“I no longer call you servants... I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.” -John 15:15 (NIV)

Jesus describes the relationship he wants to have with us in this scripture Knowledge of someone is not enough. Relationships will altar the course of our lives.

What is a friend? The definition of a friend is one who has your best interests in mind.
- A friend loves you, a friend encourages you, supports you, sometimes holds you
accountable, they listen to you, and they believe in you.
- When you understand that Jesus loves you, and that He wants your life to have purpose, more than anyone in the universe...guess what means, we can fully trust him.

Why are we talking about a real friendship with God in a series called Rise Up? At River of Life Church, we believe the idea of rising up in our faith may feel overwhelming for some of us, and that is because we are often times trying to do it in our own strength.

We want to Rise Up in our marriage and be a better spouse.
We want to Rise Up in our parenting and love our kids more fully.
We long to Rise Up in our faith and live with integrity in a world of constantly shifting sands.
We desire to Rise Up in our finances.
We want to Rise Up in our physical health.
We want to Rise Up in our career.
We want to Rise Up in our relationships.

If we want to truly Rise Up in our lives, what we need more than anything is to be restored in relationship with the God who can then help us Rise Up and live the life He has created us for.

In John 5, we read about the pool of Bethesda. The pool of Bethesda was a place of miracles and restoration. The Bible says that every once and awhile, an angel of the Lord would come and stir the waters. The first person to get in the water would be healed of whatever disease or paralysis or problem they had. The pool was surrounded by crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed. One man who was sick for 38 years, unable to move, was desperate to go into the pool to be healed. Scripture tells us that Jesus saw him and approached him. "When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” (John 5:6)

What do you need from Jesus today?

Jesus asked the paralyzed man what he needed. He responds in John 5:7a, “I can’t for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up.” Notice that at first he says he can’t. We can relate to this statement sometimes. We often won’t Rise Up until the pain of maintaining becomes greater than the challenge of change.

“Then Jesus says, ‘Rise up. Pick up your mat and walk.’” At once the man was healed and picked up his mat and walked." -John 5:8-9

If you are at the spot today where you admit, "I want to be healed of whatever it is I have been struggling with," Jesus is here to help you Rise Up! The man’s obedience in faith brought restoration.
We come to seasons where we must come to the realization that we can’t do this alone. We can’t fix our life on our own, so therefore, we need to surrender our lives to God. We can't just know about God. We want God working in our lives.

"Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” -John 5:14 (NIV)

Jesus doesn’t want a Pool of Bethesda relationship with us. No one hung out at the pool after they were healed. Jesus isn’t looking to answer our prayers and then leave. He’s longing for relationship and that means life change.

As you are lying next to the pool of opportunity, and you are trying so desperately to get into the pool, you may be recognizing that you can’t on your own strength. There is a promise that Jesus is standing next to you saying, “What do you want from me today?”

If you want to rise up in your faith when you can’t (ask yourself this question):

1. Do you want to get well?
Just like the story, Jesus sees you, he knows when you are hurting, and he is asking you the same question.

2. (If yes), Admit that you cannot do it on your own.
Admit to God and maybe to others that you need help and wisdom.
“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” -James 4:10

Find a Life Group and surround yourself with people who are also trying to encounter Jesus daily. God never designed life to be alone.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." -Proverbs 27:17

3. Jesus wants relationship, not to simply be your rescuer in time of need.
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." -Romans 5:8