“Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other,
and the LORD listened and heard.”
MALACHI 3:16
If you’re a sports fan or you’ve just seen a recent film, you’re probably going to find a way to talk about it. It’ll enter your conversation at some point. That’s just how we’re made. Something about sharing our common experiences gives them additional force. As we rehash the plot of a movie or some exciting play, we gain additional perspectives and insights that increase our delight.
Having been steeped in the book of Mark for the last year and a half, it’s time to talk about the impact that it’s had on us. We’re not the same, individually or corporately, because when the Word of God is preached, it “penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (HEBREWS 4:12). That means we’ve been changed.
Did one of us sit listening on the Sunday that Mark 1 was preached, as Jesus called to Simon and Andrew, “Come, follow me,” and those men decided to do exactly that (v. 17)? Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hear that person’s story?
In chapter 2, the paralytic’s friends tore a hole in a roof to make sure he reached Jesus. Which one of us was inspired to stop making excuses and found the courage to creatively introduce Jesus to a friend?
How did God use the verse, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (MARK 2:17)? Perhaps the person who heard that verse will share with the rest of us how they were convicted to be more courageous in the workplace.
Did Jesus’ ability to engage, again and again, with those who were hostile to His ministry inspire one of us not to despair in the face of adversity? Is that you? We need to hear how you found a second wind to persevere.
God has spoken to us through the Gospel of Mark. Now we need to tell each other about it, and this Sunday morning, you’ll be given the opportunity to share. Will you be praying that God will bless that service and remind you of the ways in which you’ve been impacted by Mark? As we talk with each other this Sunday, God will be listening and He will be glorified.
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