One of the greatest lessons Jesus teaches us is to have compassion for one another. When we have experienced what He has done for us, there is no way we can keep it to ourselves. At Board Rock Baptist Church we have a mandate that states “we teach one to reach one”. The purpose for this statement is to hold each saint accountable to share what they have received. We do this because we recognize there are a number of broken people in the world that are in need of healing. We see this in Matthew 9:1-8 an example of people who brought a paralyzed man to Jesus to be healed. When Jesus saw the faith of those that brought the paralyzed man, He began to dialogue with the man in need.
The first thing Jesus had to do was to get the man to understand his sins have been forgiven. This was important in order for the man to become whole. The view during this time was that if a person had any type of affliction, they must have sinned. Therefore, their affliction was the results of their sins. Jesus could’ve healed the man allowing him to walk and sent him on his way, but the man‘s mind would have still been trapped con his sins. That is the reason why Jesus told him first, “your sins have been forgiven”, so that his mind would be free.
As Jesus was saying this to the paralyzed man, there were some scribes present. These scribes were offended that Jesus said “your sins are forgiven”, they felt He did not have the authority to forgive someone of their sins. Jesus dealt with them without ever taking His attention from the paralyzed man. Jesus instructed the paralyzed man “stand up, take your bed and go home”. When the crowd saw the man get up and take his bed, They were in awe and began to glorify God. This all came about because a few people cared about the condition of another.
Wherever you are, there are people in need of Jesus but sin has paralyzed them. They are incapable of getting to Him on their own, this is where you come in. You have to reach out to them and let them know you care about them. You now have to bring them to Church and once you do, Jesus will make them whole. The care that is in you is a gift from the Lord. So, what are you waiting for?
