Luke 5:17-19 – One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
Sometimes people can be a hindrance, and sometimes people can be a help!  This was one of those days.  Jesus was teaching in front of the religious leaders and teachers of the day who had come from all over the country, and He was also healing the sick.  There apparently was a very large crowd gathered on this occasion.  Some men (Luke doesn’t say how many), we tend to think four of them (one for each corner of his bed), came carrying their paralyzed friend to Jesus.  But they met with a ROADBLOCK of people.  There was just no way to get through the packed crowd to see Jesus.  All those people that engulfed the house were just NO HELP at all!  However, these friends who had carried their paralyzed pal were not men who were easily discouraged.  They had brought their buddy this far and they were going to finish what they started out to do!  Together, they found a way to hoist this man to the roof.  Together, they made an opening in the roof, and Together, they lowered him on his mat, down through the middle of the crowd (that had been no help), RIGHT IN FRONT OF JESUS!  Sometimes people can be a hindrance, and sometimes people can be a HELP!  These men were a HELP!  When it seemed that there was no way, they FOUND a way!  They were not about to miss out on this important opportunity for their needy friend to meet Jesus!
Are you a HINDRANCE or a HELP to other needy souls who wish to meet Jesus?  It can be easy to keep Him all to ourselves and become a blockade that hinders others.  We can enjoy His teaching, His attention and our special association with Him and leave no room for anyone else to sidle in with us and share the benefits of Christ.  However, one of the most rewarding experiences in life can be to assist someone else in gaining a personal audience with Jesus!  Some people are just looking for someone who knows Christ well enough to introduce them to Him!  Are you one of those people who help others get to Christ?  Or, are you just a religious groupie who blocks Jesus from the reach of needy seekers?  Jesus was not pleased with those who are a hindrance.  He said, "Woe to you…, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” (Matthew 23:13).  And to the disciples that kept the children from coming to Him he said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them…”  (Matthew 19:14).  We may be either a source of help, or a source of hindrance!  We may be a part of the solution, or a part of the problem!  Good friends will assist the needy souls in their lives, and they will find a way – even when there are many others who make a better wall than a hall when it comes to making their way to Jesus!  What friend are you ready to help find a way for?  Don’t give up!  When one door is closed… make a hole in the roof!
 Thursday:                                                                                                          
  • Meet together with at least 1 or 2 other believers to enter the Throne Room of Grace.
  • Join our 6:00pm Thursday night prayer team.         
Friday:                                         
  • Praise God for the people in your life who made it possible for you to come to Christ.
  • Pray for the Good News families of the week: Phil DiMora, Ruth Doolittle, Adam Doud.
Saturday:       
  • Ask God to help you become one of those people who make it possible for others to come.
Sunday:                                                        
  • Give thanks for Christ’s power to forgive, heal and restore. 
  • Partner with us in “In Touch” Prayer meeting at the close of Worship Service.
Monday:                                                                                               
  • Pray that others may become conduits that lead people to Christ, rather than barriers
Tuesday:       
  • Celebrate the fact that Christ MAY be reached – even if people seem to get in the way!
Wednesday:   
  • Praise God for those who do not give up on getting needy souls to Jesus, then – be one of them!

Prayer Challenge: Ask God to help you become an open door, a hallway or one who makes a hole in the roof for those who would come to Christ.  Pray that you are never a blockade, a wall or an obstacle that hinders others who need to draw near to Jesus.  Don’t just keep Jesus to yourself.  His love and power are big enough for the whole world! 

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