3 things we need to do when we hear God's Word

 

image source: http://www.truthinlove.com/gallery/parable_sower.gif

I heard about the Parable of the Sower when I was a kid and immediately without knowing what it means, I told myself I wanted to be the seed in the good soil. This parable is mentioned in all 3 synoptic gospels and interestingly one of the very few parable that Jesus go into length to explain what the parable means.  This parable is about learning God’s Word and its possible outcome.

Today, I am going to look into the seed that is in the good soil. The explanation for this in Matthew Mark and Luke are:

^{Matthew 13:23} And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

^{Mark 4:20} And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

^{Luke 8:15} But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

If you look at the explanation they are not exactly the same.  One common theme is that after learning God’s Word, we are to bear fruit thirty, sixty and hundredfold.  When we examine the 3 verses, there are 3 different reactions to hearing God’s Word and they are:

1. Understand
2. Accept
3. Hold fast

These 3 reactions are different but related. It describe the entire process or outcome. I am going to go into this in more detail but the entire process is that we need to understand God’s Word, accept God’s Word and then hold fast to God’s Word with perseverance.

I have been using this principle when I teach Sunday school. First of all, I have to follow these 3 steps and then my goal is for the students to follow these 3 steps. 

First step - Understand

Sunday preaching, Sunday school, radio programs and Bible study are the usually place that we hear God’s Word. One of the Holy Spirit’s jobs is to help us understand God’s Word. We need to also pray for ourselves consistently so that we will be able to understand God’s Word.

Inductive Bible Study is a good way to understand the Bible.

This is why it is very important for Sunday School teachers to use illustrations to explain the Bible verse during the lesson. It will be even better after the illustration, if we can use real life example to show if we fail to do what the Bible teaches us or examples of how we can achieve what the Bible teaches us to do.

 

Second step - Accept

To accept is not just to agree with what the Bible said.  We also need to live it out in our daily life especially when there is no other people is around you.  

If we can live out what the Bible teaches us even when there is no other people that is around, we are truly living out God's standard.  I often ask my kids "We do not go over the speed limit even if there is no police (or we think) is around?".  On a business trip when when we are along in the hotel room, do we visit web site that we will not when we are at home or when others are around us?

 

Third step - Hold fast

The Book of Luke has the most detail in the explanation of what it means by seed in the good soil.  We are to hear/receive God's Word with a honest and good heart.  Honest and good heart in Chinese is 誠 實 善 良 的 心 but it is used to describe how we are to hold fast instead of to hear/receive with a 誠 實 善 良 的 心.  After we understand and accept God's Word the most important and difficult part is to hold fast with perseverance.  We need to hold fast until the end and we are to bear fruit with perseverance.  This is something that really takes faith and love to hold fast on God's Word.
  
Do you also wanted to be the good soil such that when you hear God's Word, you will understand, accept and hold fast until end and to bear fruit with perseverance?

Secret source for cooking up a delicious Sunday School lesson

What is the Purpose of Sunday School?

Sunday school is a place where we learn about the Bible but it is not for knowledge about God but the ultimate objective is to know God as He speaks to us through the Bible.  God Word (the Bible) is alive:

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" Hebrews 4:12

What is a Delicious Sunday School Lesson?

I like to eat and I always use food for illustrations and beside God’s Word is our spiritual food.  For me a delicious Sunday School lesson is not with tons of knowledge or deep theology.  A delicious Sunday School lesson is where God speaks directly to us via His Word.  I still remember on particular lesson 30 some years ago on II Chronicles 1 about when God ask King Salomon what did he want and King Salomon just ask for wisdom to rule the country instead of asking thing for himself.  It was just a simple story and yet I remember this very well and practice this myself all these years.

Secret source for a Delicious Sunday School Lesson

The secret source is – Prayer, Prayer and Prayer

Both Sunday School teachers and students have to pray earnestly for the lesson.  One verse particular talked to me:

"My message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men but on the power of God" I Corinthian 2:4

This verse shows me that when we teach Sunday School, we should not to rely on human wisdom and to use persuasive words in our lesson. Often time we would look up tons of commentaries and try to make the lesson as deep as possible. While this is a good thing to do but it should not be the main preparation for a Sunday School lesson. This same verse also tells me that the objective of the Sunday School lesson is to build up faith and that the faith should be toward God and not toward the teacher or any other person.

This verse tells us that when we teach or preach it should be able to demonstrate the Spirit and God's Power. There is one thing we can do so that we will be able to demonstrate the Spirit and God's Power. 

This one thing is prayer. How many hours have we prayed for the lessons? 

But what are we to pray about? 

We should pray that God will speak directly to us from the passage that we are to teach and that God will also speak directly to the students.  Our job as a Sunday School teacher is just to facilitate God's speaking directly to the students.  When we teach we are the prophet of God and our job is to speak for Him so we must let God's Word speak to us first before teaching the lesson. It is not easy and and takes time and it is much difficult than digging into the various commentaries.  But this is a spiritual battle that we need to fight every lesson.

God Speaking to us directly - Rhema

Sunday School is all about God speaking to us directly through His Word and this is what we called - Rhema. I have another post that talks about this and will not repeat what Rhema is here.  

So let's put in the secret source for this coming Sunday's lesson so that it will be delicious.

Did you provoke someone today?

“Provoke” in the modern day English has negative meanings but in the context of Hebrews 10:24, we are to actually commend to provoke others. 

"and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works" Hebrews 10:24 KJV

NASB uses the word “stimulate” which does not carry the negative connotation.  
"and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds" Hebrews 10:24 NASB

The Chinese translation bring it one step further using 2 verbs  激 發 and 勉 勵

"又 要 彼 此 相 顧 ， 激 發 愛 心 ， 勉 勵 行 善" 
 

I believe regardless of what translation you read, we can see the action be it "to provoke", "to stimulate", "to  激 發" or "to 勉 勵",  it is something that does not happen naturally or automatically. We need to take special efforts to help one another to love one another or to perform “good deeds” to one another.  

One illustration that I can think of is when we “jump start” a stalled car.  The stalled car has all the necessary parts and all it needs is some external stimulation and in this case electric power.

image source: http://i1.adis.ws/i/washford/Jumpstart_Car_Body_Image_1.jpg?$adpgraphic$

So how can we provide this external electric power to jump start one another to love and/or to perform good deeds?

To stimulate/provoke can be by action or by word.

To stimulate/provoke by action
The Chinese translation 激 發 does give good description on how to stimulate/provoke in action and that is to lead by example.  We are to do it ourselves.  We need to practice how to love one another.

I like the book "The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts" by Gary Chapman.  If one of your love language is to give gifts than show your love by giving someone a small gift.

We are to perform good deeds.  What does it mean by "good".  This should be according to God's standard.  When we do good deeds people can see it and is likely to follow.  As for me the guideline for doing good deed will result in drawing people closer to God.

To stimulate/provoke by words

One way to stimulate/provoke by words is to say thanks to one another as you see fit.  For example, after Bible study we can say “Thanks for leading the Bible study”.  You never know what others are going through in their daily lives and that include the pastors, deacon or other leaders of your church.  You never know what impact you have to others.

 

I am not suggesting to blindly saying GOOD things about others.  When we saying something to others we need to first listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  We are all prophets of God –

“I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him.”.  Deut 18:18

Being a prophet is simply being a mouth piece of God.  God put His Words in the prophet's mouth and command the prophet to speak for Him. God can choose to you to deliver a full blow sermon on Sunday worship, God can also choose you to say a simple sentence such as “Thanks for picking up the trash on the floor”.

 

I am prompted to write this blog post hoping to provoke or to stimulate YOU to love one another and/or to perform a good deed.  So listen to the Holy Spirit so that you will know to whom you can provide this external electric power to the person that God wanted you to “jump start”