He That Hath Ears to Hear

March 13, 2008, 12:45 pm; posted by
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I believe that the most pressing problem in the body of Christ — the thing that most hinders growth in Christians, leaving them confused and frustrated in their walk — is hearing from God. This article is the first in a series on hearing from God, taken from the Parable of the Sower.

Part One: The Importance of Hearing

In this parable, Jesus talks about a man sowing seed; He lists the four types of soil where the seed lands, then compares them to those who hear the word of God. Telling His disciples that “the seed is the word of God,” He specifically connects each type of soil to people. It is also important to note that when He tells and explains the parable in Matthew 13, He uses the words “hear,” “perceive,” and “understand” over 20 times! Clearly His point is to instruct us on how to hear from God.

But how important is hearing from God? Is it optional? Is it something that preachers and other spiritually-minded people do for us? Isn’t that why we pay preachers anyway, to hear from God and bring it down from the mountain to us like Moses did? No, no, no and no.

The Bible says that we are saved by faith, but it also says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” So a man cannot even be a Christian if he has not heard from God. Paul wrote to the Romans: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” A person must be in an active relationship with God’s Spirit — listening and obeying — to be considered a child of God.

Can you conceive of being married to someone with whom you never have any interaction? No talking, no listening, no times of intimacy? You are the bride of Christ; you must hear His voice! While Jesus is teaching this parable in Luke, someone tells Him that His family has come to see Him, and he says: “My mother and brothers are those who hear the Word of God and keep it!”

Hearing from God isn’t just important; it is everything to the Christian. In Deuteronomy 8, God tells the Israelites: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” Hearing from God is the first step in faith. James teaches that the blessed of God are not hearers only, but are both hearers and doers. He goes on to teach that true faith is a process, which must begin with hearing, proceed to belief and culminate in action.

The next three articles in this series will deal with the types of soil that keep us from hearing, cutting us off from fellowship with God and short-circuiting the work of faith in our lives.


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