Someone you know needs Jesus. God may well be preparing their hearts for the next time your life intersects with theirs. How can you get them to Jesus? Easter services at Calvary have a built-in draw for moving people toward the good news of the gospel. More people come to church on Easter than nearly any other time of year. We should help them get to church; more, help them get to Jesus.

In one of my favorite stories in the Bible, four men carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus, who happened to be inside a house so crowded with people no one else could enter through the front door. Undaunted, they climbed up on top of the house, tore open a hole in the roof and lowered their buddy down on a stretcher, right in front of the Lord. They knew if they could just get their paralyzed friend to Jesus, He would help, heal, and forgive. And that is exactly what happened.

Hutzpah for sure. Mark 2:5 says, “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” The faith of the four friends caught Jesus’ attention. Their compassion and determination were rewarded with a front row seat to the healing power and forgiving mercy of Jesus in the life of someone they loved. They couldn’t heal their friend; they just got him to the One who could.

Over the last twenty-five years around forty million people stopped going to church, according to Jim Davis and Michael Graham, in their book, The Great Dechurching. Their extensive research shows a complex of factors impacting all religious traditions, including our own. The data is fascinating and more than a little discouraging. Yet in their research they found that a significant percentage of people who have left would return if someone invited them back to the community of church. The single application of their findings is not to get the dechurched back into the building, but to invite them back into a community of friends who know Jesus and want them to know Him too.

Easter provides us this very opportunity. You won’t have to cut a hole in the ceiling – just bring them in the front door with you on March 31. Then maybe take them for coffee or have them at your table. People are longing for a loving community where healing and forgiveness can be found. We’ve got to get them to Jesus who is their hope of eternal life and forgiveness. This is our mission.

Jesus said to the paralytic, “Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose, picked up his bed, and went home, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this!”  Let’s have bold faith to open our lives to people who need Jesus. And may we see the glory of God in transformed lives like we’ve never seen it before.

With you on the journey,

Tom