Mark: Friends with Faith

It’s 2am.  Your car has just decided to stop going forward, and you’re 20 minutes away from home. Who do you call to come and help?  – – – – –  After working 14 years at the same place you’ve been handed your pink slip.  It’s nothing personal, they say, just restructuring. Who is the one that you can vent to, who will cry and be with you? – – – – –  You’ve just received the news that your mother who has been battling cancer for the last 16 months has passed away, just a few days after you’ve returned from visiting with her. Who is the first person that you share this news with, who will mourn and grieve with you?

If you’re married, the first person you would likely call would be your spouse, but I want you to think beyond marriage. Who is in your circle of friends that you trust, that is willing to walk with you through thick and thin, pain and joy? Who would continue to come around you even when you’re hard to be around?

In Mark 2 we have the story of four friends who brought a paralyzed man to Jesus. We’ll get into the details on Sunday, but one line that sticks out to me is in verse 5: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” The actions of all the people involved, from those who carried the paralyzed man to the paralytic himself, contributed to the response of Jesus. He saw their faith in action and responded to that! My question for you today is, do you have friends like this? If you do, thank God for them and let them know you love and appreciate them! If you don’t, I’d encourage you look for some, and the best way to do that is to first be like those four friends — to put the needs of others before your own, to carry other people’s burdens, and help bring them to the feet of Jesus. To hear the rest of the story, come and join us this Sunday evening at our weekly gathering. We start at 6pm and would love for you to come and worship with us.

Pastor Mike