Walking on Rooftops

Let’s pretend for a moment that a reliable source has told you that Jesus is back and in town. What would you do? What would you be willing to risk to get there? Who would you take with you? What would you ask him?

Mark 2:1-12 (New International Version) 1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since 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. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

What drives four men to risk so much for someone else? What put them on a rooftop?


FAITH: Something had happened in these men’s lives that gave them faith in Jesus. Their faith led them to believe that Jesus could heal their friend. Their faith moved them to Christ. Their faith moved them to compassion. Their faith moved them to act in someone else’s life. Their faith brought healing to their friend. Does your faith create compassion in your life for others? It all begins with faith in Jesus.

PLAN: How do we get others to Christ? Create a plan. Be daring and courageous. Be willing to adjust your plan along the way. Your plan will undoubtedly involve some personal risk. How much rope will you need? No detail will be unimportant.

ACT: Work your plan, Pray, Witness, Live for Christ – create the rumor that something is different in your life, in your home, in your church. The mere rumor that Jesus was back home stirred these men to action. Does anything in your life create rumors that draw people to Christ? Do not forget the unified action of these men. These men acted with a singular purpose and they worked together to achieve their goals. In order to get some to Christ it will take a unified action of more than one faithful person.

Our community is filled with paralytics stuck on their mats. What paralyzes you? What paralyzes them? They are paralyzed by marital problems, divorce, illness, grief, addiction, job loss, self-worth issues, bankruptcy, etc. So many things paralyze us. When you see a need in someone’s life, do you act? Who will see these people with compassion? Who will take the risk to get them to Jesus? to get them to church? to get them to Sunday School?

Who will risk the rooftop for the chance to get someone to Jesus? Who do you know that needs delivered to Jesus? Make today the day you commit to intercede in their life. Begin in faith to make a plan and prepare to act.

Have you been on any rooftops lately?

How goes your garden?

I was at the grocery this past weekend and started to notice the first of the summer fruits starting to show up. When we lived in Oregon, I would drive by a large fruit farm everyday on my way to the office. The sign listed every kind of fruit imaginable that the farm produced. In the cold and damp winter the trees and fields looked pretty bleak, but in the spring everything turned green and began to show promise for the harvest. I was really looking forward to the harvest season when all the fresh fruit right from the vine would be available. I never tasted that fruit as we moved back to Indiana to serve here at Castleton before the fruit was ready for harvest. But it got me to thinking . . .

In the Bible (Galatians 5:22-23) we read about the fruit of the Holy Spirit that God wants to grow in our lives. These fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We each would like to have these characteristics, but it's hard to always love, or be good or self-controlled when things aren't going our way or we are tired or some one is giving us a hard time.

I have news for you. God doesn't even want you to try to be these things all by yourself in your own strength. He wants to grow these characteristics in you. He does that when you spend time with Him. Just like you are influenced by other people when you spend time with them and become kind of like them, you are influenced by God when you spend time with Him and become like Him.

You can spend time with God by reading the Bible and listening to what He wants to say to you. You also spend time with Him when you pray to Him or when you go to a Bible Study or Prayer time at church with your friends. The more time you spend with God the more fruit the Holy Spirit can produce in your life.

So, as you spend time tending your garden, shopping the produce department of your favorite grocery, or enjoying that Indiana-grown cantaloupe stop for a moment and ponder what fruit is being produced in your life. Take time this summer to spend time with God and ask Him to begin to ripen some new fruit in your life. After all, we could all use a little more love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. May God bring us each and abundant harvest this summer!

The Sound of Silence

While still trying to process the expereince of Para-sailing with my son, I have had another encounter with silence. This second expereince with silence also occurred with my son.

Our church just held a 24 hour Prayer Vigil as a kick-off to our capitol campaign to raise funds to retire our debt. I had just returned from the golf course and took a shower (didn't want to smell sweaty while praying next to someone for an hour!). As I prepared to leave the house, my son asked if he could go with me. I carefully explained to him that I was going to the church and was going to spend an hour praying. Unphased by my description, he insisted on going.

We arrived at our prayer chapel just before our hour was to begin. We gathered some prayer resources and quietly made our way into the chapel where others were still praying quietly to themselves.

This began our hour together in silent conversation with God. Occassionaly I would glance up to make sure my son was still there and that he was okay.

Again as we sat by each other, we were washed over by the silence. However, this time the silence was 'deafening' nor was it unsettling. I didn't need time to process all the feelings.

This time the silence was comforting. This time the silence was peaceful.

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10 NIV

Take time to embrace the silence in your life and in so doing I hope you can discover what I have . . .