Grove Hill United Methodist Church Bro. Dave Rhodes, pastor There is a story that we all have heard in Sunday School several times in our lifetime, it is the story of four men who lowered their friend through the roof of a house so he could be ministered to by Jesus. This story teaches us many wonderful things about Jesus, but, I want us to consider the four men who helped their friend. As I have thought about these four men, I have considered various virtues the men represent.

With the passing of time, my thinking has become more focused to see four key virtues that all four men would have had to have to be able to do what they did. First, they had a concern for others. These four men gave up any chance they had to go hear Jesus for themselves so they could help their friend. I am sure they had many other things they could or maybe even should have been doing that day, but instead they gave graciously to a friend in need. Second, they all four had a spirit of cooperation. This great miracle of God probably would not have happened if each man would not have been there to hold up his corner. If even one man would have been disagreeable or critical of the plan, it would have been impossible to bring this man to Jesus. I believe today many times the church is held back by personal disagreements. Too many times, Christians are not willing to work together. Third, all four of these men were men of determined faith in Jesus Christ. Maybe they had already tried a number of other unsuccessful solutions, but for whatever reason these men saw that Jesus was the only solution to their friend's needs-spiritual and physical. When these four men saw the crowded house, they did not simply go home. They used their creativity to figure out a way to get their friend to Jesus. They knew if their friend came face to face with Jesus, he would be helped. Finally, they had their priorities straight. They knew that the most important thing in the world was to bring their friend to Jesus. They pushed other thoughts like: "What will the others think? Will this act disturb the teacher and the people in the house? I have never done anything like this before?" Yet, they would not stop-they did not stop. Why? They had a job to do that they thought was more important than the threat of being different.

If we are to serve God in the year 2009, we have to take on all four of these virtues both individually and together as a church if we are to see people receive a powerful touch from Jesus. We need to be bold enough to look at what holds us back and ask our Lord, "Is there someone I need to knock a hole in the roof for?"