What would you do for your mates?
Mark 2:3-5 (NKJV)
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."
This is a great account of Jesus healing a man and forgiving his sins. It is also a great account of the power of true friendship. These four friends had heard what Jesus was doing for people with impossible situations and made up their minds they were going to get their friend where he needed to be.
I experienced this type of friendship this week: the missions team I was part of was travelling back from the Philippines where we had been for two weeks. On the day of our return the volcano in Iceland decided to erupt and the air space over the UK was closed. We made it as far as Rome and had no way of returning to UK. Being away so long already meant that I really needed to be back for my family and for the church. I was sharing a hotel with many, many people in the same situation yet mine suddenly became very different because of the friends I have in my life who love me. One phone call triggered a 48-hour rescue mission from two of my friends. They took it on themselves to drive from Portsmouth to Rome (1250 miles), pick me and the team up and drive us back again. The people in the hotel were amazed that people we called friends would do this for us and the story of what they did for me has spread like wild fire, inspiring people to think,"What would you do for your friends?".
They did me a great favour but consider this man on a stretcher, who also had friends who would dare to rip a roof of to get their friend to Jesus. Like my friends, they knew the man's need and were he needed to be, and made it personal. Like these men we all have friends who need a touch from Jesus – let's be the type of friends who will put ourselves out to get people where they need to be, especially when it comes to bringing people to where they can meet Jesus and have their life changed by Him.
Good food for thought:
1. What would the friends in your life do for you? And what would you be willing to do for them?
2. Are there friends in your life who need you to make the effort to get them close to Jesus, even if it means ripping a roof off – are you willing to do that for them?
Special thanks to Wayne and Smudge, you are heros and my family thanks you.
Andy
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