 Hi, this is Pastor David Rosales of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley, California. Mark chapter 2, verses 3 through 5 reads, They came to him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven you. Most people come to faith in Jesus through somebody else. And the majority of the time, those who brought them to faith in him were friends. While we may occasionally hear of people who have supernaturally been brought to Christ while praying alone in a room or while fishing in a deserted stream, the fact is that most of us were brought to Jesus by a friend or family member. This was true in my own life. I was raised in a religious home, but it was through the efforts of friends that I came to know Jesus. I can still remember vividly the first time I voluntarily attended church after an absence of several years. It was in late 1970 and my friends took me to a small church in Costa Mesa called Calvary Chapel. A friend of mine named Bill had been haranguing me to attend church services with him and would not leave me alone. Finally I agreed to go to this little church with him and while waiting for him to pick me up, I took the opportunity to smoke some pot and to drink a beer. At that time I was around 20 years old and at the height of rebellion. The sad fact was I also was at the height of emptiness. At that time I was what I would now call a pseudo flower child. I had long hair, wore bushy sideburns, refused to wear shoes. I almost never wore anything but a t-shirt and jeans. This is how I was dressed that night and this was my lifestyle when I first attended that little church. To be honest I expected the people to bar my entrance into the Bible study and actually hoped that it would happen so that I could call them all hypocrites and continue my lifestyle of despair. A funny thing happened when I got to this church. I was welcomed in with open arms. The people crowding into the church building looked just like me and Lonnie Frisbee, the young man teaching the Bible study that night. Looked even weirder than me. I can't tell you how surprised I was that night because I actually enjoyed the experience and began to think about what was going on in that little church in Costa Mesa. Sadly I didn't give my heart to Jesus that day. The Lord still had work to do on me. A few months later on December 27, 1970 the same friends who had insisted that I come to church with them once again carried me to hear the gospel of God's love and on that day I finally and forever yielded to the one who could and would forgive me of my many sins. As I think about this I cannot help but thank God for such friends. Today you may have the opportunity to be that kind of friend to someone. It takes effort, sacrifice and yes sometimes a bit of work to transport the helpless to where Jesus is. Think about it. The four men who carried Jesus carried to Jesus their friend. Well they went so far as to tear the roof off the house to get them to Jesus. It was work in a very literal way. Take it from me as someone who was taken to Jesus. It is well worth the effort. If you have opportunity take the time to carry someone to Jesus. Do it this week. Pray for them, speak to them and with God's help bring them. Can you imagine what the paralytics friend felt like when they all saw their friend forgiven healed and picking up the mat he had been on for so long. My friend Bill to this day is still amazed at what happened to me and as for me I am also one who has carried the cripple to Jesus and can say what a blessing it is not only to be forgiven but also to be one who has helped others to receive forgiveness. Carry your friends and carry your family to Jesus. This is Pastor David Rosales of Calvary Chapel of the Chino Valley, California.