Are you ministering?
Luke 5:17-26
Luke 5:18 • “some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus”

This paralyzed man has the best friends. They know Jesus can provide their friend with the ability to walk again. When they find large crowds blocking their way, do they stop? Not a chance! They carry their paralyzed friend up on to the roof of a house, dig a hole in the roof, and lower him down to Jesus. I can see Jesus’ smile as he sees “their faith”. This passage leads me to ask, how are we bringing our friends to Jesus? Do we stop when it is hard? Are we being creative and going through the roof? And ultimately, do we have faith that Jesus is going to change their life for the better? In this passage, the Pharisees call out Jesus’ authority and Jesus lets them know that “the son of man (Jesus) has authority on earth to forgive sins”. Are we confident in Jesus’ saving power? Are we confident in it as we invite our friends who need Jesus to church? That we aren’t simply inviting them to a place to have friends, but to find abundant life in Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. So today, write down the names of some of your friends who do not know Jesus. Pray for them and ask God to help you find ways to get them into relationship with Jesus.