Dwight Fletcher | Results of a faith that serves
Published:Sunday | August 16, 2020 | 12:09 AM
For the last two weeks, we have been discussing a type of faith that is different from saving faith – the faith that grants eternal life. This faith is one that serves and goes beyond the needs of the believer to see and meet the needs of fellow men and women. The best thing about faith like this is that God made it, so when we serve, we see beautiful benefits in this life and in the one to come. We’ve been looking at the story of the paralytic and his friends who bring him to Jesus, and I want to continue looking at this as we discuss how extending our faith for others can transform their lives and ours in three very important ways.
1. Spiritual transformation
Somehow, because of his friends’ faith, the paralytic starts to believe (the faith acknowledged initially is the faith of the friends – you would be surprised how much influence you can have on others). The paralytic believed (repentant – surrendering) so Jesus could proclaim to him, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20). Notice that Jesus does not focus on the physical ailment of the man first but heals him spiritually. Our greatest need is for spiritual healing. Healing him physically would have been for this life only. Jesus looks to the paralytic’s eternal needs and secures his eternal destination. Jesus is always going to operate in our best interest, so we may come for one thing, but He always offers what is most important. Our primary need is to be healed spiritually, and this is what happens when we apply serving faith.
2. Emotional transformation
I believe that when Jesus forgave this man his sins, this would have caused some degree of emotional healing. The proclamation of his sins being forgiven would have spoken to an emotional need that the paralytic had – a need to know that God loved him, despite his condition and despite anything he had done. Understanding that God could forgive his sins even when everybody else was telling him how much God was not interested in him must have given him a peace in his soul. God is interested in us not only spiritually but also emotionally. Peace in our hearts is worth more than all the money in the world.
Many persons live with torment because of things they have done and think that God cannot forgive them – an abortion, the promiscuity that they’re involved in, drug use, something they had stolen, or someone’s life they had destroyed, etc. We can take these burdens to God, who will exchange them for peace.
3. Physical transformation
Although our spiritual transformation is far more important for this life and the next, Jesus also caused physical transformation for this man, and He offers it to us as well. He said to the paralysed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home” (Luke 5:25). The paralytic gets up, praising God.
Many people we know are far from God, and God wants to do a miracle in their lives – healing diseases and sickness, pain and deformities, and whatever ailments we may have.
If we close off our minds, we can miss God like the Pharisees and teachers of the law did. He is still a healing God! He is able to heal us in spirit, which is foremost, but also in our souls and bodies. Don’t let obstacles of culture, scepticism, or maybe even others’ poor reflection of Christ stand in your way. Press through and press in for others, despite the obstacles.
The paralytic woke up that morning feeling down and ended the day renewed because his friends had extended their faith for his good.