Friday, 19 August 2016

How to Help Someone Find Hope and Healing, Part 2

How to Help Someone Find Hope and Healing, Part 1
 
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Life's Healing Choices - The Beatitudes
 
 
 
How to Help Someone Find Hope and Healing, Part 1
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By Rick Warren — Aug 19, 2016
 
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“Therefore [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25 NIV).

I believe that small groups are a vital part of helping so-called hopeless people find healing. One of the parts I like best about being in a small group is that you can pray for one another’s “hopeless” cases. We can lean upon the faith of others when we start to doubt.

In Luke 5, there’s a great story of a small group of men who took a friend who was paralyzed and in need of healing to the feet of Jesus. In this account, we find seven characteristics of a small group that God uses to heal. Today we’re going to look at three of those characteristics, and tomorrow we’ll look at the rest.

Compassion: This man was healed because his friends cared. It all starts with us caring about people who are hurting. Romans 15:2 says, “We should help others do what is right and build them up in the Lord” (NLT, second edition). God used these guys because they were sensitive to a friend’s need. And he’ll use us when we aren’t preoccupied with our own needs and start caring more about others than we do ourselves.

Faith: The men believed God would heal their friend. Take a look at Luke 5:20: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven’” (NIV). It wasn’t the paralytic’s faith that made him well; it was the faith of his friends. How many people do you know who are so paralyzed they can’t believe in God? That’s when we have to believe for them.

Intervention: These friends didn’t just pray for their friend; they took action as well. It’s not enough just to pray for someone who is hurting and caught in sin. We have to take action. Jesus says in Luke 14:23, “Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full.” There is a slew of examples in the Bible of people taking others to Jesus.

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Talk It Over

  • What does hopelessness look like?
  • Do you believe that no one is outside Jesus’ reach? If so, what are you willing to do about bringing “hopeless” people to Jesus?
  • What hurting friend have you been praying for? What can you do to take action and help that person heal?

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Life's Healing Choices Study Kit
Based on Jesus’ very own words in the Beatitudes, this DVD and workbook guides you through eight critical choices that every wounded believer must make in order to experience wholeness, happiness, and healing. These essential decisions will build your trust in God even when you don’t understand his plans and your circumstances look hopeless.
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Includes all complete sermons from the Rick Warren Life's Healing Choices - The Beatitudes teaching series.

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Complete Series
 
Series Summary

Message 1: ​​The Reality Choice
Message 2: ​​​​​​​​​​The Hope You Need For Change
Message 3: ​​​Letting Go and Letting God
Message 4: ​​The Transformation Choice
Message 5: ​The Growth Choice
Message 6: ​​​The Sharing Choice
Message 7: Breaking Free From Abuse

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This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at pastorrick.com.

Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including "The Purpose Driven Church" and "The Purpose Driven Life," read by more than 100 million people in 137 languages. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered across America.

This devotional © 2016 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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