FAITH comes by Hearing...
Here is a problem we all face… How to communicate effectively, accurately, and directly. As a Pastor, that problem is especially pronounced as it relates to communicating the gospel. Communication is so complex because our world is so broken. Our personal brokenness has a huge impact on our ability to hear. Words and actions get filtered through our past, our pain, our world view our brokenness. It is difficult if not impossible to hear beyond our bias.
Our life experiences have created “trigger” words, words that trigger emotional responses in us. Once we hear these words we are removed from a conversation we are having and immediately taken back to a painful experience from our past. By the time we rejoin the conversation in real-time, we have already made a judgment about the person speaking. Trigger words can also be cultural words that tie deeply to our personal feelings and emotions. Words that have come to define us, our beliefs, and our struggles. The solution is not to make people say what you want to hear. The solution is to allow God to heal your brokenness.
In her book “Strengthening The Soul of Your Leadership” Ruth Haley Barton recounts an entry from the book written by Parrish Priest Barbara Brown Taylor. The title of Taylor’s book was “Leaving the Church”. She wrote…. “about my effectiveness as a leader, never quite sure I am measuring up”. As a Pastor who is in my last decade of ministry, I have some very deep concerns about the number of spiritual leaders leaving the full-time ministry and pursuing other occupations. At the same time, I understand what is driving them to leave.
A recent survey of pastors across the U.S. is very telling…
72% of the pastors report working between 55-72 hours per week.
84% feel they are on call 24/7
80% believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families (many pastors children do not attend church as young adults because of what the church did to their parents)
76% of pastors report having their vacations and personal time interrupted with ministry duties or expectations.
57% of pastors have been bi-vocational for some or most of their ministry in order to pay bills.
70% of pastors report having a lower self-image than when they first started in ministry
Many pastor’s echo what Taylor wrote. They are unsure they are being effective. They see themselves as leaders in title but not in followers. There are many voices speaking today in this age of communication but are we listening? How can we hear? The Holy Spirit gives voice to the words of scripture as we read them. How can we know if we are hearing the counsel of God through the scriptures or hearing the voice of our brokenness in sin?
“The Holy Spirit gives voice to the words of scripture as we read them.”
Is the pastor preaching the counsel of God or a toxic gospel? The science of the study of the Bible is called Hermeneutics. Sound hermeneutical practices help us stay on track. Remember to put these into practice as you read through the Bible.
The context for a single passage or verse in the Bible is vital. First, you have the immediate context of the scriptures before and after the passage. In order to establish an immediate context, you may need to look at the chapters before and after as well. Keep in mind that the ultimate context for all scripture is the whole Bible, not just that section. you are reading. Ask yourself, is what I am hearing in harmony with the overall message of the Bible?
Original Hearers. It is important that we understand the customs, habits, and times into which those passages were originally spoken. In the New Testament, you may read about a sower who went out to sow…What does that mean? A sower was a farmer who was scattering seed in his field to grow a crop. In order to apply a passage of scripture to our lives today, we need to understand what was being communicated to the original hearers of the word.
The Christian Community serves to check and balance us in our reading of the scriptures. Mature believers who are men and women of integrity in the church community are a great help in keeping us balanced in our approach to scripture. Elders in the church, pastors and spiritual leaders who are seasoned in their walk and have successfully set up spiritual accountability circles in their lives and have become capable mentors. They have a proven record of rightly dividing the word of God. Attempting to live outside of the faith community makes us vulnerable to bad doctrine.
Scripture interpreting scripture: search for other passages of scripture that say the same thing. Look at them together and in their context. By looking at the passages together it can be easier to interpret meaning.
This is what I do as a pastor every week as I study the Word of God to prepare a message for His people that is from His heart. I want you to be able to clearly hear from God each week we gather. Think about these practices the next time someone offers you spiritual advice from the scriptures. Do they practice sound Biblical Hermeneutics as they study God’s word? Are they quoting form a book or THE BOOK?
There are as many experts in the world as there are people. We are all experts at something but if we want to be an expert at biblical preaching and teaching we must put in the work. You can do it. The Holy Spirit is available to you as a resource for discovering and living out the truth. Listen to God’s voice. He is speaking to you every day through His Word.