Why Don't I Get Anything Out of the Preaching?
Why Don’t I Get Anything Out of the Preaching?
What must be considered is not just if we attend church but how.
“Why am I not getting anything out of the preaching?” On occasion, as a pastor I have heard this question. What must be considered is not just if we attend church but how. Have I prepared my heart to receive the Word? Have I prepared myself spiritually to fellowship with God‘s people? Many Christians have developed the habit of being in church all the time. That is a good first step. But the same believers often have never grown past that first step.
Acts 2:42 describes the New Testament church in its early days. Its spiritual activity and fellowship hinged on their devoted attitude toward the Word of God. We are told that “they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine...”. This means that they were devoted to the teaching of the Word of God. E.M. bounds said of devotion:
“Devotion to God—there is no substitute for this in the preacher’s character and conduct. Devotion to a Church, to opinions, to an organization, to orthodoxy—these are paltry, misleading, and vain when they become the source of inspiration... God must be the mainspring of the preacher's effort, the fountain and crown of all his toil. The name and honor of Jesus Christ, the advance of his cause, must be all in all. The preacher must have no inspiration but the name of Jesus Christ, no ambition but to have him glorified, no toil but for him. Then prayer will be a source of his illuminations, the means of perpetual advance, the gauge of his success. The perpetual aim, the only ambition, the preacher can cherish is to have God with him.”
E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer, ch. 10
Some of the saddest words in the Bible were when Jesus spoke to the Pharisees and quoted from Isaiah where it reads about Israel, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” Matthew 15:8 (c.f Isaiah 29:13).
God is the only satisfaction of our soul. The Psalmist David prayed:
“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.” Psalm 63:1-4
What follows are certainly not original with me, but intuitive ways to get more from preaching:
1) Be prayerful.
Bounds reminded his readers that there can be no true devotion without prayer. When we have been praying, our hearts will be ready and receptive to hear what God has to say from his Word. We are to be asking God to teach us and to change us, to convict us, and to comfort us.
2) Be organized.
We should have ways to handle and avoid “mishaps”. Have your Bible, outfit, car keys, and anything else you might need at hand the night before. This can often help avoid or lessen delays and confusion. There are moments when the family will be snipping at each other on the way to church, moments when a husband and wife may have some heavy life issue weighing on their hearts together. Of course, there are those moments when something goes wrong with the car, or you hit traffic. Organization and preparation will help with those seen and unforeseen circumstances that can occur on Sundays.
3) Be engaged.
Acquire a good notebook to jot simple and quick notes during a message. Write down verses, quotes, points that are made. Take interest in what is being said even if it is not a “hot button” issue. Pay close attention to the small details. Those things can have a very big and transformative effect. The sermon was not given for how exciting, emotional, or trendy it was, but rather for the spiritual truth it contained.
4) Be involved.
Take advantage of other times and opportunities that your church has provided to study and learn the Bible along with other believers. Ruth showed an involved spirit toward Naomi when she essentially said she would go where Naomi would go, she would stay where Naomi would stay, and she would put her trust in God along with Naomi and Naomi’s people (Ruth 1:16).
5) Be gleaning.
Avoid at all cost presuming that there is nothing to be gleaned from that sermon and applied to your life. Always have an attitude that says, “Lord what do you want me to take away from this sermon.”
If we apply these simple things we will find our church attendance will make more of a difference in our personal lives.
Brian Balzamo is the pastor of South Baptist Church of Staten Island, New York.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Reason Together Podcast.
