Listening to Sermons

As a child preacher from aged 8 I listened intently to other peoples’ sermons selfishly to improve my own. I quickly learned that God could use me more mightily if I let Him teach me. (John 14:26 starts, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things”). So over the many decades since then I have listened, not for my preaching, but for my edification.

There was a time when I wondered why I listened so intently when I seemed to forget most of what I had heard. Words would go in one ear and out the other like a worm in a cornfield.

However …

1. John 14:26 continues, “[the Holy Spirit will] bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” In order for us to be reminded of something the Lord has said through His servants we must first hear or see it. And

2. By way of illustration: During our long and joyous marriage my wife Rosemary has prepared and served over 40,000 meals, and almost a third would have included a devotional reading and mealtime-worship. I must honestly confess that I can’t remember a fraction of what was in those meals or readings. However, I can honestly say that I have always been well fed.

Hearing a sermon is never a waste of time – listening to a sermon is never a waste of energy – jotting down what we hear is never a waste of ink (the act of writing in itself is a reinforcer for our memory) – and sharing what we have heard gives us a triple blessing (we are blessed when we hear, we are blessed again as we share and we are blessed when others respond to our sharing).

 

 

The need to cross the sea the witness?

The need to cross the sea the witness?

I recently met a Christian couple and their young children (from another denomination) who had advertised that they wished to give the bulk of their Christian books to a church library. As the librarian for our church library, I accepted their offer and visited them. As I journeyed for the visit, I prayed that they were not giving away their faith with their books.

As they shared their books they also shared that they were going overseas in two day’s time as missionaries to … wait for it … my own home town!

 

As we spoke together they shared some of their fears and anxieties about selling up and moving to a different country. As we discussed faith (and what it is and is not) I was able to reassure them of God’s love and watchcare. I knew that God would bless their obedience to His call, as they were amenable to counsel and learned from our discussion that Heaven is a free gift – that obedience is our ‘thank-you’ for what Jesus has already done rather than what we must do to earn salvation.  While referring to me as a ‘Grandfather in the Faith’ they believed that our meeting was a providential Divine appointment.

At the close of my visit I asked if I could pray with them, entreating God’s blessings on their family and ministry. Even though we had just met, we prayed together like a family.

As I was leaving, I silently prayed for them again and thanked God for the opportunity to encourage them in their faith, grateful for the opportunity to witness anywhere, any time. As I prayed, I could sense the Spirit convicting me that to witness you don’t need to CROSS the SEA, you just need to SEE the CROSS.

The Breath of God

“… there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth … understanding” Job 32:8).

It is absolutely vital that we have the *right* spirit to understand God and His Word aright.

In the Old Testament, the very first reference to the Holy Spirit is in verse 2 of Genesis 1: (… And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters). The word used here is the Hebrew word “ruwach” meaning breath (vis. The Breath of God). This corresponds to the “pneuma” that Dan mentions from the New Testament. This is expiration or God breathing out.

In Job 32:8 (But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.) the word for breath is “neshamah” meaning, once again to breathe. In 2 Timothy 3:16 (All scripture is given by inspiration of God…) the word for the expression “inspiration of God” is “theopneustos” meaning simply “God’s Breath”. Inspiration is breathing in the “neshamah” or “theopneustos” that God provides. Like life-or-death mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, it is vital that we breathe in (inspiration) the same breath God breaths out (expiration). There is so much ecclesiastical pollution in the world, so many false spirits, false prophets, false teachings, that we dare not allow our spiritual lungs to become contaminated with any other “breath”.

Fortunately, access to the same Spirit that breathed inspiration into the Bible writers is only a prayer away from breathing understanding into us.

Pray today like you’ve never prayed before and God will provide this life-or-death mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and revive your spirit with His. “… there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth … understanding” Job 32:8).

-- Lionel ><>
(Free resources on this topic are available from www.lrhartley.com/sg)