As with every Shabat, friends were enjoying the shade under a lemon tree, talking about the latest news from their village, Capernaum. A fourth friend arrived with news of the arrival of a “prophet” who healed the sick.

The informer explained that the crowd was moving toward a wealthy merchant’s home. The youngest in the team, quiet until then, had an idea: “Shall we bring him our lame friend?” They met regularly at his home to read the Torah and wondered, “Could he be healed, too?” But there were a few questions to discuss first.

They had to know where to find Jesus and have the consent of their friend. They also had to be:

• In agreement to do it together
• Coordinated
• Determined
• Creative to find a way to bring him there and imagine alternate plans
• Ready to ask for help
• Courageous to uncover the roof
• Responsible for their friend
• Loving to do so much to help their friend

They had often read Isaiah 58 and knew that God asks His people to care for the poor, the needy, and the oppressed. If this was the Messiah, they had to jump into action now! We know the story. Jesus saw the four friends’ faith.

Many of the acts of Jesus were never recorded, but this event is found in three of the four Gospels. The friends were praised for not just sitting in the comfort of their homes but for getting up, reaching out, and daring to challenge the impossible situation.

The end of the story? The lame friend goes home praising God, and all were amazed, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Our determination to join forces with one mind and one resolve to care for the poor and the oppressed will create around us a loud concert of praise to God. Many will marvel at the incredible things He will do through us as determined friends of the poor!

“Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” — Mark 2:4–5, NIV

Prayer: Lord, please help us understand the precious calling You have given to Your church to worship in words and in deeds. Help us reach out to the poor and the needy so that the world may see that You are truly a loving and gracious God. Amen.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Daniel Bretscher is the Executive Director of Compassion Italy.

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When I was in high school, I had a few friends who were strong evangelical Christians.

Tim was one of them, and he unabashedly shared his faith on a regular basis. Because of Tim, I was introduced to Christian music à la Michael W. Smith on a bus ride home from a school trip – ahhhh good times!

I was ornery then, and though Tim was a good friend, I wanted to see how Christian he really was, so I’d try to push his buttons to make him mad. Sometimes I’d cuss in front of him just to see what he would do. While he’d tell me he didn’t like my words, he was unwavering and stayed my friend.

When I read this quote from Lloyd Pulley about sharing the Gospel it made me think of Tim.

“The most important call upon our lives is to make disciples. Whether we are Sunday school teachers, preachers, mothers, fathers, friends or co-workers, we all have been given the same mandate from the Lord to go into the world and be witnesses of Him.

Fear of rejection hinders many of us from sharing the Gospel. Taking a stand for Jesus can be a little risky and may cost us friendships, but aren’t you glad someone took that risk with you?”

I am so grateful for Tim’s friendship and that he took a risk with me. Now, as I think about sharing the gospel with others, I keep these five principles in mind. They’re from Pulley’s book, Everyday Conversations, Eternal Impact.

Five Principals for Sharing the Gospel (S.H.A.R.E.)

1. Be Sensitive to the Spirit

   How many times do you struggle to make something happen, but when you stop to pray, the Holy Spirit gives you the perfect solution and your task is accomplished in no time?

   Being sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit is critical when sharing the gospel with others. By listening to His prompting we can be led in what to say – and not to say – to someone who doesn’t know Him.



2. Humbly Build a Bridge

   At my college there was this green grassy area called “the mall” where students hung out, studied, played Frisbee, and so on.

   Often there’d be someone standing out on the mall sharing the gospel by yelling at passersby telling them that they were going to hell. I never once saw someone stop and talk to the yeller and say, “Oh you are right. I’ll go ahead and become a Christian now.”

   When we approach people with humility and respect, they are more receptive to what we have to say. People want to know that you, and Jesus, genuinely care about them.

   Jesus treated the Samaritan woman in John 4 with respect and, in turn, she and her entire community became believers.

3. Arouse Interest

   In a world where so many are busy, tired and hurting, it won’t take much to arouse interest. People want to know that the things in their lives matter to another human being.

   When you take time to talk to others, opening a door to share the gospel, take a genuine interest in them and they will take interest in what you have to say.

4. Reveal Sin

   Today, pointing out sin is not PC and equals disrespect and being unloving. I am an emotions-based person, so the idea that someone could feel disrespected or unloved based on my words or actions is devastating. At the same time, this isn’t about me.

   I am a sinner saved by grace, so talking about someone’s sin isn’t about pointing and condemning – it’s about extending the Christ’s freedom to that person. It’s telling them that the junk they struggle with – sin – doesn’t have to be an ongoing struggle.

5. Explain the Plan of Salvation

   When sharing the gospel with others, you may never get to a point of explaining the plan of salvation to them. If you do, stick to the simplicity of the truth. Often people have questions like “Why does God allow cancer or war?” While those are good questions, they are a distraction from the point of your conversation.

   The point is: Jesus loves them, died for them and wants to have a personal relationship with them. It is that truth that will change their lives – for eternity.

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I’m not sure how that started. Perhaps it’s because we were so poor and often didn’t have anything else to put between our two slices of Wonder Bread. It’s not very nourishing. But at the time, it was a wonderful snack.

And now, having grown up and had all sorts of meat-filled hoagies, clubs, burgers and Reubens — mayonnaise sandwiches don’t sound very appealing.

The early part of my spiritual journey was just like that mayonnaise sandwich. I had the bread, but not much to put in the middle.

My early walk with Christ was encapsulated in the only two things I really knew about Jesus:

1. He was born of a virgin, in a manger, under a bright star. Wise men came to see Him and brought Him gifts.
2. He was crucified for my sins. But after three days, He rose from the grave…proving His power over death, and thus granting us everlasting life.

But I knew very little about the middle of the sandwich. What happened between birth and death? What did Jesus do with His time here on earth?

We can grow so complacent in our spiritual journeys that we forget about the middle of the story. And frankly, part of that may be the fault of the Church.

Pastors — not all of them, but many — find it easy to talk about the bread. Sermons about how Jesus was born…and how He died for our sins are abundant. It’s an easy topic to give the body. But what about the middle?

Last year, a Barna poll found that more than 50 percent of church-goers in the US said they had not heard a single sermon about ministering to the poor over the past 12 months. Over 50 percent!

But so much of what Jesus did was ministering to those who were hungry, thirsty, hurting, sick, lame, blind…poor. Jesus spent the better part of His ministry addressing those needs. And He told us to do likewise.

Why isn’t the Church teaching about the middle?

Seems to me that ministering to the poor ought to be the most preached topic in the Church today…not one of the least.

If we truly want to be Christ-like, and we should, then let’s start teaching Christ’s message to the Church. Let’s start doing what Jesus did — and what He told us to do…serve the poor.

Anything less…is just a mayonnaise sandwich.

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