By Pastor Stephen Hess –
Throughout the history of the church, there have been two things that God has used more than anything else to build, renew, and revive his church. These two things are the Word of God and prayer. Pastor and author Kevin DeYoung once said, “If a church’s supposed success is ultimately coming from something other than the Word of God and prayer, then it’s not Christ Jesus building the church, it’s a bunch of us just trying to be smart and hardworking and build something else.”
Over the past year at Highview, we have tried to be more intentional about devoting ourselves to prayer. Last summer we went through a 12-week prayer journey focusing on the theme of “Awakening” with accompanying prayer guides and prayer meetings. In the fall these prayer meetings continued with people gathering to pray every Sunday before worship. In a few weeks we will have our 24-hour prayer vigil during Holy Week.
We also try to be intentional at our church about devoting ourselves to God’s word. Every Sunday we are committed to expositional preaching through the Bible. We have weekly Bible studies and small groups where people can study the Scriptures together. We also encourage people to use Bible reading guides to stay in the word in their own devotional lives.
There are many ways that we can make sure we are receiving a daily intake of Scripture and allowing it to impact our lives. One simple way that is often overlooked is reading God’s word out loud and listening to it being read. Author Donald Whitney points out, “If we don’t discipline ourselves to hear God’s word regularly, we may hear it only accidentally, just when we feel like it, or never hear it at all.” He adds, “There simply is no healthy Christian life apart from a diet of the milk and meat of Scripture.”
We often think about spiritual growth coming from listening to sermons or participating in Bible studies, and certainly these things are important. But there is also something powerful about God’s people gathering to listen to his word being spoken. One example of this is found in the Book of Nehemiah when the people gathered together to worship and they listened to Ezra read God’s word: “So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law” (Ez. 8:2-3). Another example is found in Paul’s instructions to his protégé Timothy. In his first letter to Timothy Paul writes, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13).
In both the Old and New Testaments, there is an assumption that God’s people need to hear God’s word regularly. This is not only because we need to be reminded but also because we need to be renewed, and God’s word has the power to sanctify our hearts. As I heard one pastor say, “The Bible is not only the word of God; it also does the work of God.” Or, as Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in your truth; Your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17).
In an effort to be more intentional about listening to God’s word, this year during Holy Week we are going to host a “Gospel Read-Aloud.” Starting at noon on April 8th (the Saturday before Easter) we will have a continuous public reading of all four Gospels in our sanctuary. This will be an opportunity for you to set aside some time and simply listen to God’s word. I encourage you to stop by for part of the afternoon and hear some of the Scriptures as we prepare for Easter. You will also be able to tune in throughout the day via livestream and listen online. Let’s pray that the Word of God would do the work of God in our hearts and in our church.