October 20 2011

Permission?
 
Reading: Mark 2:1-5, 1 When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4 Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. 5 And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Can you imagine if this event took place today in our churches? I can just hear it now. “Hey, is the Pastor or the board aware that this is going on?” “Did they get permission to do that?” “Who’s committee oversees buildings and maintenance?”  “Isn’t there a permitting process or something?” It would never end. The greater question remains… can you imagine having such a passion to bring someone to Jesus that you would do anything… ANYTHING to make it happen? Can you imagine being one of those men… knowing that after you tore the hole in the roof and began leaning down through the hole to lower him that your friends would see you… or fellow church members would see you? And, now (from the perspective of the church) if you were standing there watching someone tear a hole in the roof of your church to lower someone, how would you respond? How would you feel about that? I have a feeling that no one will be tearing a hole in the roof of our churches but I still cannot get out of my mind the time that I saw a man in our church when I was a teenager, chewing out a young boy for jumping up and hitting an interior overhang with his hands because he left dirty finger marks. This young kid did not have parents that came to church; he would come on our busses. Where is the hunger and passion to simply bring others to Christ? Where is the focus on reaching the world, rather than how comfortable, neat and clean we can keep our temporary stuff?

Today, men, you don’t need permission… do whatever you need to do to show Jesus to someone. How do you plan to do that today?

End of the Day Review
  
How were you able to show Jesus to someone?
 
 
How did it go? What was the result?