the friends of the paralytic  man were ready to take any steps they needed to in order to get their friend to Jesus. They knew that only Jesus could bring the kind of healing their friend needed, and so they were boldly going to take him to Him. There are lots of different lessons here, but one of the most basic that we must asnwer to is this:

are we willing to be so bold? do we dare take our friends who are afflicted by sin, so quickly into the presence of Christ? are we willing to risk everything in order to help them find the healing that will bring wholeness to their bodies, minds & souls?

the men in the story were determined. they tore up someone else home to make this happen. they weren’t going for subtlety here…they were on a direct, intercept path with Jesus. they were willing to make a little bit of a scene in order to see their friend saved, and whole.

my first inclinaltion, is to say that we 95% of the time, are not so bold when it comes to bringing people to Jesus. we are not so direct or forceful. and why not? well, we don’t want to draw undue attention to ourselves. we don’t want to give off a false impression of out own piety when we do these things. and something inside of us wants our unsaved friends to think that we are on some sort of the ‘same level’ with them in order to make ourselves more comfortable, and so we don’t look like freaks.

but who are we helping when we hide our passion? what good are we when we play down our faith, and the salvation we know we have? when we act like what we have is no big deal, what appeal will there be to those people we try to bring in to see Jesus? if we’ve downgraded the effect of God in our lives, if we insist that ‘i’m just like you, man…” then why on earth would they even bother?

but if we show determination. if we show passion, zeal, hutzpah, whatever…then they will see that we are serious.

if randy savage could look excited about slim jims, then we ought to be able to convey excitement about our relationship with Jesus when we talk to people. we should be just as ready to get pumped up about Jesus, as we would about a sporting event, a concert or a vacation we’ve been waiting a long time to take. and honestly, those things should pale in comparison when it comes to talking about Jesus to our friends, family and coworkers, to the point of being forgettable.

are we willing to go the extra mile for our friends? are we willing to risk our pride and appearance for the sake of the One who has saved us from everything we can imagine, and more? are we willing to put our money, actions, whatever, where our mouths are, and lay it all out on the line for Him?

i hope to God we are…

Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy.

Spirit have mercy.

Amen.