Warren made his living as a fire-breathing evil clown in a Las Vegas horror house, and he worked out how to destroy a church that was just starting: sit in the middle of the room and, mid-service, begin screaming and hitting people. He got so drawn in that he forgot to do it, and came back week after week. Luke’s Gospel (Luke 5) tells two stories of the same shape: friends who take a roof apart to lower a paralysed man in front of Jesus, and Levi the tax collector, the least likely candidate in town. The preacher advises leading with love rather than with truth. Listen if there is someone you have long written off as beyond reach.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Luke 5:17-26 four friends dig through a roof to lay a paralyzed man before Jesus. What does it tell us about them that Jesus, "seeing their faith," forgives their friend's sins?
- Why was calling Levi the tax collector so shocking to the Jews of that time, and what does his banquet with tax collectors show about why Jesus came (Luke 5:27-32)?
- The speaker stresses that when you know Jesus, you want everyone to know Jesus. What makes that passion fade or grow in you?
- The stories of Warren and Travis show that Jesus pursues the "least likely." Who around you do you think would never come to Jesus, and why?
- Why do you think sinful people wanted to be around the sinless Jesus, and what does it mean for you to "lead with love, not with truth" when talking with someone far from God?
- What specific "roof" could you dig through this week to help one person you pray for come closer to Jesus?
