To What Extent?

A World in Crisis

I had to call customer service this week for our previous cell phone service.

I spoke with a man who I found out was from the Philippines.

Once my question was answered and I was thanking him for his help he mentioned how much the crisis has affected his life.

Much of the country is shut down, like us, but he still needs to work.

There are doctors and nurses in the facility he is working in.

I could tell in his voice that he was experiencing the same unease I have been feeling.

From NYC, to Ohio County, and from Rome, Italy to small towns in China and Western Europe people are dealing with the same realities we are dealing with today.

From NYC, to Ohio County, and from Rome, Italy to small towns in China and Western Europe people are dealing with the same realities we are dealing with today.

I share that information for a couple of reasons

This is perhaps the first time in history the world has been connected in such a concentrated way.

There are people around the world dealing with job loss, financial uncertainty, fear of getting exposed, dealing with loved ones getting sick and maybe even passing away.

The shared experience is an opportunity for us to fend off our natural tendency toward self-centeredness and to lean into a posture of sacrificial service as we are able to sympathize with the pain of others. (like Jesus did for us)

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

heb 4

prophesied that Jesus was “acquainted with grief”. The eternal creator took on flesh and felt the pain that we all feel.

This is perhaps one of the greatest opportunities modern history for the church to display in a tangible way how our faith in Christ is real and impactful.

How we respond, how we speak, how we live in the months to come has the potential to make an impact on our world that will reverberate for generations to come.

How does faith in Christ change how we deal with fear, sickness, death, loss of jobs, economic struggles?

How will we respond in our words, in our actions, in our generosity, and in our compassion toward others?

An Account of Compassion and Care

They showed a sincere love for their friend.

Luke 5:18 ESV

18 And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus,

luke 5

We don’t know their names, their ages, or really anything about them.

But in this sentence we see compassion. It really is the best explanation of why 4 men would be carrying around a paralyzed man, trying to bring him to a place he could possible be healed.

They likely were not getting paid (since the guy likely did not have money since he could work).

It doesn’t seem like they were getting prestige from their acts.

The only fathomable reason is, they cared about the man on the mat.

The call to love and the call to serve is a biblical call that does not stop because of world circumstances.

Now maybe we need to adjust, we absolutely must be wise, but we cannot let fear and panic cause us to become callous to the needs of others.

Love requires us to give ourselves over, to potentially be uncomfortable; it often isn’t convenient, and sometimes leads us into potential danger.

But it is a call we must heed, because “God is love” and Jesus said we will be know “by our love”.

They showed a persistent resilience in the face of obstacles.

Luke 5:19 ESV

19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.

I love this account for this very verse. There are all kinds of example of compassion we could look at, but these men were so fixed on getting this man to Jesus that they climbed on the roof, dug through the sun-hardened thatch roof, and then lowered the man into the house.

This required ingenuity and commitment.

It was risky, but there seemed to be little to no reservation.

They were driven by compassion and they believed what their mission really mattered.

Each day we encounter new and difficult challenges as we seek to care for people in our current cultural climate.

It would be easy to retreat, easy to become overwhelm, easy to assume that we just can’t do anything that REALLY matters or really makes a difference.

But that is a lie that we must fight.

This season we are in, though uncharted in many ways, is only another obstacle we must overcome with our ingenuity and our commitment to the mission of God in this world.

We are gifted, talented, skilled, and equipped to think outside of the box and begin to seek new, and perhaps better, ways to help people far from Christ to find hope and life in Him.

So pray for God to reveal, to give you insight and ideas, to help you have the courage to lean into the opportunities that come your way.

They showed a strong faith in Jesus.

Luke 5:20 ESV

20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

Not only were the men driven by compassion for their friend, they were also motivated by their faith in Jesus.

luke 5

Why else would they work so hard to get him to Jesus?

They actually believed Jesus could heal.

Luke 5:19 ESV

19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.

Luke 5

They had heard it, they may have even seen Him heal someone else. So they knew “if we could just get him to Jesus, then He could heal him.”

Real, genuine faith is a motivating thing isn’t it?

I believe Reese’s peanut butter eggs are the greatest combination of wrapped up goodness you can put in your mouth. And I will go to great links to find one because I believe it will satisfy my sweet tooth.

When we have real, genuine faith in something or someone it will lead us to trust that will often be risky.

It was risky to work so hard to get the man to Jesus, to lower him into the roof, but they believed it was worth it.

The call of God to love and to serve will inevitably lead us into potentially risky places, but we have faith in a God who has proven Himself over and over again to be one in whom we can trust and in whom we can rely upon.

This is not a call to not use caution or to ignore the government’s instructions.

It is a call to trust the promises of God as we lean into the call of God to love, serve, and share.

Romans 10:17 ESV

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Your faith in God is built as you hear the Word of God.

So feast on the pages of this book that your faith in God will overpower the fear than keeps us sidelined.

They showed heart moved to awe and worship when Jesus did more than anyone expected.

Luke 5:25–26 ESV

25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. 26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

luke 5:

The men expected Jesus to heal their friend.

That was a reasonable and just expectation for Jesus. He had done it so there was not reason to believe he couldn’t do it again.

But Jesus rather says

luke 5

Luke 5:5 ESV

5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

Luke 5:20 ESV

20 And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

When question he says:

Luke 5:22–23 ESV

22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?

luke 5 22-23

Which is easier? One would think forgiveness is easier, but they would be wrong.

For Jesus, healing the mans legs required only words and the Spirit, but forgiving the man’s sins required His death.

And, as the Pharisees had already pointed out “Only God can forgive sin.”

So to prove His authority Jesus says

Luke 5:24 ESV

24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.”

luke

Jesus heals the man physically to show all those watching His power to not only heal the body, but restore the soul.

Luke 5:26 ESV

26 And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.”

luke

Amazement seized them all. Amazement in the power and the person of Jesus doing something that only He could do.

filled with awe and wonder because we saw God do what only God could do at this place today. Listen, don’t settle for the mundane when Jesus offers the miraculous.

They were filled with awe and wonder because they saw God do what only God could do at this place.

Don’t lose heart and don’t give into fear because Jesus offers the miraculous. Jesus offers healing not only to the body, but even more so to the soul.

settle for the mundane when Jesus offers the miraculous.

The next few weeks and months may be daunting and we will likely face situations that are hard and taxing, but God is not surprised and His power is sufficient and His plan is perfect.

To What Extend

We are in a world overwhelmed by sickness and paralyzed by fear, yet we know the one who can heal not only the body, but more importantly restore and redeem the soul.

We have an opportunity church, to REALLY SERVE others well, to REALLY SHOW the love of Christ in tangible ways, and to REALLY SPEAK the hope of the Gospel into fear and despair.

I read this in an article this week:

“While everyone is good at talking in times of peace, moments of crisis define who we truly are and what we truly believe. They reveal.

In one famous example, the church historian Eusebius describes a fourth century epidemic that swept through the Roman Empire. Far from fleeing the cities or shutting off their homes from others, Eusebius records that “all day long [Christians] tended to the dying and to the burial, countless numbers with no one to care for them. Others gather together from all parts of the city a multitude of those withered from famine and distributed bread to them all.” As a result, Eusebius concludes, “[the Christians’] deeds were on everyone's lips, and they glorified the god of the Christians.””

How will we respond church?

Let us all commit to be wise and to be the kind of neighbors that seek the welfare of our community.

But let us not cower in fear or retreat into self-centeredness.

Let us be the kind of church that leads others to glorify the God we serve.

We were all once paralyzed by sin, but someone carried us to Jesus.