The paralytic man's friends had compassion on him. They heard Jesus was in the area so decided to take him to Jesus. They were totally convinced that he would heal their friend. Only problem how to get to Jesus because of the huge crowd blocking the entrance. What a creative way of getting through by tearing up the roof!! The paralytic man not only got healing for his body but also for his soul. "The man...jumped to his feet, picked up his mat, and went home praising God."Meeting felt needs gives me a platform to explore the potential for a spiritual ministry. Frequently God connects us with Muslims who have a felt need but more than that have spiritual capacity. Such was the case with a Saudi student needing help with English. At the very first meeting during 'Meet and Greet' Asif offered that "I'm reading a book on 'Bill' or 'Billy' or something like that." "You mean Billy Graham?" "Yes!", my friend answered. I knew where to take that. And we shared with him about the life and message of Billy Graham. We also prayed for his felt need of healing for his bumpy marriage.
Some time ago we connected with a Muslim researcher from a limited access nation. Iman lived in a boarding house where the main menu seemed to be pasta. When we had him over for dinner, he ate the delicious salmon meal that my wife prepared and even asked to take the leftovers home! Iman wasn't here long but long enough for him to remember our friendship. Some time later a friend of his family also came as a student. She came with a spiritual capacity. We have hope that not only Karima but others in her family will receive Jesus.
Many Christians are involved with meeting felt needs of refugees. Depending on the age and ability, it takes about five years for refugees to get past being overwhelmed with the settlement process and are empowered to move forward to getting established.
So, what do we do when there are no evident felt needs? How do we even make contact with Muslims who are established and doing well? With those whom we helped earlier, its easier to maintain contact from time to time. But generally new immigrants trying to get established are super busy with working more than one job and often more than 40 hrs. a week.
To move beyond felt needs takes prayer and being sensitive to where the Holy Spirit sends us. It's paramount that we are intentional--to not only meet the physical needs but also explore the spiritual needs. I heard recently that a Muslim leader was influencing the direction of a program by demanding that there be no 'God talk'. Being convinced that I'm not in a cultural exchange program, I won't allow Muslims to have the last word. Like the friends of the paralytic man, I too want to take my new friends to Jesus. Dear Jesus, you set the example of not only meeting felt needs but also dealing with spiritual needs. Please set our friends free from their bondage. Amen.
