Are We Bringing People to the Gospel?

Today's devotional also comes from Mark:

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." - Mark 1:1-5, NIV

Jesus saw this person's need, that is, the need everyone else saw: the man was a paralytic. He couldn't move. But Jesus saw a need that went far beyond that physical one. Jesus saw the need each one of us has: to be forgiven by God and restored to a relationship with Him. And thus Jesus' first words are about this eternal need. We know the rest of the story. The religious leaders scoffed and asked how could Jesus be so audacious as to claim to be able to forgive this man's sin. Jesus turned the tables on them and asked what was easier, to forgive sin or to heal this man and cause him to walk again. And then Jesus healed the paralytic. It's a reminder to us that Jesus, the Son of God, has the power to forgive sins. But as important as that is, I want to focus on something else: the man's friends.

These friends cared enough about the paralytic that they brought the man to Jesus. Their love for their friend means they sacrified of themselves to get him to Jesus. That's a powerful testimony if it ended right there, but with this story there's more. The crowds were too much. Though the four friends had arrived to see Jesus, they couldn't get their friend through the door and in front of the Savior. If they stopped right there then their friend wouldn't be healed. What they did next was an awesome example of friendship and love, one to be emulated by all of us: they overcame the obstacle of the crowd to place their friend in front of Jesus.

Think about what they did. All four of them had to get on the roof. Then they had to get their friend onto the roof as well. The man was a paralytic, so he certainly couldn't have helped them. That means these four had to climb onto a roof, get their friend up there without his help, and they aren't done yet. Think about trying to get anything heavy onto a roof and you'll have a perspective of what they accomplished for their friend. But it doesn't stop there. They opened up the roof and then they lowered their friend down in front of Jesus. This isn't like tossing a bag of garbage into the dump. They had to be careful. I can see them all straining to ensure their friend goes down gently. After all, he can't do anything to catch himself or protect himself. So his safety is entirely in the hands of his four friends.

The effort of the four friends is awesome to read about. It is a reminder of what being a friend is all about. These four set the bar for the rest of us. All of have friends who are like the paralytic: they need salvation and God's redemption. Ultimately, the efforts of these four friends earned that man this. They originally started out just to get him healed physically, but at the end of the day he was healed physically and spiritually. Of the two, the spiritual side is the most significant, because it is the eternal one. Many of our friends in this state are listening to the crowd; they are listening to the world. The crowd is our obstacle, too. But like the four men, we must try our best to overcome the challenge of the crowd.

Be encouraged, for God will give you the strength and courage to be like one of the 4 men. Be encouraged, for God desires all men to be saved. Be encouraged, for though we are called to witness to others and share the Gospel, ultimately it is God who does the convicting and the saving. That means we just have to show up as a willing vessel by God and He takes care of the rest. Be encouraged, for as the paralytic was forgiven, so too are we. And be encouraged, for when you witness to others, you are doing your Savior's will. We as the Church have something the world desperately needs: God's forgiveness. And God has given us the special privilege of being able to share that special gift with all we come across. Be encouraged, and tell someone about the greatest story of all today.