Get Up and Walk
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
He had been coming to this pool for thirty-eight years. He was crippled, unable to move without someone helping him. The legend said that the first one in the pool after the water moved would be healed. Multitudes of sick people surrounded him. Because of his disability, when the water was stirred, someone else always got there first.
Walk
One day Jesus asked the crippled man, “Do you want to be made well.” Now, some people might consider this to be a dumb question. After all, wasn’t it evident that this crippled man was there hoping for a miracle? However, we don’t know the whole story. But Jesus did. Maybe the Lord realized the man needed to get up. He had to take up his bed and walk to overcome his infirmity.
Jesus is asking us today, “Do you want to be made well?” For as long as I can remember, I have heard Christians talk about the need for revival. I and other pastors have dreamed of a great spiritual awakening. Congregations all over the country are wondering how they can keep their sick churches from dying. Meanwhile, we enter our buildings. We pull the doors closed behind us. We hope for a supernatural movement to stir the waters.
Christians, stop waiting for a high-powered evangelist to bring revival. Get up, walk into your neighborhoods, and turn the world upside down with the Gospel. Pastors, let’s stop preaching our puny little self-help sermonettes. We must boldly preach the Word of God no matter who it offends. When the people in the pews can no longer ignore their sins, there will soon be a great awakening. Congregations, you need to stop worrying about your church. Jesus said: “I will build My Church!” Your job is to go into all the world and make disciples.
The question is, “Do we want to be made well?” If we do, then we have got to get up and walk. The Kingdom of God is at hand. We don’t have any time to waste. Let’s stop waiting for someone else to stir the water and go make a big splash ourselves.
“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.
Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.”
John 5:2-9 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.5.2-9.NKJV
Douglas & Deborah Huff
From Down Where the Pavement Ends
Email- pavementendsministry@gmail.com
My daughter Kate has written her first book. Follow her progress and help her get it published. Visit her website and sign up for her newsletter at http://www.kateoliviahuff.com
yes it has to start with ME not the messed up druggie but with me sitting in the pew .
thank you Douglas . keep the truth coming.