Listening Church

THE LISTENING CHURCH

      The Lord God has given me the word of one

             who is taught, that I may know how to sustain

             the weary....He awakens me morning by

             morning. He awakens my ear to listen as a

             disciple. The Lord God has opened my ear;

             and I was not disobedient, I did not turn

             back.               Isaiah 50:4-5

Whenever we read this verse we should ask our self

these questions:

- Do I have my ears open to God who is

speaking?

- Am I listening...”grabbing hold” of the

word he sends?

The fact that we are gathered here is a sign that

all of us have received his word in some way...maybe

it’s only the opening of a sleepy eye...but some of

us have truly been awakened from death and been

given new direction,

victory,....a new lease on life.

Many of us have found that as we've listened and

been attentive, his utterances to us have become

precious jewels.

How blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

(wisdom is a word from God) and the man

who gains understanding. For its profit

is better than silver and its gain is more

than gold. She is more precious than

jewels, and nothing you desire compares

with her. Proverbs 3:13-15

In the joy of finding this treasure of wisdom, this

"word from God,” we run to share it with those

who have discovered a similar treasure...so we gather

together, share our insight, but find we get mixed

reviews. People do rejoice with us, but we are also

met by some confused looks....”Their word seems to be

quite different than mine.”

- Peter is hearing something very different

than me....

- Sharon has a word too, but one I don’t

understand....

The insight I have from God, that I’m rejoicing in,

is of no interest to my brother...he doesn’t even bat

an eye!

Why....with one Lord, and one Spirit, are there so many

“different words”? There can be several different reasons....

The first is a very human reason. Sometimes we’re just

caught up in the excitement of a new discovery....

God has opened our eyes, we’ve read a great book on

prayer, we are learning to pray! In our excitement

prayer becomes the answer to everything.

I don’t need to eat,

sleep,

keep my eyes open while I drive my car...

God will guide me as I pray! It seems like we’re on

the threshold of a new world...but we’re standing alone

and maybe misunderstood.

At other times a diverse word may come from two prophets

of God. Both are committed,

both have integrity, but declare two distinct

visions about the Kingdom of God. That man, that

woman, they are looking at two different pieces of the

same puzzle. Both have a true word...but a partial

word. God, who created the picture, sees the entire

puzzle.

- If we are broken, open, yielding, we will

not only rejoice in what we see, but will

rejoice in the vision of our brother and

sister.

- If we are not open, not broken, before God,

variety will upset us...perhaps make us

bitter. We will end up hammering our piece

of the puzzle in where it doesn’t belong.

Our little “piece of the puzzle” becomes an idol.

At first it may have originated from God...but now

it comes from us. We elevate our insight into the

place of God. In our pride, “our insight” becomes

a harsh taskmaster who “demands much and forgives

little” of those around us...and eventually even

dominates our self.

As a whole, we accept diversity here well...variety

is a part of us. But I also think we want to know

how do we listen as a congregation to get beyond our

private insight? Not only how do we listen, but is

there such a thing as a word addressed to a church,

to a gathering

of believers?

Through Moses, God called an entire nation out of

the bondage of Egypt. Later he led that same nation

to the border of the Promised Land and expected

them to enter. In the same way, God speaks to an

entire church.

To the messenger of the church in Ephesus

write: “The one who holds the seven stars

in his right hand, the one who walks among

the seven golden lampstands, say this:

‘I know your deeds and your toil and per-

serverence...and have endured for my name’s

sake...but I have this against you, that

you have left your first love. Remember,

therefore, from where you have fallen, and

repent and do the deeds you did at first;

or else I am coming to you and will remove

your lampstand out of its place--unless you

repent.’ He who has an ear let him hear

what the Spirit says to the churches."

Revelation 2:1-7

If, as a group, they ignored,

neglected,

rejected this word, their lampstand

would be removed...the church would be no more.

Why does God address a group? Is it better? If in our

differences we all “fit in”, will the group be greater

than the sum of its parts?....No! God addresses a group

because that’s the nature of the church.

Jesus did not intend to “save” one person here, make a

believer there, who then voluntarily decide to associate

and become a church. The church is a brotherhood by

nature---a group of people who have been raised to life

by the call of God..

“Truly, truly, the hour is coming, and now is,

when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son

of God and those who hear shall live.”

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he

brought me...to a valley full of bones. And

he said to me, “Son of man can these bones

live?” He said to me, “Prophesy over these

bones and say to them, ‘Oh dry bones hear the

word of the Lord.’ Thus says the Lord God to

these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to

enter you that you may come to life. And I

will put tendons on you, make flesh grow, cover

you with skin, and put breath in you that you

may come alive; and you will know that I am

the Lord.’

So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I

spoke there was a voice (noise), and behold

a rattling and the bones came together....

and behold, tendons grew on them, and skin

and f1esh covered them; but there was no

breath in them...prophesy to the Spirit,

prophesy son of man and say to the Spirit,

‘Thus says the Lord God, Come four winds,

0 breath, and breathe on these slain that

they come to life.' So I prophesied as he

commanded me, and the breath came into

them and they came to life...an exceedingly

great army...Behold, I will open your

graves and cause you to come out of your

graves, my people.” Ezekiel 37:1-12

This picture describes the birth of the church---

the result of receiving,

hearing, the word of God

- Many were called together.

- Many were raised from death together.

- Many were given the Spirit together.

This is the result of one voice from God,

one breath from God. And this

is our heritage, our destiny...we are those brought

out of a grave by a word from God....that’s a church!

If we are born by a word, then to be a listening

church means that we also live by the same word that

created us.

Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread

alone, but by every word that proceeds

from the mouth of God.” Matt 4:4

“I have treasured the words of his mouth

more than the food I need to survive.” Job23

This is listening! We live by that word spoken daily, hourly.

The listening church that is born of one Spirit and

hears as one, doesn’t mean that all members agree. We

are not required to compromise what we feel....

- abandon what’s close to our hearts,

- trade in our fire for some watered-down,

balanced, well rehearsed statement and

call it “a word from God”...

To listen as one church doesn’t mean we practice

“collectivism” either. We do not fuse and lose our

individuality like zombies....talking,

walking,

looking the same. To

listen as one church means that we all respond and lay

hold of that same creative word that gave us birth....

a word from God. The word of God is Jesus. This is

what the church hears before it hears anything else, or

any other call....

- before anyone hears a call to prophesy,

teach or heal....

- before anyone hears a call to a different

ministry, a gift, a job...

you hear the call and continue hearing the call that

raised you from the dead; daily, you live by that call.

As I look around at all the others who have heard that

same call and been raised from that same grave as I, how

could I ever, ever, ever not fellowship with them,

honor them,

serve them.

Certainly there may be a prophetic voice from God that

sounds odd, even offensive, to a community that’s dull

and asleep. But that prophet doesn’t regard their

ministry in the community as their private enterprise.

The word of a true prophet is not a word of reproach on

the rest of the community. In fact, the prophets suffer

reproach,

alienation,

misunderstanding. However, in their serving death, the

word of God brings life to those around them and at

the same time brings life to the prophet. Prophets

are not “the truth”...they bear the truth and are

changed by it just as that truth changes the community.

They are first a corpse risen before a prophet sent.

This is a heavy responsibility to us as individuals,

especially if we have gifts...(words of life from God.)

We have a responsibility to not have “private truth,"

isolating insights...that would destroy a community

built by God. God will have to protect the community

from me (if I choose that).

Also, what a responsibility to the individuals who

don’t see themselves as prophets, and consider them-

selves listeners...observers. Their sin is just as

bad. The word that called them out of the grave grows

dim from neglect and inattention. They don’t regard

listening as their concern. In their dullness and

apathy the church suffers.

When individuals are hearing responsibly, we will see

a listening church.

He who has an ear let him hear what the

Spirit says to the churches.

What does this listening church look like? The listen-

ing church, that actively responds to the word of God

does four things....

- it practices corporate repentance,

- it practices corporate worship,

- it has a corporate witness,

- all its members have a function.

The listening church that actively responds to the

word of God practices corporate repentance.

This doesn’t mean that we decide one day we should all

go down to the altar...that the third Sunday of each

month is “group repentance day”. But, in our answer to

a word from God we all fall on our knees,

we all know our sin,

we all turn to our Redeemer.

“But at the evening offering I arose from my

humiliation (repentance) with my garment and

my robe torn, and I fell on my knees and

stretched out my hands to the Lord my God;

and I said, ‘0 my God, I am ashamed and em-

barrassed to lift up my face to thee, my God,

for our iniquities have risen above our heads,

and our guilt has grown even to the heavens.'"

Now while Ezra was praying and making confession,

weeping and prostrating himself before the house

of God, a very large assembly of men, women and

children gathered to him from Israel; the people

wept bitterly. Ezra 9:5-7 and 10:1

Ezra didn’t call the people to repentance as he stood

over them checking to see which heads were bowed! His

heart broke with the heart of God and he was the first

on his knees...his repentance brought the entire nation

to its knees.

Not only is repentance a response of a hearing congre-

gation, but worship is the response of the congregation

that listens. And if we are grabbing hold of that word,

we will change and, as we do, praise God for it.

Bless the Lord, 0 my soul: and all that is

within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not

all his benefits:

who forgiveth all thine iniquities;

who healeth all thy diseases;

who redeemeth thy life from destruction;

who crowneth thee with lovingkindness

and tender mercies;

who satisfieth thy mouth with good things;

so that thy youth is renewed like the

eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-5

And this is worship....

“What shall I render to the Lord for all his

benefits to me? I will offer the sacrifice

of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the

Lord. I will take the cup of salvation and

will call on the name of the Lord. I will

pay my vows to the Lord now in the presence

of all his people, in the courts of the Lord’s

house, in the midst of you, 0 Jerusalem.”

Worship is the response of hearts thankful that the

“word of God” has come in our midst.

“We offer with joy and thanksgiving what you

have first given us--ourselves, our time,

and our possessions, signs of your gracious

love. Receive them for the sake of him who

offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

These words from the liturgy are godly worship....

- raising hands is godly worship,

- spontaneous prayer is godly worship,

- quiet awe is godly worship.

These are godly worship because done together in an

act that binds us to God and to each other, we confess

our common need...we rejoice in our common hope.

Any form of worship can be perverted...trying to turn

it into an art form, a production, or just reciting it.

But it’s godly if it’s the living response of a Body

that honors and obeys God.

The third sign that a church is listening--responding

to the word of God--is that all its members function.

Not just one...not just two...all.

We are under the head, who is Christ...from whom

the whole body, being fitted and held together

so that every joint supplies, according to the

proper working of each individual part, causing

the growth of the body, and the building up of

itself in love. Ephesians 4:15-16

We are “under the head”--who is Christ. Under the head

isn’t fusion where you loose spiritual identity. It’s

under the head where our gift grows and our individual

labor is done. Here there is freedom to be an individual

and to grow in our particular function (as a hand, a foot,

an eye).

Under the head, the hand doesn’t have to understand the

work of the ear, and the ear doesn’t have to understand

the work of the hand. Under the head, we are all listen-

ing...the hand listens,

the foot listens,

the eye listens.....This is freedom!

But being a “free individual” isn’t individualism. We

are not to withdraw from one another.., suspicious, guard-

ing our private treasures, not wanting anyone to step on

our toes. No! Individuals in the Body of Christ are free

because they are under the head. It’s there we become

more concerned for God’s freedom than our own freedom.

When he is free to work in me, my chains fall to the

ground. The gifts of every individual member grow be-

cause we are bondslaves to the head.

Lastly, the listening church responds to the word of God

with a corporate witness...a witness to the world that

Jesus is Lord...not pointing to itself,

to its organization,

to its teaching.

We will be able to point correctly because we are listen-

ing correctly.

             “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to you with this

             testimony for the churches, I am the root and

             the offspring of David, the bright morning star.”

             The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let

             him who hears say, “Come.” Revelation 22:16-17a

Our witness to the world is a group of people saying, “Come,

Lord Jesus.” We say that because we know that he is not

only the life of the church, but the life of the world.

HE IS THE ROOT...Jesus is our one foundation. And this means

we know where we belong...we know where our home is. When

we are founded on him,

built on him,

firmly attached to the root, we will be bearing witness to

the world, and they will hear, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

HE IS THE SON OF DAVID means that Jesus is our Lord. When

the church truly lives with Jesus as its Lord, not in name

only, but in fact, then it has a witness. When we stop

“lording” over one another and submit to the true Lord, the

world will hear, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

HE IS THE BRIGHT MORNING STAR...Jesus is the bright light

of truth. Our insights,

our revelations, no matter how profound are not

“the truth”...Jesus is the truth and we point to him. And

as we point to him as the truth, the world will hear the

witness, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

The listening church repents together,

worships together. In the listening

church each member is working and each member is a witness

that says, “Come, Lord Jesus.”

The listening church is one...without fusion and loss of

identity. The listening church is many...without factions

and splits.

The listening church was born when it heard a word that

raised it from the grave; and it lives, daily, by that same

word.

He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit

says to the churches.

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