whatever He calls, knowing that He is always worthy.