There's a story that took place right at the beginning of Jesus' ministry in Mark's Gospel that shows us just how much Jesus is 'worth' hearing and just how much our friends are 'worth' in order to bring them to Jesus!
The Master was preaching His Word in Capernaum (as Perry Noble has said..."It's all about Jesus and His Word...Jesus and His Word...it's all about Jesus and His Word...see Mark 2v2). People were crawling over one another to hear Him speak! The doors were jam packed. This was not just a youth group meeting where students sit on top of one another...this was a full church...children's ministry, elderly ministry, music ministry, singles ministry, college ministry, young couples ministry, etc. They were all packed in to hear Jesus and His Word...the text does not say that they had free coffee or Krispy Kream doughnuts...no pool tables...no xbox 3 to attract the crowd...that's not what enticed them to pack in...it was Jesus and His Word they came for...if only the current church could grasp that! Well, on that day, 4 guys did WHATEVER IT TOOK to get their paralyzed buddy to Jesus! Because the doors were jam packed and it was standing room only, they TORE THE ROOF OFF and lowered their buddy to Jesus! The Lord saw their faith, forgave the man, and healed him completly! THEY DID WHATEVER IT TOOK to get their friend to Jesus!
Some of us are the 4 guys. We have friends who NEED JESUS. Are we willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to get them to our ETERNAL GOD? Are we willing to TEAR THE ROOF OFF if we need to? These 4 guys believed Jesus and their paralyzed buddy was WORTH IT! Verse 5 says, "When Jesus saw 'their' faith, He said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
What is it going to take for you to get your friend to Jesus and have his sins forgiven? We have friends who are 'paralyzed' spiritually. Is Christ worth it? Are they worth it? Maybe you have to tear down an idol of theirs? Are they selfish? "Tear it" down? Hold them accountable. Are they money lovers? "Tear up" their credit cards. Are they addicted to porno? "Tear up" the websites...get www.xxxchurch.com! You and me have to be willing to do WHATEVER IT TAKES (in Jesus fashion of course) to get our friends to Him! Christ can do the 'amazing' if we will: "This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
