9Marks of a Healthy Church MEMBER: Expositional LISTENING

Sometimes we are too quick to blame the preacher for us not "getting anything" from the sermon, but maybe it's our fault because we don't really know how to listen to a sermon. Below is a few excerpts from Thabiti Anabwile's article on how to listen (Expositional Listening) to a sermon and you can find the entire article at the link below.

Dan

9Marks of a Healthy Church MEMBER: Expositional LISTENING

By Thabiti Anyabwile

What is “expositional listening”?

There is an important corollary for every member of a local church. Just as the pastor’s preaching agenda is to be determined by the meaning of Scripture, so too must the listening agenda of the Christian be driven by the meaning of Scripture. What we are listening for when the Word is preached is not primarily “practical how-to advice,” though Scripture teaches us much about everyday matters. Nor should we listen for messages and ideas that bolster our self-esteem or that rouse us for political and social causes. Rather, as members of Christian churches we are listening for the voice and message of God as revealed in His word. We are listening to hear God speak to us the things He has in His omniscient love written for His glory and our blessing. Listening for the meaning of a passage of Scripture, and accepting that meaning as the main idea to be grasped for our personal and corporate lives as Christians, is what we mean by “expositional listening.”

How can church members cultivate the habit of expositional listening?

Well, if expositional listening is so vital to the health of individual church members and the church as a whole, how does a person form such a habit? At least six practical ideas can foster more attentive listening to God’s word.
1. Meditate on the sermon passage during your quiet time.
2. Invest in a good set of commentaries.
3. Talk and pray with friends about the sermon after church
4. Listen to and act on the sermon throughout the week.
5. Develop the habit of addressing any questions about the text itself.
6. Cultivate humility.

* Taken from:

http://9marks.org/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID314526CHID598014CIID2190814,00.html