Today as I speak, the political scene in the United States is like a ticking time bomb. Christians in America are becoming more & more marginalized. People in our culture live in open hostility to the gospel while they totally embrace what God says is evil. Good is called evil and evil is called good. The talking heads on our news feeds spread deceptive propaganda. Our social system is a basket case. The church throughout our country suffers from so-called Christians with lazy hearts & itching ears. The institution of the family is broken. Our culture is permeated with a victim mentality that has undermined accountability and empowered people to believe they are entitled to handouts. Self-expression is valued over self-denial. Self-esteem is desired over God-esteem. The times we live in seem dismal & scary but the truth of this passage is that… “In the midst of a hostile & deceptive world, Jesus is the answer that silences the opposition.” Continue reading
Author: joemarino (Page 50 of 52)
“What do you want from God?” If you could ask God for anything right now what would you ask him for? What is the one thing that you’ve been asking for lately that you believe would radically change or alter the course of your life if God answered your prayer?
One of my favorite television shows on T.V. is called “The Voice”. Participants on “The Voice” have the opportunity to compete for a musical recording contract with a major recording label by showcasing their vocal talent during blind auditions where they sing for the opportunity to be chosen by a coach to join that coaches team and then they proceed to the battle rounds & the knock out rounds where they compete against other participants to make it into the finals and then finally they head to the finale where 3-4 participants compete for America’s vote.
This passage is all about worshipping King Jesus. It’s all about how Jesus’ followers worship their king by giving their possessions to him, lifting their voices in praise of him and shattering the stony silence of the pride filled Pharisees. This passage is really an invitation for us to come and worship the King of Kings with our possessions & our voices while disrupting the silence of the dying world around us.
Kent Hughes says, “We may be horrified by the fierceness of this passage, but beneath the terrifying imagery is a solemn fact: Jesus, coming into the world, forces every person to decide – and the decision is a matter of life and death.” The investment of the gospel is a matter of life and death.
In the opening line of the movie Goodfellas, the narrator Ray Liota, who plays the character of Henry Hill, says, “As far back as I can remember… I always wanted to be a gangster”! Every time I hear that line I think of Henry ’s little gangster buddy named Tommy who was played by Joe Pesci who makes a perfect gangster with his short little legs, his high pitched winey voice, his arrogant swagger and his hot headed temper. In many ways I think Joe Pesci would have played the part of Zacchaeus really well. I can just see him running along on his short little legs ahead of the crowd to climb a tree to see the world famous Jesus as he entered into town. I can see him hiding in the tree from the crowd that hated his guts because of all the years of stealing money from them. I can see his surprise when Jesus stops and turns his attention on him and calls him by name. I can see the little guy nearly falling out of the tree in his excitement to meet Jesus and I can see the crowd booing because Jesus invites himself over to his house.
Look at Luke 18:35 – 43…
35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.
Kent Hughes in his commentary on Luke 18:35 – 43 says, “There is only one thing worse than blindness, and that is not knowing that you are blind. Multitudes are blind to their darkness, blind to their sin, blind to their destiny, blind to their hopelessness, spiritually out of touch.”
Philip Ryken begins his commentary on Luke 18:28-34 by saying “There are times in life when even the strongest Christians wonder whether it’s really worth it to follow Jesus. Once you make a total life commitment to Christ, there are certain commands you are committed to obey, certain pleasures you choose to forgo, and certain sacrifices you are compelled to make. Sometimes it is so hard to follow Jesus that it is tempting to wonder whether it is really worth all the trouble. Maybe life is better with Jesus, but it doesn’t always seem that way”.
At The Well, Our Mission & Vision is to be a gospel centered church family of gospel communities that grow disciples who glorify God by following Jesus, leading families, making disciples, equipping missionaries and planting churches. – Matt. 28:18 – 20
What is the distinguishing mark of someone who is a Christian?
I think that we sometimes think that Christians are distinguished or set apart from other people who are not Christians by our learning… our friends… our religious practices… our knowledge… our experiences… or our accomplishments and as good as all those things are they really aren’t the defining factors of what it means to come to Christ and follow him. So what is the distinguishing mark of someone who is a Christian?