Mark 2 tells about the story about 4 friends whose love and faith was remarkable. When these guys learned that Jesus was in town they hurriedly brought their paralytic friend so he can be cured. When they got there, the place was jam packed, with unwavering faith, they went up to the roof and dug a hole, so they can lower their friend down to Jesus. In this story, there are four points to ponder on what it costs to bring someone to the feet of God. Foremost, these men recognized their friend’s need for Jesus.
Being a friend entails to be sensitive to each others needs and hurts. God created a vacuum in our hearts so we will be forever longing for His love, forever wanting, forever looking, and not until we lead them to Jesus will they be satisfied. We may have been unaware, but God holds us responsible for the unbelievers who live around us. (see Ezekiel 3:18) We may be the only Christian some people will ever know, they need Jesus and it’s our mission to share Him to them.
It took 4 people to bring the paralytic man to Jesus. Inviting someone to church is not an easy job, how much more sharing about Jesus to an unbeliever friend. Yes, it can be a tough job, if you do it alone. But just like in the story, we have friends who can help us fulfill our mission, because it’s everybody’s mission too. We all have a role in bringing someone to Jesus, and we should all do our part. These friends cared enough to get involved. Again in the story, they had a choice to just linger and enjoy Jesus’ message, and yet they chose to take matters on their hands and find a way so their crippled friend could also benefit from the experience of having Jesus around. Imagine the discomfort of digging up a hole, the humiliation, the pain of carrying a quarter of your weight for a period of time. Yet, they did it, all for the sake of a friend who needs Jesus. They did the very uncomfortable and nearly impossible thing. The problem with us Christians is we have many excuses in doing what God has commissioned us to do. We watch, but we don’t touch; we listen, but we don’t say much; we love, but we don’t want to act. Though the happiness we have with having God in our lives is overwhelming, it is still expected of us to tell someone about Him. Happiness held is just the seed, but happiness shared is the flower. If going out of our comfort zone and taking the extra mile for someone else’s salvation is a big responsibility, it is also an incredible honor.
They had a faith that overcame barrier. When Jesus saw them, He was moved by their boldness, courage and confidence that the Lord will heal their friend. This made the difference. “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic,” son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5 In bringing a friend to Jesus, we’ll meet a lot of problems. There will be a lot of distractions, because satan would rather have us doing something else than to share our faith. He doesn’t want us to take anyone with us to heaven. The Lord knows, and He is very much pleased as we work our way in overcoming these adversities.
All of us were made for a mission, and that mission is to introduce people to God! For most Christians, accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior is the highlight of our love story with Him, well He is happy about it but it’s not enough. Even our ministry in the church will not augment what God has been longing for us to do - because that is our service to believers, our mission is our service to unbelievers, the people whom God cares about. The great commission was given to every follower of Jesus, it’s not just limited to the pastors and other leaders of the church, it’s for you and me. All of us have been sent to speak for Christ. These are the words of Jesus, and it’s not optional. Nothing else that we do will ever matter as much as helping people establish an eternal relationship with God. Heaven is an awesome place, beyond words. Still, wouldn’t you want everyone that you love, everyone that you knew, to enjoy that wonderful place with you? The clock is ticking down on your life mission, so don’t delay another day.