Subs and Substance Week 13

The Characteristics of a Roof Crasher

Luke 5:

 ¹⁷On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. ¹⁸⁽And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, ¹⁹but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. ²⁰And when he saw their faith, he said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you." ²¹And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" ²²When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, "Why do you question in your hearts? ²³Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? ²⁴But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"—he said to the man who was paralyzed—"I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home." ²⁵And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. ²⁶And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen extraordinary things today."

After reading this passage and considering the reality of this historical event, the boys discussed the ccharacteristics of a "Roof Crasher". Following is a partial list of these characteristics...

Loyal

Stay close to friends

Pure

Courageous

Determined

Amazing

Unconventional

Kind

Macho

Diligent

Disciplined

Trusting

Encouraging

Comforting

Men of Faith

Obedient

Trustworthy

Followers of Christ

Brave

Goal Makers

Intentional

This was our last and final meeting before Christmas. We decided to unpack these characteristics in more detail in the year to come.

Subs and Substance Week 12

Christians Of Courage And Compassion

In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise-- in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:10-11)

On September 11, a man named Todd Beamer boarded flight 93. The majority of people in America had never heard this name before, but after that day his notoriety has grown considerably. Did he write a hit pop single? Did he produce a groundbreaking video? Did he write an amazing best seller? Actually, Todd Beamer did none of these things, but his actions far surpassed all musician, producer, and author's works combined.

Flight 93 was supposed to be the fourth plane used as a devastating weapon against our nation. The smallest flight to be hijacked with only 45 people aboard out of a possible 289 had 84% of its capacity unused. Yet these people stood up to the attackers and thwarted a fourth attempted destruction of a national landmark, saving untold numbers of lives in the process. One of those people was Todd Beamer- a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. Moments before he and the other passengers rallied against the hijackers, he prayed Psalm 23 with a phone operator, and his last words were: "are you ready? Let's roll!"

Todd Beamer gave his life so that other lives could be saved. His faith in Christ and his assurance that he would be in heaven gave him the tremendous courage it took to accomplish his heroic acts.

These men should serve as an amazing example to us. We are called to be men of conviction, standing tall for Christ and serving Him fearlessly. Be prepared believer- you never know what day you may be called on to offer yourself for His glory.

Questions:

1. Would you be willing to pay the ultimate price for Christ?
2. What are your biggest fears about serving God every day?
3. What would you have done if you were Todd Beamer?