Jesus wants to be our friend, He wants to have a personal relationship with us. This is not something that is exclusive to a select few, it is available to everyone. This does not mean that we do not respect Him as our Lord as well. Here are some Bible verses about Jesus speaking to the disciples as friends:
John 15:13 - Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:14 - You are my friends if you do what I command you.
John 15:15 - No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.
BTW, it doesn’t matter how you put it, if you don’t use the term “personal Lord and Savior” but use a different term to describe your relationship to the Lord that is fine. It’s all about a relationship with Christ.
