Whenever we are children, at some point we ponder the question, “Where do babies come from?” As we grow up, we discover the answer to this question. They come from God. But we also know that babies come from mommies and daddies. Shepherds don’t make sheep; farmers don’t make sheep; sheep make sheep.
Maybe you’ve heard Christians referred to as sheep or lambs in the Bible. God gives the illustration of us as sheep and Him as our shepherd. Along that same line of thinking, we can ask the question, “Where do Christians come from?” First off, they come from God. But every Christian you talk to will be able to tell you about someone, or perhaps even many people, who were instrumental in their coming to faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, sheep make sheep.
Let’s look into a story from the Bible, where Jesus came into a village to preach. Sadly, there was one man who was handicap and could not walk. He could not get to Jesus on his own. Thankfully, he had some people in his life that cared about him so much that they overcame significant obstacles to help him find forgiveness and faith in Jesus Christ.
Mark 5:2-5 says, “And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”
Sheep aren’t forced to make sheep – they want to. It is the most natural thing in the world to share something that excites you.
- If you see a good movie, you talk about it
- If you hear a good song, you talk about it
- If you have a good vacation, you talk about it
- If you go to a good restaurant, you talk about it.
It is natural for a Christian to want to talk about Jesus and see other people saved.
In Mark 2:1, when Jesus came to Capernaum, it didn’t take long for people to get the word around town. They were so excited that the news spread throughout the village at breakneck speed. Not only did the word get out fast, but people stopped what they were doing and came over right away to see and hear Him. No one had to beg them to be interested in Jesus. Instead, they couldn’t help but be fascinated with Him. We worship this same Jesus. He is just as fascinating today as He ever was.
So why do Christians struggle to get people interested in their faith? The following story may help.
A Dutch diamond collector was seeking for a very rare diamond. A dealer in New York by the name of Mr. Winston heard of this inquiry and contacted him letting him know that he believed he possessed the diamond he was looking for.
The diamond collector arrived, and Mr. Winston had his salesman present the diamond. The salesman described all the technical aspects of the diamond; however, within minutes the diamond collector rose his hand and said that this was not what he was looking for.
Watching from a distance, Mr. Winston hurriedly intercepted him as he was walking out, and he asked him if he could present the diamond again. The collector agreed.
Mr. Winston pulled out the same diamond and started describing his admiration for this particular diamond. Within minutes they were signing papers, and he purchased the diamond. As the gentleman was walking out, he asked, what just happened? Why was it so easy for me to say no to your salesman a little while ago, while with you, I purchased the diamond?
Mr. Winston answered, “That salesman is the best in the business. He knows more about diamonds than anyone, including myself, and I pay him a large salary for his knowledge and expertise. But I would gladly pay him twice as much if I could put into him something I have which he lacks. You see, he knows diamonds, but I love them.” (story from Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks by Wayne Rice)
When you love Jesus, people will see it in you and respond.
As we continue to examine the Bible account, we also see that they didn’t let obstacles deter them. Have you ever wanted to talk to someone about the Lord, but you felt there were too many obstacles?
- The timing wasn’t right.
- You didn’t want to lose your job.
- You felt like you already knew how the conversation would go.
- You didn’t want to ruin your one chance to get it right.
- There could be a language or cultural barrier.
There are surely obstacles that can come into place when sharing the news of Jesus. Everything in life has barriers. Some things are just more important to us than others. The more important something is, the more we are willing to fight for it.
The man in our story has a great need. He is disabled. The problem is that this man’s disability is the precise thing keeping him from getting to Jesus. All of the non-disabled people had run to Jesus before the lame man could get there. They were filling the whole house and spilling into the street. There isn’t room to carry him in to request help from Jesus.
They could have stopped at that and given up. The four friends could have claimed that they tried their best. However, they weren’t doing this to look good. They genuinely believed that this might be the man’s only chance to meet Jesus. Failure was not an option.
THEY CHOSE NOT TO LET OTHER PEOPLE, AND BAD CIRCUMSTANCES KEEP THEM FROM GOD.
Instead of giving in to adverse circumstances, they were persistent. A person who truly wants to do something will find a way. A person who doesn’t will find an excuse. So, they pulled the roof off to save a man in need.
We will not see souls saved unless we are willing to push through barriers and excuses and do whatever it takes to get people to Jesus.
Another important observation about the story is that the lame man couldn’t get to Jesus on his own. Notice that the man with the palsy was entirely dependent on the other men to get him to Jesus. He didn’t need them to believe for him, but he needed them to take him to Jesus.
We can quickly get into the mentality that causes us to suppose that people can find the way to Christ on their own. Maybe you have found yourself wondering why some people just won’t come to church. The reality is that they need more than a gentle nudge. They need someone to carry them. They are not physically disabled, but they are spiritually blind. They can’t see what you can see. They can’t understand things about God that you might realize. They don’t understand church and the Bible and Christian customs. They feel pushed out and left out.
THEY NEED SOMEONE WILLING TO GO ABOVE AND BEYOND TO GET THEM, NOT TO CHURCH, BUT RATHER TO JESUS FIRST!
The New Testament describes many people who were doing just that. And we are here today because someone did that for us. Sheep make sheep.
See how Mark 2:5 points out that Jesus “saw their faith.” It is not that their faith was enough to convince Jesus to save an unbeliever. Instead, it was that these five people all demonstrated a conviction that Jesus was the only way. Each person involved showed faith. The lived-out faith of a Christian can and will help unbelievers to find hope in Jesus Christ for themselves.
Some time ago, an 18-year-old girl from Washington state attended a worship service. For the first time in her life, she heard the gospel message. The following Tuesday the members of the church received a letter from her. It read:
Dear Church Members:
Last Sunday, I attended your church, and I heard the preacher. In the sermon, the preacher said that all men have sinned and rebelled against God. Because of their rebellion and disobedience, they all face eternal damnation and separation from God. But then he also said God loves man and sent his Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to redeem men from their sins and that all those who believe in Him would go to Heaven and live with God eternally. My parents recently died in rapid succession. I know they did not believe in Jesus Christ, whom you call the Saviour of the world. If what you believe is true, they are damned. You compel me to believe that either the message is true, that you yourself don’t believe this message, or that you don’t care. You see, we live only three blocks from your church, and no one ever told us. (Story from Ministry 127)
While some may get angry at the message of Jesus, others are desperately hungry for it. God placed us here to make sure our neighbors know about who Jesus is and how they can be saved and have a relationship with Him. I pray that we would always be busy with that work. Not because we have to, or because we feel guilty, but because we deeply want to.
How to Make Sheep – by Pastor Brett A. Bell
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