Persistent Action

2 Cor. 5:²⁰ “So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God. (AMP)

From the story of the four men in Mark 2:1-12 [please read], we have learnt we must have compassion on others, we need to have faith and we need to act. Luke 14:²³ “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” (KJV, emphasis added). God says after you have prayed that people will experience His power and love, go out and bring them to Him. Do something about it because it is your move. What kind of friend are you and what actions are you going to take this season?

Our fourth lesson for these four men is Persistence. They were persistent, not allowing the difficulty to stand in their way or even discourage them. The truth is there is always an obstacle on the way to a miracle. Gal. 6:⁹ “Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up.” (LB, emphasis added). The reality is sometimes we are just tired of that friend, tired of our spouse, tired of the children, tired of that cousin, tired of that neighbour. However, God says let us not get tired because the harvest will come. The four friends were persistent. Ladies might not fully understand this but when four men are on a project, there are different ideas. There will be at least two prevailing ideas because of their different personalities. But these men put ‘their differences’ and ‘their personalities’ aside and they persisted together on the same mission.

They needed each other. Persistence is only sustained in community. No one can be persistent alone forever. Persistence can only be sustained when you have a partner when you have a friend in it with you. Join a small group [house fellowship, serving team] in your church community. You can last longer with the things you like to do when you have people of like minds pulling along with you. 2 Peter 3:⁹ “…God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.” (CEV, emphasis added). Even God persists with us.

Think about how you came to Christ, are you not glad that someone kept inviting you to church or kept sending you messages about God? Are you not glad that someone did not give up on you, that someone was persistent? God is saying you have to be persistent. You have reached out to and invited someone to fellowship, and they have shut you out. It is okay to feel bad; go home, look into the mirror and say to yourself fifty times, ‘It is not about me! It is about Jesus!’ By the forty-fifth time, you will be fine. When you are done, go out and invite the person again. If they shut the door at you or say something that is not nice. Repeat the process and go again. Eventually, because you are not the only one working, God is working with you. The more you reach out, the more God is working on your heart and on their hearts, the harvest comes.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the privilege to be an ambassador for Christ, continue to make Your appeal through me, I ask for the grace to focus on You, in Jesus Name. Amen!