Effectively Hearing and Proclaiming the Word of God

Effectively Hearing and Proclaiming

the Word of God

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and He saw two boats lying at the edge of the lake; but the fishermen had gotten out of them and were washing their nets. And He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little way from the land; and He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat.” (Luke 5:1–3).

 

 

 

As I meditate on the passage, I desire to receive the instruction given to us.

 

(1)    While meditating on this passage, my attention was first drawn to the words, “the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God” (Lk. 5:1).  As I meditated on the description of how many people desired to hear the word of God from Jesus during His teaching ministry, I was also led to meditate on Acts 10:33 and Acts 13:44 in the New Revised translation.

 

(a)    (Acts 10:33) “So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come.  Now then, we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.”

 

(i)                 These are the words spoken by Cornelius—the centurion of the Italian Regiment, a devout man who feared God along with his entire household, gave generously to the people, and prayed to God continually—when Peter arrived at his house.  Cornelius had seen a vision at about three in the afternoon in which an angel told him to send men to Joppa and summon Simon called Peter; Cornelius obeyed, and when Peter came, Cornelius spoke these words.

 

·            From Cornelius’s statement—saying that he, together with his relatives and close friends, had gathered “in the presence of God” to hear “everything the Lord commanded” Peter—I receive two lessons about how we should hear God’s word:

 

-             First, when we hear God’s word through the Lord’s servant, we must listen not merely to the servant but to “everything the Lord has commanded” that servant to speak—not selecting only the words we want to hear [“For the time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine; instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim. 4:3)].

 

n   Professor Jay Adams, in his book “Preaching: How to Listen to a Sermon,” says the following: “One must have earnest expectation—that is, an attitude of preparation.  Scripture says, ‘they received the word with great eagerness’ (Acts 17:11).  Only when there is expectation does one hear well.  When listening to a sermon, concentrate on one thing: ‘What is the word that God will give me today?’  There must be childlike openness—purity of heart and an open mind to hear.  We must search the Scriptures with earnestness in order to discover truth.  If one approaches with prejudice, he gains nothing. Listening in order to find fault is the sign of a sick ear.  Hebrews 5:11 says, ‘We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to understand.’  There is such a thing as a dull ear. Listening to sermons is not about fault-finding but truth-seeking.”

 

-             Second, we must gather “in the presence of God” to hear God’s word.

n   The phrase “Coram Deo” comes to mind. “Coram Deo” is Latin for “before the face of God.”  It refers to the attitude of living one’s entire life consciously before God, recognizing that God is always watching, and therefore living truthfully in all words and actions under His presence.  To live coram Deo means to live one’s whole life in the presence of God, under the authority of God, and for the glory of God.  It means acknowledging that whatever we do, and wherever we do it, we act under God’s penetrating gaze; we cannot escape His presence.  Recognizing God’s presence also means recognizing His sovereignty—acknowledging that if God is truly God, then He is sovereign.

 

n   1 Samuel 3:9–10 is a good example of this posture: “Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go and lie down; and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’’  So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’  And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for Your servant is listening.’”

 

(b)    (Acts 13:44) “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of God.”

 

(i)                 This verse records what happened when Paul, having entered the synagogue in Pisidian Antioch on the Sabbath (v. 14), delivered a message of exhortation to those gathered (vv. 15-41).  The people asked him to speak again the next Sabbath (v. 42).  And so, almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of God (v. 44).

 

·            The main point that Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, who recorded these words, is trying to make is that the whole city of Pisidian Antioch was in an uproar because the Apostle Paul's preaching was so successful, and even more people were flocking to the synagogue to hear Paul's sermon (Hochma).

 

-             Here, what is “successful preaching”?  Successful preaching is that which interprets the biblical text accurately and clearly, enabling the listeners to understand the word of God and apply it to their lives.  Preaching is more than conveying information; it leads the audience to focus on God, experience the work of the Holy Spirit, and see real transformation in life.

n   Key elements of successful preaching include:

 

Biblical, text-centered interpretation that conveys the meaning of the passage without distortion.

 

Clarity and concreteness, making even difficult theological concepts understandable and connected to daily life.

 

Application that leads listeners to apply Scripture well after the sermon is over.

 

God-centered focus, helping the congregation concentrate on God and experience the Spirit’s work.

 

Persuasiveness and impact, using logic, biblical knowledge, and illustrations to reach the heart.

 

(2)    Continuing my meditation on Luke 5:1–3, I became interested in the fishermen who had gotten out of the boats and were washing their nets (v. 2).  Perhaps this is because, unlike the crowd pressing in to hear the word of God, these fishermen were simply carrying out their work on the shore.

 

(a)    The “lake of Gennesaret” is another name for the Sea of Galilee—called by various names in the Old and New Testaments.  It is a freshwater lake fed by the Jordan River, rich with fish, surrounded by fertile ground suitable for many crops, and subject to sudden storms due to its geography.  This region served as the center of Jesus’ ministry, the place where He called His disciples and where He performed miracles such as the feeding of the five thousand (Hochma).

 

(i)                 When Jesus spoke at this lake—teeming with fish, crowded with people eager to hear God’s word—the Scripture says there were also two boats there, and the fishermen were washing their nets (Lk. 5:1-2).  This brings to my mind a picture of people who long for God’s word, alongside people who are faithfully attending to their ordinary daily labor.

 

·            From this image, I am reminded of the need for balance between spiritual life and ordinary life. In other words, within the regular routines of daily life—eating, sleeping, working, and social responsibilities—we must carry on our spiritual life. To neglect ordinary life in the name of spirituality is unbalanced; likewise, to neglect spiritual life while focusing only on everyday life is also unbalanced.

 

-             As a pastor, I too receive the lesson that after my daily ministry hours, I must faithfully fulfill my family responsibilities—carrying out church ministry and family ministry wisely and in balanced, steady faithfulness.

 

(3)    Finally, from Luke 5:1–3 I meditate on the fact that Jesus got into Simon’s boat, had him put out a little from the land, sat down, and taught the crowds from the boat (v. 3).  Why did Jesus choose not to stand on the shore and teach the many people there, but instead teach from Simon’s boat a short distance from land?

 

(a)    According to the Hochma commentary, Jesus' words were not easily conveyed amidst the crowd, and the crowd, unable to hear him clearly, naturally became noisy.  Therefore, Jesus, who was standing with the crowd, used Simon's boat to effectively preach (teach).  So, Jesus climbed into Simon's boat, invited Simon to pull away from the lake, and using the boat as a lectern, he taught the crowd (Hochma).

 

(i)                 So, I searched on Google, asking: “What changes in environment or circumstances are needed to proclaim God’s word effectively?”  And I found this answer:

 

·            To proclaim the word effectively, transformation must occur within one’s inner environment—aligning one’s thoughts and desires with God’s will—and also in concrete aspects of life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, organic transformation takes place, which in turn influences the surrounding environment positively. Ultimately, rather than living by the world’s standards, it is by living according to God’s word itself that the truth of the gospel is most effectively communicated.

 

-             1. Inner transformation needed in certain environments or situations

Thoughts and perspectives: We must abandon thinking shaped by worldly logic and desires, and be transformed into new perspectives led by the Spirit.

 

Desires: We must regulate our desires through Scripture and the fruit of the Spirit (self-control), valuing what is godly rather than worldly greed.

 

Attitude of faith: We must not treat the word as mere knowledge but practice it with living faith in every area of life.

 

-             2. Practical transformation needed in life

 

Actions: Living faith must express itself in deeds; habits, relationships, and all areas of life must be transformed.

 

Relationship with the world: We must abandon greed-driven lifestyles and instead participate in preserving creation and beautifying the world.

 

Approach to application: We must apply Scripture not superficially or with wrong assumptions, but within the whole context of the Bible, finding joy in connecting with God.

 

-             3. Influence on the surrounding environment

 

Power of the Holy Spirit: Organic transformation by the Spirit demonstrates the power of the word, positively influencing those around us.

 

Whole gospel: Experiencing how the gospel transforms every aspect of life allows us to manifest God through the resulting fruit.

 

Genuine faith: As others witness the positive changes in our lives, living in the guidance of the Spirit becomes a powerful testimony.