Give Up to Go Up

Think about the best friend you’ve ever had and what made your relationship great. Isn’t it about hanging out, talking and trusting friend enough to share your secrets with him or her?

Have you ever thought that you could have relationship with God as good as the relationship that you have with your best friend?

You don’t just get a close friendship with God because of what your parents tell you about Him or by spending an hour a week in Sunday school. Just like it took hanging out with your best friend, talking and testing his or her trust, it takes hanging out with God, talking to Him and learning to trust Him.

So where does God hang out? Wherever you are! He’s been running after you – yearning intensely and persistently for you. Perhaps you know what pining feels like. Have you ever wanted to be good friends with someone for a long time, yet he or she managed to ignore you or to not realize what a great person you are? Stop for a second and think: have you possibly ignored God lately? Have you talked to Him?

In case you’re wondering how to talk to God, you pray –constantly. Not just before that exam you didn’t even study for; you pray throughout the day. He’d like it if you prayed for everything and anything. He’d just like to hear from you. Of course, you don’t get to know someone if you’re doing all the talking. Let God take a turn talking to you. One way you can let Him do that is to read His Word, the Bible. Come on, don’t say you don’t’ like to read. If your best friend wrote you a 10-page letters, you’d read it immediately, over and over again.

The Bible is filled with letters and poems from God addressed to you, treasures just waiting for your discovery. Your Bible, which hopefully isn’t dusty, is yelling, “Open Me! Search Me!” How you hear God speaking to you is by inserting your name into the scripture you’re reading and seeing how it applies to your personal life. You’ll soon realize that it really was written with you in mind!

As you begin reading God’s Word every day (or if you already are, try spending ever more time reading it, you’ll also begin to trust Him more, and you begin to get closer like a best friend that always around in your success and failures. For the Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scriptures is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

Your trusting God will cause your relationship with Him to grow. Think of the person you’re closest to. Do you sometimes find yourself knowing what he’ll say or what she’ll do? Do you know what makes him happy or what annoys her? In the same way, soon God’s desires for you will become your own desires! And Psalm 139:4 will be the case: “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.”

When your best friend’s birthday comes, don’t you want to give him or her something nice? When your relationship with God becomes close, you’ll also want to give Him something. After all, hasn’t God given you everything? In return, how about giving Him the best of your time, your money, your energy, and your love? Most important, how about, giving Him your heart-surrendering yourself to Him?

God is Holy and He hates sin. We are human. We were born in this world with a sinful nature. Romans 3: 10 and 23 says There is none righteous, no, not one; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. See the difference? There is a barrier between God and us, it is SIN. And we can’t be His best friend in that case. BUT praise be to our God, He sent His son Jesus Christ to be our mediator for us (1 Timothy 2:5), our supplications and prayers to be heard. Jesus Christ died for our sins. He tore the veil between God and man.

Now you might ask me, how can I make God as my best friend? By trusting Him; accept Jesus Christ to be your only Savior and Lord, Believe that He died for your sin and He is the only way to eternal life, Confess your sins to Him and live a new life. For the Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away behold, all things are become new.”

How do you learn to trust God? By getting to know Him. And do get to know Him? By spending time reading His Word, fellowshipping with other Christians and praying to Him every day.

God say in Isaiah 41:9, “I have chosen you.” Now He’s just waiting for you to choose Him-to surrender to Him in response.

Say this prayer if you want to surrender your life to Him as a response. “Dear God, I realize that I am a sinner. Thank you for sending Your son, Jesus Christ to pay for my sins and save me. Lord Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross and rose from the dead for me. I repent of my sins and receive You into my heart as my Savior and Lord. I accept your gift of eternal life. Thank you for coming into my heart and for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now, congratulations! You didn’t only gain your best friend but you can also be with Him through all eternity in Heaven. :)

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Your Most Important Decision

Have you ever felt that you were all alone, with no one who really understood you?

Would you like to have a good friend who would never leave you, who could help you whenever you needed it?

You can meet a friend like this right now. His name is Jesus. He has written you a “letter” to let you know about Him, about who He is and what He did to try to become your friend. The most personal part of that is the book you have in you hands.

Jesus wants to be with you all the time, but there is a problem. He cannot stay where there is sin. Every time we lie, cheat, disobey or do other wrong things, we move further from Jesus. We must remember He cannot stay where there is sin.

But Jesus loved everyone in the world just as they are and he keeps loving us the same way today, even though we have sinned.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:36)

In His letter Jesus tells us the best way a person can show the love is to be willing to even die for his friend.

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

That’s just what Jesus did for us. But why did He have to die? In order to show us just how He wanted to be our friend, Jesus decided to take our punishments for us. That way we could be forgiven without having to pay for our own sins. God could treat us just as if we had never sinned, and Jesus His Son could be our friend forever.

So do we have to die too? Not for our sins, because Jesus died for them so we wouldn’t have to. And not forever, because Jesus died and resurrected so we could live forever with Him. In the letter He says:

“In my Father’s house are many rooms….I am going there to prepare a place for you….I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”(John 14:2,3)

That is what “eternal life” means in His letter.

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” (John 3:36)

What do we have to do to get rid of our sin so Jesus can be our friend? It’s really easy. First we have to believe that what He wrote us in His letter is true. And then all we have to do is ask Him to do what He said He would do. In the letter it is called “praying”. Some of Jesus’ closest friends one asked Him to teach them how to pray. They had seen Him doing it all the time, so they wanted Him to show them how to pray. He taught them to pray to their heavenly Father and ask him to forgive their sins. So He taught them to pray:

"Our Father in heaven….forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sin against us.” (Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:4)

So why not do it right now? Just say:

Sinner’s Prayer
“HEAVENLY FATHER, THANK YOU FOR SENDING YOUR SON JESUS TO DIE FOR MY SINS. PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR ALL THE BAD THINGS I’VE DONE. I WANT JESUS TO BE MY SAVIOUR AND FRIEND, NOW AND FOREVER.” AMEN.

With Jesus in your heart, you have eternal life

“God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life.” (1 John 5:11, 12)

“He who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me….has passed from death into life.” (John 5:24)

When your body dies, you are present with the Lord.

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 5:8)

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27)

If you have prayed the sinner’s prayer, CONGRATULATIONS! & “WELCOME TO GOD”S FAMILY.”

How to keep following Jesus?

ü Go to Bible-believing churches. I recommend churches that only believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to eternal life and no other than like good works or graven images.

ü Read verses from the Bible (the Word of God) every day and hide them in your heart by memorizing special verses which help you.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (what you believe), for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”2 Timothy 3:16)

ü Talk to Jesus in prayer anytime.
§ Thank Jesus for all the good things in life.
§ Praise Him for things He has done for you and for saving your soul. Pray for any need you have. Pray in Jesus’ name.

“If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)
“Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.” (John 16:23)
“….pray for one another….” (James 5:16)
“Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)

ü Jesus wants you to witness to others (at home, at school, at church, anywhere)

“Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” (Mark 5:19)

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Conflict/Four Friends Who Care

BACKGROUND SCRIPTURE
Mark 2:3-7

³Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by the four of them. ⁴Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man lying on. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?

LIFE QUESTION
What can I expect to experience when I respond positively to Jesus call to discipleship?

LESSON BIBLE TRUTH

The discipleship to which Jesus calles people is an exacting way of life that can be lived on His presence and strength.

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Nothing draws a crowd like a celebrity. Jesus had already become something of a celebrity. When He entered a home in Capernaum, a crowd followed Him. They packed in so tightly to see and hear Him that the doorway was blocked.

Into this throng came a group carrying a paralytic, or paralyzed man. The Bible doesn’t say why he was paralyzed or how many people came with him, and four of them carried him. This wording seems more than four men came with him. Though suffered physically, this man was blessed in other ways because he had a group of friends who cared enough to carry him to Jesus. They were even creative enough to figure out way to reach Jesus –through the roof.

Roofs in homes of first century Palestine were made of hard mud and reeds on top of a system of supports. They probably reached the roof through outside stairway –also in those homes. The Bible doesn’t record the reaction of the homeowner to the destruction, but it does record Jesus’ response to their actions. Seeing their faith, He forgave the man his sins and got healed.

Friendship. Faith. Forgiveness. The crowd witnessed the results of Jesus’ ministry. He had called out the best in the human heart and met the deepest human need. Yet in the face of this miracle the teachers of the law inwardly criticized and complained. Instead of rejoicing in a sinner’s forgiveness and marveling at such friendship and faith, they heckled Jesus.

Jesus was aware of what was going on around Him and who was watching Him। Mark 2:1-3:6 points out the growing conflict between Jesus and His opponents. But Jesus refused to compromise His ministry because of who was watching or criticizing. Today his disciples are called to the same hard, exciting path. ●

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