Dying to Get In

Today’s blog post is contributed by David Trotta:

And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. (Mark 2:4)

I’m sure you’ve heard about the stories during black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.  People waiting in line for hours to be the first one in the store to scoop up those bargain deals.  The scene has even turned violent at times with people pushing and shoving to get in the door.

Now I’m not advocating violence, but wouldn’t it be nice if our churches had that problem?  Wouldn’t it be nice if wherever a group of Christ followers met, crowds would quickly gather eager to get glimpse of what God was doing in their midst because of the stories they’ve heard?

Could you envision that happening?  Why not?  It’s happened before.  When Jesus walked the earth, large crowds followed him wherever He went.  They pressed in to get close to him, even touch him.  They even ripped roofs off house and dropped through the ceiling for a chance to stand in front of Him.

Why?  Because Jesus not only taught about God, but He also demonstrated the power of God.

What if the church (you and me) today routinely experienced that same power?  What if healings occurred?  What if the power of addictions were broken? What if hearts were transformed because of an encounter with the love of God?

Unfortunately, many times when Christians meet, the presence of God is the last thing people see.  Instead, they just see a form of religion that is void of biblical love and power.

God reacts to the hunger of His people.  May we be single minded in our desire for God to rend the heavens and come down so that people will get a real taste of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.  When they do, they won’t be able to stay away. They will be drawn to what we have.  They will push and shove to get in.

So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick. (Matthew 4:24)

Let’s make Jesus famous on the earth again.