There are some party-crashers in our story. They are unable to get in to the banquet – even though they had been invited! In their case, they waited too long to get in, and the door was permanently shut. The banquet in this Bible passage represents salvation and eternal life. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
For all this woman’s suffering, her spiritual focus was upward. As difficult as it was to get ready, and to get around, she was in the synagogue. Apparently she was a regular worshipper, because no one took any special notice of her. Her quality of life was first and foremost spiritual. Her physical condition was secondary. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Whether disasters are natural, or national, or personal, there is a tendency to see them as deserved by sinners who are being judged by God. The question we might want to ask ourselves is this: How does Jesus want us to understand disasters? (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Fires, fire season, and firestorms, are the images Jesus used in our text. He first talked about the fire season, saying, I came to send fire on the earth (v49). The fire He spoke of is not yet kindled; but, when it is, it will be a firestorm of enormous magnitude. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
You and I, if we are Christians, are servants in the Lord’s household on earth – the Church. When He returns to earth, and we return with Him, it is His desire we all be promoted to stewards, to aid and assist Him in governing His kingdom on earth. These verses, like any good want ad, list those prerequisites and
performance. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Those who are wealthy always seem to want more. Those who are wanting always seem to want more. Both the wealthy and the wanting suffer from the same spiritual disease: Covetousness. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Jesus was giving His disciples an illustration. He would be their Darshan, whispering to them what to say through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. They were His Amora – broadcasting His message wherever they went. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
While many will tell you that Lent and Ash Wednesday were celebrated by the first followers of Jesus, they are not in the Bible, and you can’t find them in Church history until about the fourth century. Still, it grew as a religious ritual – especially among Roman Catholics. Religious rituals are becoming more popular among Christians. What do we think about religious rituals? (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Sweeping-out your heart is a picture of reforming your life. You’ve got problems, or issues; addictions or compulsions. So you set out to improve yourself; you set out to reform your ways. You can accomplish a great deal of reform. But reform always leaves you vacant and vulnerable. God is not looking for reform. He is calling upon you to repent! (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Jesus had just given His disciples what we call the Lord’s Prayer. It was really a model, or a pattern, for them to follow when they prayed. In the verses that immediately follow the Lord’s Prayer (the verses we have read and are studying), it’s as if Jesus was saying, “Now go and ask your Father!” Except that, in this case, you want to hear those words; they do not mean “No!” but seem to mean “Yes!” (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The Lord’s Prayer was one of those formal prayers I had recited hundreds of times. I see now that it is not so much a formal prayer, as it is a form for prayer. It’s not wrong to recite it; but it is better to regard it as a model or a pattern for how to pray. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Here we have a story that helps us understand our own priority as Christians, and what we should emphasize as we work for Jesus. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
You should read and interpret the Word of God in a way that enlarges your heart to treat others the way God has treated you. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
The measures of success are different; but they are usually something quantifiable: More money, higher test scores, the acquisition of territory. These concepts are good so far as the world is concerned. You want to see results, and you want to gain more resources. What about in the Church? Are results and resources the true measure of success? (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Our text in the Gospel of Luke reads like a dummies-guide; it could be called Discipleship for Dummies. Don’t be offended by the word ‘dummies.’ It describes the average person, who needs a few simple guidelines in order to better understand the subject matter. (Pastor Gene Pensiero)
Podcast: Play in new window | Download