Through the Roof

Usually, the phrase “through the roof” is used when something has gone up in a significant way – like price of fuel has gone up through the roof, or the stock market has gone up, through the roof, or your blood pressure or cholesterol level has gone up “through the roof.”
“Through the Roof” conventionally means an upward direction.  In our story today, it´s the other way around, it´s a downward direction.  This is therefore a very unconventional story.

Our story today talks about a huge crowd of people who were surrounding our Lord Jesus Christ during His ministry in one of the towns in Galilee. It is also a story of friendship and how this friendship led to a miracle from the Lord Jesus Christ.  You see God uses ordinary people to demonstrate His extraordinary power.  He chooses seemingly hopeless situations like that of this paralyzed man to give  ultimate hope to those who believe in Him.  You life situation at present may seem unbearable and you feel helpless.  Remember you may feel helpless but you are not hopeless in the Lord.

How many friends do you have? If you hold a party next week, do you think lots of people will come? Or it depends --   if it´s a buffet dinner at River Rock, maybe there´ll be a lot of people coming.  When you post something important in Facebook, how many “likes” do you get? When you need help moving to a new house, how many of your  friends will be there to help you carry your fridge or your king size bed? When you get sick, how many of your friends do you think will visit you in the hospital?  When you´re in financial need, how many of your friends do you think will be willing to lend you some money? Let´s get a bit morbid here – during your funeral, how many people do you think will be willing to deliver a eulogy for you?  

How many of our “so called” friends today will be willing to take an extra mile for us?   
My high school teacher would always tell us this saying “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell who you are.”  Friendships are established and strengthened through what we call a symbiotic relationship.  If you expect your friends to go “through the roof” with you, you must be willing to do the same.  If you expect your friends to be there for you during times of trouble, have you been there for them when they were experiencing troubles themselves?  

Our story today, like what I mentioned earlier, is also about friendship of probably five men.  It has a touch of humor.  It´s funny but it has a very profound message to those people who lived during Biblical times and also to people during our time today.  

Let us first look at the characters in our story:

1. Jesus Christ 
2. The Paralyzed Man
3. Four Friends
4. Pharisees & Teachers of the Law
5. The Crowd
The spotlight is focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. The reason why all those people came was to see Him and to witness the miracles and healings that He was performing.  
The second main character is the paralyzed man.  In the King James Version, he was told to have palsy.  It´s a sickness that leads to paralysis and uncontrolled movement or shaking.  One of the most common forms of palsy is cerebral palsy which is a brain problem. 
The paralyzed man may have been suffering and we can say he is in a very unfortunate situation but he is still blessed.  You know why?  If other people have BFF, this paralyzed man has FFF. 
The Four Faithful Friends.  They are the supporting characters in this story.  We can also call them the Fantastic Four. 
They were just on the side lights --  their names were never mentioned,  their occupations were never told, they were never appreciated openly for what they have done for their friend. When we get to heaven, there will be a lot of people who were never honored or appreciated here on earth but will be receiving great rewards up there.  The Bible says “those who have humbled themselves will be exalted”
The fourth group of characters were the teachers of the law, most likely they were Pharisees.  The first question that you might ask is that “what in the world are they doing there -- if they have no faith and they don’t have any iota of trust in Jesus.”  Well, they were there to scrutinize Him, to watch Him make a mistake so they can pin Him down.  They were there to challenge Him hoping that He may openly violate the prevailing laws so they can bring Him to trial.  They were there to mock Him and show to everyone that He is not who He claims to be.
The last group was the crowd.  The Bible uses the term “multitude” simply because they were many.  It was obvious that during this time Jesus was gaining popularity among different groups of people.  The news about His healings and miracles were spreading across towns so wherever He went, a multitude of people were following Him.  In this story, the Bible says that the people “gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.”  In fact, if you read verse 34 of the preceding chapter, Mark described it as “the whole city was gathered around the door.” 
This is the reason why it was almost impossible for the Fantastic Four to even get close to Jesus and bring their paralyzed friend.  Imagine a sold-out concert of a famous singer like Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber .  You probably won´t stand a chance of getting close to the singer.

This miracle is found in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke)
The fact that three out of four Gospel writers captured this story, it must have been very significant.  For me, this story teaches one of the most important doctrine of Christianity, the deity (dēədē) of Jesus. 
This story proves that even while here on Earth, Jesus is all-powerful and all-knowing
His power to forgive sins and to heal the man´s sickness prove His  omnipotence and His ability to read the thoughts and hearts of the teachers of the law proves His omniscience.   These are attributes of God alone so this story is proof that Jesus did not leave or give up His divinity in heaven just like what other false teachers are claiming. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man even here on Earth.
Mark stated that the miracle took place in Capernaum

LIFE LESSONS:

Let us proceed to some of the lessons we can learn from this story.

They can either bring us closer to Him or drive us away from Him.
If we surround ourselves with godly people, guess what, there´s a very big chance that we´ll be godly as well.  
If we surround ourselves with crooks or people who have shady characters, then it will just be a matter of time before we become like one.  “Bad company corrupts character.”  “Birds of the same feathers, flock together.”  “Tell me who your friends are and I will tell who you are.”  The Bible says “do not be equally yoked with an unbeliever.”

Who do you hang out with?
If you hang out with smokers, you´ll probably end up smoking.  If you hang out with drunkards, you´ll end up being a drunkard yourself.  Students and young people - if you spend time and hang out with those who cheat in school, guess what?  One day you´ll be cheating yourself as well.  
On the positive side, if you hang out with respectful and honest people, or people with integrity, matured Christians, helpful, friendly people --- chances are, you´ll become like one.  That´s why I hang out with the good looking men of Maple Ridge so I can become like one.

What caught my attention in this story are the four friends of the paralyzed man.  They climbed up the house, made some holes in the roof and laid the man down straight right in front of Jesus. These four friends in our story did something unconventional for the sake of friendship.  From the top of the roof, they laid down a blanket with their friend just to bring him close to Jesus.  

It´s important to understand the culture and the structure of first century houses in Israel.  Houses at that time were not made of galvanized iron or cement.  They were made of wood and bricks and straw mats and hard clay.   Usually, there are staircases going to the roof.  The roofs of houses then were not really sloping that much, because it hardly rains anyway.  So it´s not really so difficult to climb up the roof and make a hole.  However, they were carrying a sick person which made the situation more complicated. 

The Bible tells us in Proverbs 17:17 “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” A true friend is tested during times of adversity.  I would assume that this paralyzed man have done a lot of good things for his friends and now that there is something these four friends can do for him, i.e. to bring him to Jesus. 

Do you have these kinds of friends?
Do you have friends who bring you closer to Jesus?  Do you have friends who are willing to go “through the roof” just to bring you to Christ?  The sad thing is sometimes we stick to a friend because they flatter us, they make us feel good, and they always agree with us.  They tell us what we want to hear. They tell us what we want, what we really, really want!

A true friend is one who can come to you, look you in the eye and point out your faults… right on your face.  A true friend understands that sometimes  “gentle rebuke” is necessary to correct a friend. A true friend is someone who can take the risk losing your friendship for as long as he can tell your mistakes and hopefully help you change as a person and help you get closer to Jesus.  

However, God already gave us these kinds of friends, especially here in the church. We find them annoying, we find them offensive, we find them judgmental, holier than thou.  They keep on calling us to pray, to study the Bible, to come to church, they rebuke us to quit a bad habit. We drive them away. When a friend rebukes us, we feel offended and we avoid them. Our reaction is : Who does she think she is? Is she SINLESS! Of course not – everybody sins but at this point in time, the issue is YOU!  Maybe one day, you will get your opportunity to help your friend by rebuking him too   
O idea of a friend is a goody goody friend, … happy happy lang tayo… no rebuke, no serious talk, chill lang.  We should be friends with people who can bring us closer to Jesus.

Third point, 

These four friends wouldn’t even have to climb up the roof if the multitude of people, if the crowd -- which was probably 90% uzizeras or just lookie-lous, if they gave way, it would have been a lot easier for the four men.  But the multitude was there to block their way towards Jesus. 
Church, in our time today, the “multitude” is still there.  They are all around us.  People, Things, Events, anything that blocks our way to Jesus is represented by the “multitude”  in our story.   Anything that takes our minds and our hearts and our attention away from God is the “multitude.”  They are the wolves in sheep’s clothing.  They are the false teachers and preachers.  They are the so-called “fake friends.”  If there is a BFF, there is an FFF – it means Fake Friend Forever.  Don’t be an FFF, be a BFF! Ok? 
Have you experienced having a fake friend? Somebody who just take advantage of you? Just want to borrow money from you? Lagi ka lang inuutangan (Bro. Rommel, may utang ba ko sayo?)  You know, I had some fake friends too in the past.   But praise God I have more genuine friends than fake friends.    Jesus had a fake friend when He was here on Earth.   His name’s Judas!  He pretended to be somebody he is not.  He just took advantage of the kindness and generosity of Christ.  But sadly in the end, he got into trouble.

I know most of you have been in the same Bible Study Group for years.  You have tons of stories about your past escapades and road trips and campings together.  The Lord willing, new families will come to WCCC Maple Ridge.  I hope and pray that you shall be willing to make new friendships and be willing open up your lives for them.  Let us make them feel welcome this church.  Let´s avoid cliques that turn people away and make newcomers feel uncomfortable.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
 Let me end with some more thoughts here about our Lord Jesus Christ.  First of all, the four friends may have been disappointed that after going through all those trouble of bringing their friend to Jesus, the first thing they heard from the Lord was “Son, your sins are forgiven.”  
Ah, excuse me… Jesus Christ… master…bossing?  We didn’t go through all that trouble for our friend here, just for the forgiveness of his sins… we came here for healing, you know, healing!  We need some miracles here.    But of course they didn’t say that.  Why? Because the Jews believe that sickness like what this man had, was because of SIN.  They believe that a person gets sick because of what he may have done in the past, of what his parents or grandparents may have done in the past.  So Jesus, who is more concerned about the man´s spiritual condition more than his physical condition – He forgave the man first and then healed Him later.

This miracle proved that Jesus is 100% God and 100% man.  He forgives sins.  He heals the broken-hearted and by His wounds, we are healed, amen?
Jesus is our True Friend.  The apostle John explained this very clearly in Chapter 15 of John´s Gospel:

Can you picture the situation? Jesus was probably teaching or healing someone.  Then all of a sudden, some debris are falling, some dirt and pieces of wood and a hole is suddenly showing up from the roof.  Then a man is slowly being laid down right in front of Him.  If I was there, I would probably laugh my heart out.  But annoying as it may, Jesus did not drive them away.  If you come to Jesus today, He will not drive you away.  He will forgive you and He will heal you.  He will break the norm.  He will do the unconventional for you.  

The question now is posed back to us.  
 How far are you willing to go with Him?
He has already proven His love for each one of us.  He has already sacrificed His love for us. The four faithful friends has gone through the roof, down to the ground.  Jesus did much much much more than that.  He came not just from the roof, He came from heaven, the abode of God, the holy of holies,  He came all the way down here on earth just to prove His love for you and His love for me.

How far are you will to go with Him?

Prayer:

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC Maple Ridge during its first service on  Sunday, September 10, 2017

I apologise if there are grammatical and spelling errors. 

I also apologise if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any,  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:

 www.wordchristiancommunity.com

Positive Attitudes of a Healthy Church

Time flies by so fast.  The Bible says “Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow (Psalm 144:4).

What is your definition of a church?  First of all, the church is not the place or the building – a week ago we had our family camp and we had a worship service there with Bro. Sarcee preaching the Word of God and the church was there. The church is a venue – technically, you don’t really go to church.  You are either part of the church or you´re not. The church is an association of very unique people.  It is the only association whose membership is based on a single qualification. Do you know what qualification is that?  To qualify for a church membership, the applicant must be unqualified for membership.  The applicant must be unworthy of being a member of the church and the reason for that is because we are all imperfect, unworthy sinners.  Therefore, every local church is basically a congregation of sinners who have been saved by God's grace alone, through faith in Christ.  And you and I are among them.  We are not qualified to be here but because of God´s grace, we are here and we are starting a new church here in this wonderful city of Maple Ridge.

Because of this reality, it should come as no surprise everyone that there are quite a number of problem people in the church.  These people are called by many names: difficult people, EGRs (or extra-grace required) people, high maintenance people, these are people “with attitudes” – negative attitudes!  They are present in every church, sometimes even present in your home groups.
When you were still the Maple Ridge Home Group, I want you to think, who is giving you the most problem (aside from your pastor)?  As far as you´re concerned, who is the EGR in Maple Ridge.   If you cannot identify at least one problematic person in this group, it´s probably you.
You are probably the one giving problem to others!

In the world we live in today, there are a lot of negative things going on.   People fighting each other. Couples breaking up, getting a divorce.  Terrorist attacks – just weeks ago in Barcelona. Floods and typhoons. Even church splits.    Therefore…

Any person with too much negativities in life should be able to seek refuge in the church.  And we cannot give what we don’t have.

The church is more than just a hospital because here, we admit people who are:
(a) physically sick so we can pray healing for them;
(b) emotionally sick because we give each other moral support, we share each other´s burdens, and
(c) most importantly people who are spiritually sick so we can be vessel in which God can use -- for them to come to Christ.  In fact, people who are spiritually dead can be born again in the church.  God does not only heal people in the church, He can bring the spiritually dead back to life.

I believe in my heart that God has big plans for Maple Ridge church.  But I also believe that before He starts bringing in new families to this church, He wants to us to be F.A.T.!  With FAT, I meant i.e. faithful, available and teachable. We have to have the right positive attitude in order to make WCCC Maple Ridge a healthy church.  Do you have your Bible?

You see, the Bible is God´s Word.  The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of God stands forever.  Please stand and let us read our Scripture for this morning which can be found in 1st Thessalonians 5:12-15

STUDYING THE CONTEXT:
Before we proceed, let me give you some background of this book 1st Thessalonians:

What makes 1st Thessalonians a very important part of the Bible is because of its discussion of end time events. Everyone would like to have some insight as to what the future holds. an event that commences the seven-year tribulation.
1st Thessalonians has one of the most profound explanation of rapture which can be found in Chapter 4   This book assures us that during the rapture, Jesus will return for His people. The dead in Christ shall rise first, while those still living will follow soon after. All believers will meet Jesus in the air to begin spending eternity with the Lord in their glorified bodies.    

So Paul was telling the Thessalonians, ok guys, this is how it´s going to end!  The Lord promises that He will come back for each of His children.  And this is how it´s going to happen and he discussed this in Chapter 4.
But in the mean time since we are all here on Earth, for now, while waiting for the coming of the Lord, for the time being… let´s do these things, in Chapter 5.  Paul focuses on relationship and he was telling his readers to basically think and act positive. To focus on what is important, not to be distracted by negative things, negative people and negative circumstances.
If I will divide the passages that we read, I would group these passages into three:

LESSONS:

We have to be positive in the church.  The world, as it is, is already filled with pain and challenges and negative attitudes.  The first step that Paul wants to address is our attitude towards church leaders.  He was very specific when he said “those who work hard, those who care for you and those who admonish you.”
It was Paul who also said “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.”
From Paul´s statement, we can say that there two kinds of leaders in the church –
- Those who work hard and those who don’t work hard
- Those who care and those who don’t care
- Those who admonish, reprimand or rebuke you & those who don’t
Unfortunately, not all church leaders deserve this treatment, why? Because not all of them are working hard, not all of them is caring enough and not all of them are able to rebuke others.
But I assure you that the pastors and leaders of WCCC work hard, they are caring and they will rebuke you when necessary.
But here´s the problem -- our response to a pastor who rebukes us is usually the opposite.  Instead of holding the person in high regard, we hold a grudge on them because we don’t want to hear their rebuke.  Remember the Bible tells us that it is better to be rebuked by a godly person than to be admired by fools.
On the other hand, if you are the church leader, respect is not something you can just force on others.  You have to earn it.  You have to work hard, you have to show that you care, you have to give the church members Godly advice and instructions.

Paul also said in verse 13 to  “live in peace with each other.”

In Tagalog, huwag daw ninyong aawayin ang inyong pastor or your church leaders. Don´t  quarrel with them. Don’t be a negative person. You see, I am not the one telling you this, it´s the Lord through Paul.  If you don’t agree, when you get to heaven, ask him ok?

The Bible commands us to love the church leaders and workers.  Most of us don’t see the hard work that goes on in church. We come here on Sunday, we think things just happen, just like that. But they don’t.
• People have come early to open the building, they arrange the chairs, they prepare the communion for our services, they buy cutleries in Costco
• Sunday school teachers have worked hard to prepare Bible lessons
• Music teams have been practicing since the previous week,
• Sunday Bulletin is being prepared 5 days before
• The preacher has been meditating on his message for weeks
• All these things that your leaders and workers are doing day after day is like a production in
Broadway to be shown week after week with an audience of one, i.e. our Lord Jesus Christ.

God wants us to keep on doing this because today, and every coming Sunday, there are people who will come here who are in need of what Jesus is offering – they need forgiveness of their sins, a fresh start in life, and the fellowship of a church family who is willing to love and care for them.  Are you with me? 

Sunday after Sunday there will be people visiting Maple Ridge church.  These people will form their first impressions about us - based on what they see, what they hear and what they experience.  The first Bible they will read are not the ones we give away.  The first Bible they will read is “US,” our lives, our attitudes.  When they enter our building they won´t be at ease. “What is it like on the inside? What are the people like, will they even notice me? Questions in their minds go on and on..

I hope and pray that from the moment they enter this place, they´ll say: “This is such a warm and friendly place. The people are nice.  I like the music, everyone is singing, the smiles on the people’s faces. It’s all so alive, its worshipful. My kids are treated well in Sunday school.   When people come here, I want them to hear God´s word – I want them to hear a sermon that touches their lives, a well-crafted, biblical sermon.”  But most of all, I want them to know Jesus in a personal way, here in Maple Ridge church.  Are you with me?

As far as our attitudes towards other church members, I want you to remember three Rs:
1. Rebuke - warn those who are idle and disruptive
2. Remind – remind people why you are in the church, remind them of the love of God, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
3. Reconcile – Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for everyone.

There are at least three different group of people in the church:
1. Those who are idle and disruptive
2. Those who are disheartened
3. Those who are weak

Paul said " warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”  Huwag po kayong magaaway away.  Do not quarrel especially on trivial things. Minsan, maliit na bagay, hindi na kayo nagpapansinan.  I hate to say this - you cannot minister to others if there will be animosities within.  God has something big for this church, let´s not get caught up with internal issues.  There are people outside of our circle who needs to be ministered.  If we want our church to grow, we must minister to these individuals.  Going to church is not just showing up on Sunday morning. The Lord wants you to use the gifts He gave you to minister and serve others. When you do, you'll be blessed to see how God uses you to help others change. And it will be your greatest joy to see helping others themselves.  We minister to these people so that one day, they can minister to others.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Paul wants us to develop positive attitudes in the church and even outside the church.  He wants us to recognize, receive and respect our church leaders.  He wants us to rebuke, remind and reconcile with our fellow church members.

Illustration: The Second Grader
I read a story of a second grader named Mike. On the way to school Mike’s arm bumped against a seat on the bus and it made a big cut and his blood got all over his clothes. In school, he forgot to put his homework paper in his book bag so he got an F.  During recess he was accidently hit by a classmate in the mouth and he lost two teeth. On his way home, he slipped on the ice, fell onto the ground and broke his wrist. On the way to the hospital he reached into his pocket with his good hand pulled something out. His father asked him what it was. He said, “It’s a dollar coin! I found it on the ground when I fell down on the ice. It’s the first dollar I ever found.  This is the best day of my life!”
Some people can see almost the positive side of every situation.  Paul wants us to develop that kind of positive spirit in all areas of our lives.

If you read verses 16 to 18, it says there – and I want you to memorize this --

It means that --

We should have a positive attitude in all of our circumstances in life… always!
But Paul says "in all circumstances," regardless of what’s happening in our lives, we’re to be joyful, we´re to pray, and we´re to give thanks. That’s an important lesson to learn.
So what is our problem?  “Not enough money? You don’t feel well today? Your kids don’t obey? You´re not happy with your job? Can´t send enough money to the Philippines?”   Maybe you need to rethink your attitude, maybe instead of focusing on the things you don’t have, we start focusing on the things that God has blessed us with.  You got hot water when you got up this morning.  You drove a nice car.  We have lots of food later, we even have lechon today. Later you´ll watch TV in your lazy boy.  Later you´ll sleep in your comfy bed. You have everything you really need, and an awful lot of stuff that you don’t need.  When Paul wrote this letter, he was probably in house arrest, with very limited resources.

So we ought to be thankful, we ought to be joyful, & we ought to pray and have that positive attitude toward others.

It´s hard to rejoice always, to pray continually, to give thanks in all circumstances.  I KNOW!  That´s why Paul said … this is God´s will for each one of us IN CHRIST JESUS!  On our own, we can´t do this.  It´s impossible to rejoice with all the problems around us.  But Paul said.. IN CHRIST JESUS!  Paul said “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.”  Not some things… not just the things that are easy.  Paul said ALL THINGS.  Jesus said “apart from ME, you can do nothing.”
Jesus is the only one who can change our negative attitude.  He can change us inside and out.
So do you have a problem with a negative attitude this morning? If you do, Jesus is the only One who can really change you. He can change you inside and out. He can give you new words to speak, He can give a new relationships that will work.  He can make you into a person who experiences the fullness of life. In fact, He can give you a new life!

If you’re already a Christian and you need a church where you can experience positive things, we invite you to come and join with us here in WCCC Maple Ridge. We know that Jesus can meet all your needs, so we offer Him to you.  We´ll try our best, by God´s grace, to let you personally experience the love of Jesus in this church.

If you’re here and have not surrendered your life to Jesus.  I invite you to  join me in prayer, confessing your faith in Him.  LET US PRAY.

Prayer:

Wherever you are, whatever you situation you may be -- you need the love of Jesus in your life. Please say this prayer sincerely from your heart:  

Father God, I confess all my sins to you today.  Please forgive me.  Today, I open my heart to your Son Jesus Christ.  I accept Him in my life as my Saviour and as my Lord.  May the Holy Spirit come to my life and make me the kind of person you want me to be.  In Jesus Name, I pray.    Amen.

The above article is an excerpt from a sermon delivered at WCCC Maple Ridge during its first service on  Sunday, September 3, 2017

I apologise if there are grammatical and spelling errors. 

I also apologise if I have missed acknowledging or making proper references to my sources, if any,  as it is purely unintentional.

If you are looking for a church in British Columbia, Canada please visit our website at:

 www.wordchristiancommunity.com