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.