Programs And Podcasts

I guess I’m just too sensitive. I feel guilty when I walk in a store, knowing I’m not going to buy anything. And some bored salesperson sees me come in, and then you see that look of hope, that look of expectancy on their face, “At last I can justify my existence. At last I’ve got a customer! At last I can accomplish something. At last I can sell something.” And so they very pleasantly ask, “May I help you?” And then come those two most hated words to the ears of a salesperson, “Just looking.” Suddenly they lose all interest in me and they retire dejectedly back to their corner. Did I say I’m too sensitive? Well, I’ll tell you this, nobody ever gets very excited about someone who is just looking.

I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “Spiritual Spectators.”

Our word for today from the Word of God comes from John 9. I’ll begin reading at verse 13. It’s the story of the man who had been born blind who Jesus healed. Now, Jesus has always been troubled by people who are just looking. For example in this passage, “They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was the Sabbath. Therefore, the Pharisees also asked Him how he had received his sight. ‘He put mud on my eyes’ the man replied, ‘and I washed and now I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God for he does not keep the Sabbath.’”

This is amazing! You want to say to the Pharisees, “Guys, wake up! A man who could never see before was just healed! Do you understand what just happened?” And they are busy doing their theological analysis of the situation. They have no intention of buying into what Jesus is doing. They’re just looking. Everywhere Jesus performed miracles it seemed that there were two groups of people: the "expectors" who had faith, who wanted to get in on the supernatural and who did, and the "dissectors" who stood off with their arms folded and said, “What shall we call this? Where does this fit in our theology?” And they saw no miracle.

What bothers me is that the dissectors were the religious folks, the spiritual veterans, the Bible people. That’s me. That might be you. And they were always so busy analyzing

the miracle, they missed the miracle. You know, as you get more settled into Christian things and you know more Christian ideas, and hold more Christian jobs, a subtle numbness can start to grow inside of you. You go to church to watch God speak to others. You make spiritual events happen, but you stop letting them happen to you. You start to become a discusser of God’s working rather than an experiencer of His working. You used to have an experience now you just have knowledge.

You start to become critical of His leaders and their methods. Can you see that creeping sleep in your soul? Somewhere you stepped out of the middle of God’s life-changing work and you moved to the edges to watch, to analyze, to categorize, to criticize. Hey, it’s cold out there. You show up at God’s store, you look around, but you don’t buy into the wonder of it all. Why don’t you get back into the mainstream where the miracles are? Let God happen to you again, not just happen around you.

When Jesus is offering such supernatural merchandise, it would be a shame if you were just on the edges and just looking.

We wing our way down under to catch up with our favorite Scottish apologist who always offers keen biblical insight in the world around us. Listen as David Robertson shares his heart on the tragedy in Nepal, what happened when he was accused of “preaching politics” and so much more. Get ready to think biblically so you can better ‘contend for the faith’.

Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partners

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pastor J.D. cautions us about treating Jesus like an a la carte menu. We’ll see that we can’t take Jesus and “a little bit of this” and “a little bit of that” as we continue our series called, First: The Preeminence of Christ in Colossians.

God’s people had returned from exile with good intentions, but discouragement, opposition, and comfort slowly pushed God’s priorities aside.

In this opening message from Know Where You Stand, Dr. Michael Youssef shows how Haggai’s warning speaks directly to believers today. When cultural pressure rises and spiritual zeal fades, God calls His people to stop, examine their lives, and return to wholehearted obedience.

Those who belong to Jesus Christ cannot allow comfort, compromise, or fear to determine their priorities. God’s inerrant Word calls believers to repentance, renewed devotion, and courageous faithfulness.

This episode calls believers to:

The question is not simply where the culture stands. The question is: Do you know where you stand before the Lord?

Scripture Focus: Haggai 1:1–11

If today’s teaching stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.

Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care

Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com

If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.

❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

Would Jess Harnell eat an old jelly bean off the floor of his car? What’s his favorite extension cord color? And has he ever touched a dolphin? The voice of Wooton tackles totally random questions from fans about strange sounds, long hair, world travel, childhood dreams, and whether he actually likes licorice. Plus, hear a preview of “Suggestion Box.”

Disagreement and conflict is almost inevitable in human relationships. When that happens, some people put up their fists . . . others call up their lawyer. Others look up the Proverb that says a soft answer turns away wrath. In the big picture, those moments can either undergird our efforts to share Christ, or undermine them. Today on A NEW BEGINNING, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us deal with everyone in a spirit of grace and humility. We’re in Acts chapter 15.

—

Become a Harvest Partner today and join us in knowing God and making Him known through media and large-scale evangelism, our mission of over 30 years.

Explore more resources from Pastor Greg Laurie, including daily devotionals and blogs, designed to answer your spiritual questions and equip you to walk closely with Christ.

Support the show: https://bit.ly/anbsupport

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.