Text: When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” – Mark 2:5 Thought: The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all record the healing of the paralysed man. ¹ While most of the dialogue centres on how Jesus dealt with the paralytic, I want to focus on the four people who carried him, as we consider “Being a Friend” in Today’s Teaching. Research data proves conclusively that the vast majority (as high as 85% or more) of those who become a Christian, do so as a result of friendship evangelism. So this is the area that Christians and churches must concentrate on in order to grow. What can we learn from these four friends There was an opportunity Jesus returned to Capernaum, almost secretly, but word got out that He was in town and soon the house was surrounded, for the power of the Lord was present with Him to heal.² This was their opportunity to act, believing that their friend could be healed too. When you care about someone, stirred by compassion and prayer, opportunities will arise for you to get them to someone, somewhere who can make a difference in their life. But do not miss that opportunity, for it may...
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Text: ‘That I may know Him’ – Philippians 3:10 Thought: “It’s not what you know but who you know”, the saying goes. We like to brag and boast about the people we know and have had contact with. Today’s Teaching is about the One who knows you and everything about you. The question is, “Do you really know God?” The Problem to Overcome ‘Jesus was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world did not know Him.’ 1 Knowing God doesn’t appeal to worldly wisdom because it seems foolish. In fact the world usually pities Christians, thinking they are deluded or mad. Worldly wisdom tries to work God out, but can’t and so ends up leaving God out. But the pathway to knowing God is faith, for through it we can believe in a God who created all things. 2 When we reach that point, it pleases God and He responds by revealing Himself to us. 3 It’s also a problem when we may have been a Christian for some time now, but we don’t really know God. Jesus said to Philip, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me?’ 4 The challenge is to have an intimate,...
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