The faith filled friend
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
17 One day, Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a mat, and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 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.
20 When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
Luke 5:17-25
I wish I could take you all back to the exact moment I heard this scripture. It was a while back, and I was listening to a sermon. I don’t remember the exact message, but I remember a particular part of the sermon when the pastor brought his friends on stage and demonstrated the characteristics of a faith-filled friend. That’s not what he called them, but from their actions, I deemed them to be faith-filled because where else could you find a group of individuals crazy enough to do what they did? The example he played out was from the story of a paralyzed man who was healed and forgiven due to the faith of his friends! The pastor called his friends to the stage, and he laid down and essentially told his friends to lift him up. Now, the pastor was a fully grown man with muscles, and his friends were different ages, weights, and heights. He pointed out how it took a collective effort for them to not only lift him up but also carry him. The part that I will never forget is how he talked about having faith, not just for your friend but for yourself, to believe that your efforts were actually helping your friend. Because there will come a time when lifting someone else up can feel heavy, burdensome, and weighed down, but seeing someone else’s faith—i.e., the faith of others in the group—will help you remain faith-filled.
Even if you’re not receiving the healing, you still need faith to carry you while you carry others.
Now, years later, that illustration is impressed in my head, and this scripture is imprinted on my heart. My head swirls with ideas of what it means to be a faith-filled friend and how God honors group effort.
So what is a faith-filled friend, and how do I become one? Simply put, a faith-filled friend is a friend who is filled with faith so much that they choose to come alongside you and bring you closer to Jesus. So, if you or someone you know is a friend and brings you closer to Jesus, you can consider them a faith-filled friend.
Faith-Filled Friends Recognize Your Need and Bring You to the One Who Can Meet It
“Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus.”
Friend, do not underestimate the power of people who recognize your need and bring you to the One who can meet it. By definition, a blind spot is an area in your range of vision that you cannot see properly because of an obstruction. For the paralyzed man, he couldn’t physically bring himself to Jesus to receive healing. If he could heal himself, I’m sure he would have. And that day, the room was so crowded, meaning many people were also looking to receive healing. One step you can take today is to ask those closest to you what are some areas in which you have blind spots and if they would be willing to not only point them out but lay them before Jesus.
When There Is No Way, Faith-Filled Friends Make One
“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.”
Do you have friends that just believe anything is possible? What others call an obstacle, they call a mountain waiting to be moved, and they just know their faith is the one that can move it. In most spaces, I’ve been labeled the positive one or the one who sees the good in everything. However, when God unveiled my identity in Him, He revealed that all along, it was the Spirit of faith—a total trust, confidence, and reliance on God—that if there was no way, a way would be made. That only comes from walking by faith and not by sight. With our own eyes, we often see no way out, but sometimes the way out is in doing something only you and your crew have faith to do.
Faith-Filled Friends Work Together by Actively Pursuing Christ and Having Confidence in Him
“When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said, “Man, your sins are forgiven.” (AMP)
Now, this verse gets me every time because the Amplified version states it was their active faith which came from their confidence in Him. I could imagine Jesus, in my Jesus voice, saying, “Now look at this, these people really believe so much so they are carrying this man, and I know he’s heavy!” If I were Jesus, that would have done something to my own faith, and I believe that’s how God responds when He sees us all on one accord, acting as a group of believers. There’s a line in the song “More Than Able” by Elevation Worship that says, “Imagine what we could do with all this faith in the room.” I believe this man’s testimony not only changed the faith for himself but also for all those in the room because, remember, the room was standing-room only. So, imagine a crowd of witnesses seeing a man lowered through a roof and receiving healing. The point is, people are watching your friendships. They may never say anything, but many people gain faith just from seeing how you have faith for others.
So, when you are feeling faithless, call a friend, and when a friend is in need, you can always bring them back to the One who is more than able to meet their need!
Reflection: What is one thing you can do to evaluate the level of faith in your friendships?
“Love Always, In All Ways”