I marvel at the thought that the faith of the people you are surrounded with can get you forgiven, bring you salvation, give you healing, and any other miracle you desire. If you think these are my words, let’s read the scriptures:
Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” – Mark 2:3-5
- “When Jesus saw their faith…” From this scripture, we get to know that faith can be seen.
- How is faith seen? Faith is seen in the actions you take based on what you believe.
- Example: Noah had to believe that a flood was coming (something that had never happened before), and based on that belief he went on to BUILD an ark.
By faith [with confidence in God and His word] Noah, being warned by God about EVENTS NOT YET SEEN, in reverence PREPARED AN ARK for the salvation of his family. By this [act of obedience] he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by faith. - Hebrews 11:7
But what amazes me in today’s key verse is that the paralyzed isn’t said to have faith (I personally believe one of the sins that was forgiven could be unbelief). But Jesus saw the faith of his friends! How was this faith demonstrated?
- They believed strongly that if only they could get the paralyzed man to Jesus, he would be healed.
- Based on that belief, they went to fetch him from wherever he was and brought him to the place where Jesus was.
- Unfortunately, the whole place was crowded and they couldn’t enter through the door.
- So they went ahead to dig down the roof of the house, to let their friend meet Jesus.
Do you know what it takes to dig down someone’s roof? It means “whatever the cost we have to pay, once our friend meets Jesus, he will have his miracle!” One of the reasons why we do not see God’s power in the lives of our loved ones is that we do not take action on their behalf.
- Wherever Jesus did miracles, it is recorded in the scripture that the crowds brought their sick to be healed (eg. Matthew 15:30, 14:14).
- The crowds were not sick, but because they had faith in the anointing upon Jesus and His ministry, they gathered all the people who needed miracles and brought them to Jesus.
- This is what it means to have another person’s faith work for you or to have your faith work for someone else. The belief causes you to act on their behalf.
"Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." - James 5:14-16
- The only time in scripture that Jesus could not do miracles was because He was not honored in His hometown or local church (Mark 6:1-6). How was Jesus not honored?
- Among other things, they didn’t believe He had any powerful anointing to work miracles.
- As such they did not bring anyone who needed a miracle to the meeting (as had been done in the other towns).
- What am I driving at? Many of us do not believe in the anointing of the shepherds God has given us.
- We claim we are Christians and God has given shepherds after His own heart (Jeremiah 3:15), but we don’t believe that there is some great anointing God has given them for our benefit.
- Much less, going out there to bring our friends or people who need a miracle to be prayed for or helped.
A while ago, a member of my local church was having a serious medical issue and needed a miracle. Doctors had advised surgery (which I believe in alright? Medical science is a gift from God).
He wasn't so consistent at church. However before the due date, I tried all I can to convince him to come for service and let our pastor pray for him before the surgery.
In fact, I wasn't asking him to forget the surgery; I was just convincing him that the prayer will make a great difference in making the surgery successful. Do you know what he told me? "Oh, I don't think it's important..."
- I remember being so sad because I realized that he didn’t believe in the anointing close to him (maybe because our pastor is very friendly and always smiling – I don’t know).
- Yet he is a believer, and from his social media, he believes in other ministers far from him and inaccessible to him (and rather joins their prayer meetings faithfully).
- And I believe if any of those ministers were to come to town for a program, he would surely be there and go for a miraculous touch. But the one close: “Oh, I don’t think it’s important…”
- Dear friend, I am showing you why we are not seeing a certain manifestation of God’s power in our local churches, but only on TV or social media. We believe in the anointing far from us.
- God is not a wicked God to put your miracle in the hands of a shepherd very far from you.
- You must believe that every blessing He has for you, every wisdom key, every prophecy, every miracle, etc., He has made available to you through your local shepherd and church family.
Please, I am not saying it is wrong to join other prayer lines or follow other ministries. I am saying believe in the shepherd God has given you and be faithful to their leadership (every other meeting is an extra top-up or a dessert).
Any anointing you honor, by your faith demonstrated in action, will work for you! (and that is why the far one is working – it’s in the difference in our demonstration of faith).
They were continually and faithfully devoting themselves to the instruction of the apostles, and to fellowship, to eating meals together and to prayers.
A sense of awe was felt by everyone, and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles. - Acts 2:42-43
- And if you’re finding it hard to believe, surround yourself with friends who do.
- Friends who will encourage you and say, “This Bible study will change your life; this prayer service will bring a miracle; this devotional will be a blessing to you.”
- That is what happened with the paralyzed man in this passage (“When Jesus saw their faith…”)
It is such an amazing thing that in circumstances where you lack faith or are in doubt, the faith of your friends can work a miracle for you. From the miracle of salvation to the miracle of healing! Dear friend, surround yourself with faith-filled believers!
Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi’s house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him.
And when the scribes Pharisees saw Him eating with the tax collectors and sinners, they said to His disciples, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?
When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
- Jesus made it clear His purpose for eating with sinners and tax collectors. Truth is, He went to Matthew’s house for dinner and these were Matthew’s friends.
- Any anointed minister/church/ministry will attract all kinds of people (sinners & righteous).
- Jesus had no control over who came for the dinner (the times Jesus hosted dinner it was for only His friends – the disciples), but He made it clear His purpose for being amongst them: to call sinners to repentance!
- To the ‘woke’ Christians who always want to use this as an excuse to go to parties and live a reveling lifestyle; unless you are calling the sinners to repentance, you are not being like Jesus. Please let’s not be hypocrites and let the truth dwell in us.
- To the ‘don’t come close you sinner’ Christians, how were you saved? Did Jesus not love us and come to us in our sinful states to save us?
- Well, He is asking us to do the same: go out into the world and call sinners to repentance. Go on, don’t be selfish, Jesus is for everybody!
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