Luke 5:18,24-25 (NKJV) Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralysed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him…. But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralysed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
It is demoralising to be paralysed, and it is easy to feel discouraged, hopeless, and helpless. Even though we might not be physically paralysed, we can be immobilised by fear, anxiety, and oppression. Though at times, it may be justifiable for us to feel down, we need to know that our predominant thoughts will affect our emotions and moods. Therefore, while we need to acknowledge the reality that we are facing, we can choose what kind of thoughts to have. As the saying goes, even though we cannot prevent the bird from flying over our heads, we can stop it from building a nest on our heads. This paralytic had good reasons to lament, call a pity party, and curse God, but none of that would have changed the situation.
Instead of bitterness, this paralysed man was full of faith. He may have heard about Jesus and all the miraculous work that He had been doing, and faith rose up in him. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Therefore, we should take time to read and listen to the Word to keep our faith and focus our thoughts on God rather than on our circumstances.
This paralysed man also had four friends of exceptional character and faith in God. His faith made him agree to be taken down to Jesus, but if all of them had not shared the same goal, their mission would have failed.
In her book “Up: Writing A New Chapter of Joy and Laughter”, Beth Jones wrote: “It’s amazing how the right person at the right time can be used by God to comfort, encourage, refresh and cheer us up from the place of depression”.
Sadly, not many people have the time or patience for a paralysed friend, nor does every paralytic have the faith to reach out to Jesus. It is understandable for people to feel sorry and bad about themselves in such a situation, and it can be tiring to journey with someone with high emotional and physical needs. However, most of us will also be beaten down by life’s blows at some point in our lifetime. Therefore, we all need a small circle of friends of faith who genuinely love and care for us, like the four faith-filled friends, and we should also strive to be a friend who are willing to go the extra mile for others.
Sermon Series: Up! Cell Group Campaign 2023 (Part 3)
帮助有需要的朋友
路加福音 5：18，24-25 有人用褥子抬着一个瘫子，要抬进去放在耶稣面前。。。。但要叫你们知道人子在地上有赦罪的权柄。”就对瘫子说：”我吩咐你起来，拿你的褥子回家去吧！”那人当众人面前立刻起来，拿起他所躺卧的褥子回家去，归荣耀与神。
瘫痪会让人士气低落，而且很容易感到灰心、绝望和无助。即使我们的身体没有瘫痪，但我们可能会因恐惧、焦虑和压迫而动弹不得。 尽管有时我们的沮丧是合理的，但需要知道脑海里盘踞的想法会影响我们的情绪和心情。 因此，当我们需要面对现实时，我们可以选择有什么样的想法。 俗话说，我们不能阻止鸟儿从我们头上飞过，但我们可以阻止它在我们头上筑巢。 这个瘫子有充分的理由哀叹、开个同情会、咒诅上帝，但这些都无法改变情况。
与其苦毒，这个瘫子反而充满了信心。 他可能听说过耶稣和祂所行的一切神迹，于是信心就被提升了。 信心是从听道而来。 因此，我们应该花时间阅读和聆听神的话语来守住我们的信心，并将我们的思想集中在神身上，而不是我们的环境上。
这个瘫子有四个品格非凡的朋友，他们对上帝有信心。 瘫子的信心使他同意被带到耶稣那里，但如果他们没有共同的目标，他们的任务就会失败。
贝丝·琼斯在她的书《向上：谱写欢乐和笑声的新篇章》中写道：“神奇的是上帝会在对的时间使用对的人来安慰、鼓励和更新我们，使我们从沮丧中振作起来”。
可悲的是，没有多少人有时间或有耐心去照顾瘫痪的朋友，也不是每个瘫痪的人都有信心向耶稣求助。人们在这种情况下为自己感到难过和沮丧是可以理解的。与在情感和肉体上有高需求的人同行可能会很累。 然而，我们大多数人在一生中的某个时刻都可能会被生活的打击击垮。 因此，我们都需要一小群有信心又真心爱护我们的朋友，就像这四位充满信心的朋友一样，我们也应该努力成为一个愿意为别人多做一点的朋友。
讲章系列：天天向上！细胞小组活动2023 （第三部分）
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