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The Blind Spot of the Spiritual Formation Movement
Listening to a sermon is a spiritual discipline that needs to be learned.
posted 11/24/08
The lost discipline of listening
Eight years ago I bought a Toyota Camry that has served me well in my daily commute to work. But I have discovered one downside: after several close calls, I've learned when changing lanes that I can check all my mirrors carefully and still miss a car that's right beside ...
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Alan Rathbun(Registered User)
Sounds great... now how do we train people to listen? :)
Lee Eclov
Brian, Right on! It isn't only that the spiritual formation movement doesn't consider preaching a spiritual discipline; they do not usually think of preaching at all. Nor do they ever help us think how to preach with a special bent toward spiritual formation. In one sense, of course, all biblical preaching is spiritual formation, but there is a soul-sense that some preaching has that contributes much more significantly to the shaping of souls that even biblical sermons which lack it. Thanks for this.
Pastor Richard
wow what an enlighting subject it has set me stright as a pastor of the gospel of Jesus Christ. it has helped me a lot helped me focus my message better God Bless You Keep up the good work that you are doing
Bill White
I'm a bit embarrassed that this is the first time the thought has ever occurred to me of listening to biblical preaching as a spiritual discipline. Thank you for this great contribution to the body of literature out there on spiritual disciplines. I hope this becomes more standard in that literature, because it has indeed been a real oversight.
Richard Doebler
Just as people can listen to sermons for the wrong reasons, we pastors can preach for the wrong reasons: to be entertaining, to gain favor with people by appealing to their natural desires, to impress people with our great knowledge, or to fulfill an obligation (part of our job description). There may be other deceptive motivations for preachers as well. If these times when people will not accept sound doctrine but rather seek to satisfy their own desires (2 Tim 4:3), it should be noted that they have co-conspirators: "a great number of teachers [who will] say what their itching ears want to hear."