Christocentric

There is no doubt that this has happened to you before. You are normal. You are human. What am I speaking of you may ask? Here is the scenario: it is Tuesday morning and you are in a conversation with a coworker who is a Christian. Then, they ask the question. “What did your pastor preach on Sunday?” You sit there…with that blank look on your face…wracking your brain trying to remember the sermon from last Sunday morning. Isn’t this embarrassing?

Do not fret. This has happened countless times before and to countless people before you. However, this is a situation that needs to be remedied. I trust that the following will be beneficial to you, your spiritual walk, and the lives of your family members as you seek to benefit from your pastor’s preaching. There are five things that I believe need to be implemented in your attendance in preaching and then afterwards in your home.

First, you must learn to listen well. This is a discipline just as praying is a discipline. As with most things that are done in life that provide some benefit, listening must be done with intent. The book of Proverbs informs of this concept at least three times within the first five chapters. We are told that we must listen to the wisdom of God for His instruction and so that our days will be without disaster. We are also told to heed the warning of not listening to His instruction (Cf. Proverbs 1:33; 5:7; 5:13). When one comes to the time of preaching and is sitting under the instruction of their pastor, they must be intent in listening to their pastor deliver God’s Word to God’s people. This will take practice, as do all things that are worth doing. But do not be discouraged; listen to God’s Word, intently.

Second, you must learn to take notes while you are listening to the preaching of God’s Word. Taking notes will force you to listen well. However, this is not the only reason to take notes. Below, I will talk about two ways in which your notes should be used, but now the question remains, how do I take notes? Or, what should I write down? For starters, you want to right down all the main points that your pastor preaches from the text for that sermon. You would also want to include supplemental texts that he may refer to during the sermon. As well, you would want to write down, in a brief sentence, the main points of applications - things you must do or put into practice. These are the core items you want to jot down. Anything above and beyond this you want to include would only be to your benefit.

Third, review your notes with your family, especially if you are a father. It is without doubt that if our memory is to serve us well in anything we do, the process of reviewing what is learned is a necessity. This is no different in the development of your relationship with God. I would encourage you, if you are not already doing so, to sit down with your family on Sunday afternoons and discuss the sermon that you heard that morning. Pull out your notes and talk about the main points of the sermon. Keep in mind that this is a conversation that is to be edifying to your family members and to yourself and to be glorifying to God. In other words, this is not a time to talk about the deficiencies of your pastor’s preaching or to critique is style. This is a time that is to be centered on God and His growth for you through the preaching of His Word.

Fourth, refer to your notes to make constant application in your life. Maybe there was one point of application that your pastor really hit home on concerning your life or sin in your life. Review that point from your notes often throughout the week, prayerfully asking God to show you how to draw closer to Him through the preaching of His Word and the application made to your life through it.

Fifth, and perhaps most importantly, to benefit from your pastor’s preaching, pray for him. Each and everyday, lift your pastor up before the Lord that he would be diligent in his study each day, that the message in God’s Word would be applied to his own life each day, and that he would be faithful in preaching what God’s Word says and only what God’s Word says. As a pastor myself, I can honestly say that we covet the prayers of our people. And as well, when you are praying for him, your own heart will be placed in submission under him who is under the authority of God’s Word.

This may sound like a lot to do. But again, do not be discouraged. Start applying these principles even now. Write these principles down, review them with your family, apply them one by one, and right now start praying for your pastor. Maybe this Sunday will be different and maybe next Monday or Tuesday when you are asked the question of what your pastor preached on, without hesitation you will be able to answer properly and to the glory of God!