“When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 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. And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 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. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, ” Son, your sins are forgiven.”” (Mark 2:1-5 NASB)

I’d like to talk about friendship and community. I feel so blessed to be part of the ministry I am in. I believe my congregation is more than a church youth congregation –it’s a family and a community.

Now how are we doing, as members of this family and community?

We all are part of a community, a connect group, and we have a duty to each and every member. When we see them going astray, starting to backslide, are we going to sit back and allow them to suffer? Are we going to do nothing in fear of angering them? Are we going to just stand idly by … just watching and giving empty words of support?

Or are we going to help them?

In Mark 1, we read that Jesus has already begun His ministry, and He’s out there casting out demons and healing the lepers.

If you read on, there’s this group of friends who have a friend who is unwell. Upon hearing that Jesus is in town – this man of miracles – they didn’t just say, “I pray our friend will get healed by this Jesus guy”.

What they did instead was to make the effort of carrying their friend all the way to Jesus … Now how about us?

Would we go the extra mile to be there for our cell mates? Would we be the pillar of support, the confidant that they may so desperately need? And would we sincerely pray for our community, for their spiritual walk – not just our personal desires and wants?

“And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12 NASB)

I pray that together, we will support our community, and grow together in faith to serve the Lord in an amazing capacity.

We need to go the extra mile for our friends who don’t know Jesus.

In evangelism, we see some of our loved ones saved, while at other times, we pray and work and yet there seems to be no headway made.

Do we then give up just because they say no to our invitations? Are we just slumping down into rejection, feel fatigued?

The 4 men who were with their paralysed friend knew what it felt to walk. They knew what Jesus could do, and in love they couldn’t allow their friend to miss out on that opportunity. They even went to the length of breaking open a stranger’s roof, just to get their friend to Jesus. 

They knew what Jesus could do, and in love they couldn’t allow their friend to miss out on that opportunity.

What more the lives of our friends?

We know God’s unconditional and relentless love. Our friends may not. They may be searching for it, but they look for it in the wrong places. We who know the source, will we fervently lead them to God? Would we continue to reach out to them even when they don’t seem to care? 

“And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)

I pray that God will look at our lives and see our sincere faith in Him to heal and mend the broken. I pray that He will come and bring revival in our generation.