Faithful People Share Their Faith

 [Faithful People Share Their Faith](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) Current Teaching Series [How God Meets Your Deepest Needs](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Listen to Today's Broadcast](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Faithful People Share Their Faith](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) By Rick Warren — September 14, 2019 [Facebook](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Twitter](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Pinterest](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Email](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Devotional image from Rick Warren](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) “Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, ‘Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven’” (Matthew 9:2 NIV). If you’ve accepted God’s gift of salvation by grace, you’ve received the best gift ever offered to anyone. But have you shared that gift with others since you became a Christian? Faithful people share their faith. Today’s verse comes from the story in Matthew 9 about a man who was sick and paralyzed. His friends wanted him to be healed, so they brought him to Jesus by lowering him on his mat through an opening in the roof of a house where Jesus was. Notice Matthew 9:2 says, “When Jesus saw their faith.” It was not the paralyzed man’s faith that led to the healing—it was the faith of his friends. When Jesus saw that these friends cared enough to bring their paralyzed friend, he said, “Those guys have great faith. They’re not just asking; they expect me to heal their friend,” and he did. You have friends who are spiritually paralyzed and can’t get to Jesus. They are paralyzed by fear, guilt, doubt, pain, or maybe even resentment over being hurt in some church in the past. They are paralyzed, and they can’t get to Jesus on their own. God is watching to see if you will be faithful enough to bring them. And if you are, God will honor your faith. He’ll not only heal your friend; he’s also going to bless you. It’s a blessing of faith. As long as a church will keep reaching out to more unbelievers, God will keep blessing it. The moment a church’s members say their church doesn’t need to grow anymore, they’re saying they don’t care about the world—an attitude that’s inconsistent with God’s priorities. But as long as we keep bringing spiritually paralyzed people to Jesus, God will bless our churches and our lives. Don’t you want to be a part of that? [PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >>](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) Talk About It - Did someone else’s faith play a part in how you came to Jesus for salvation? Share your story with someone today so they can be encouraged. - What does it mean to have a blessing of faith? - How is your church or your small group actively reaching out to unbelievers and sharing the Gospel? If you’re not doing this, how can you start today? [Facebook](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Twitter](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Pinterest](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Email](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r [Get Verses of Hope Scripture Box when you give a gift to support Daily Hope](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) Remind yourself of God’s grace and mercy every day of your life by memorizing Scripture with a fun, customizable tool! Get the Verses of Hope Scripture Box as thanks for your donation today. 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[LEARN MORE](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r [Series Summary](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) Message 1: Where to Find the Hope You Need Message 2: How God Heals Your Hidden Wounds Message 3: How to Live a Joy Filled Life Message 4: The Path to Personal Peace Message 5: Learning to Trust God Message 6: When the Odds Are Against You Message 7: What Kind of a Father is God? [PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) Pastor Rick Warren [Facebook](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r)[Twitter](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Instagram](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) [Linkedin](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) Enjoy today's Devotional? [Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio.](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) Did someone forward this devotional to you? [Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional.](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at [pastorrick.com](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r). Rick Warren is the founding pastor of [Saddleback Church](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r), one of America’s largest and most influential churches. Pastor Rick is the author of the New York Times bestseller [The Purpose Driven Life](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r). His book [The Purpose Driven Church](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the century. Pastor Rick created [The PEACE Plan](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r) to address the five global giants — spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease, and illiteracy — through the power of ordinary people in the local church. His Daily Hope broadcast and daily devotionals are offered around the world. You can listen to the broadcast or sign up for the free devotionals at [PastorRick.com](JwEcRXYN9:m:1:2618166767:A4115B25641CF27A8426F3F23031DEED:r). This devotional © 2019 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the "Unsubscribe" link below. This message was intended for: {EMAIL} You were added to the system December 23, 2016. For more information [click here](. [Unsubscribe](