HELPING THE “HOPELESS” COME TO JESUS
Some of us are blessed to believe our Lord God can solve all problems (Jeremiah 32:17; Matthew 19:26). However, many people in this troubled world seem to feel hopeless. We who believe can help the “hopeless” come to our Lord. Jesus can help them and give them a heavenly hope (Matthew 15:30; John 3:16). And he will reward us heavenly for helping even the least of them come to him. (Matthew 25:34-40; Mark 16:15-16).
IN THE BIBLE SOME BELIEVERS HELPED SOMEONE COME TO JESUS
In the Bible, there was a physically helpless man who felt hopeless, who was brought to Jesus, and the Lord healed him. The man had long been bedridden. But some men with a spirit of faith and compassion knew that not far away from the man’s home Jesus was healing people who came to him. These men decided to take the bedridden man to Jesus. When they got to the house where Jesus was, they found that the entrances were blocked by people trying to get to Jesus. Determined to help the bedridden man, the men made a hole in the roof of the house, hoisted the bedridden man up to the roof and then let him down so Jesus could heal him.
Demonstrating his power to heal soul and body, Jesus told the sick man, “your sins are forgiven…get up and walk.” The man got up, took his bed and went home thanking God. (Luke 5:17-26).
INSPIRED BY THE GOD I HELPED A RELATIVE COME TO JESUS
I was informed that a relative who lived a long distance from me was very sick, and possibly close to death; and it was doubtful that he knew the Lord. When I went to see my sick cousin, I found out he was sick, depressed and showed no indication of knowing the Lord.
In my showing willingness to listen to him, he showed he was anxious to share his problems. He told me he had advance lung and prostate cancers, and diabetes. And he talked at length about his emotional pains.
I listen patiently as he told me his mother had abandoned him when he was a boy; and his stepfather had often abused him. Added to his pain with his parents, he said women in his life had “disappointed” him. On two occasions, he said he “attempted suicide”—once when a boy and again when grown. He said he prayed for a while but things in his life didn’t get better. In a way of summarizing his feelings, my cousin exclaimed, “many time when I went to sleep, I hoped I didn’t wake up.”
I felt moved by the Spirit to tell him that the Bible says, although your mother and father and all others forsake you, “then the Lord will take [you] up” (Psalm 27:10). And it says the Lord Jesus Christ loves us enough to have come from heaven to die for us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8; John 3:16).
I told him about a song that I sang to myself and others when faced with discouragements. When I started singing, “yes Jesus loves me…for the Bible tells me so;” I was surprised when my cousin began to sing along. He said he learned this song with a group of children when he was a boy.
In feeling that the Holy Spirit was moving, I asked my cousin did he believe Jesus loved him enough to die for him and his sins. He said, “yes.” I asked him did he wanted Jesus to forgive him for his sins and be the Lord of his life. Again, he said, “yes.” He joined me in prayer, as he asked Jesus Christ to forgive him and come into his life to be his Lord.
YOU CAN HELP OTHERS COME TO JESUS
There are many “hopeless” people around us today who need help and encouragement in coming to our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has given each believer particular gifts for helping and encouraging others to come to Jesus. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). And he urges us to help others as he gives each of us opportunity to do so (Galatians 6:10).
The Bible reveals that Jesus is able to heal all manner of sickness and oppressions of the devil (Matthew 4:23; Acts 10:38). But he does not heal every physical illness. This was shown in the cases of the apostles Paul, whom God gave “a stone in the flesh” to keep him being conceited because of his great gifts (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). And also shown in the case of the apostle Peter, whom the Lord told: ‘“when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish. This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God”’ (John 21:18-19).
Yet, the Lord always heals the spirit and gives peace of mind to whoever comes to him (John 6:37; John 14:27). And for his glory our Lord God “causes everything to work together for the good” of obedient believers (Romans 8:28).
THE LORD REWARDS US FOR HELPING OTHERS COME TO HIM
Our Savior and Lord commands us to love him, and our neighbors, as he has loved us (Matthews 22:37-39; John 13:34). And he tells us, whatever you do for the least of those he loves, he will reward us (Matthew 25:34-40; Mark 16:15-16). For he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4; and will take care of all your needs according to his riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). Moreover, he will give us a glorious body like his own (1 John 3:2), and a crown of righteousness (2 Timothy 4:8), when he returns to take us to heaven to live with him forever (John 14:2-3).
