Take heed therefore how ye hear: for whosoever hath, to him shall be given; and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have. (Luke 8:18)
Yes, I know, this reference is not from 1 Timothy. However, before I continue working through the pastoral epistles, it is imperative that we address the responsibilities of the listener.
Throughout the letters to Titus and Timothy, Paul emphasizes the importance of uncompromising biblical teaching and preaching.
My goal through discipleship, has been, and continues to be, the training of young men to be preachers of the Word. Now, my goal of discipleship runs contrary to other definitions of discipleship. To some, discipleship is a social gathering. To some, discipleship is absent of any biblical study. To some, discipleship is merely the preparing of men for secular life.
The best model for discipleship comes from Christ himself (you say, of course it does!). Jesus, as a discipler, prepared his disciples for preaching and teaching. How discipling became anything other than preparing young believers to spread God’s Word to the world can only be explained by the influence of the world on the church.
In the passage from Luke, Jesus is speaking to his disciples. In Luke 8:9 it is the disciples ask him to explain the parable. This passage is for the followers of Christ. This passage is specifically for Christians, and generally for all hearers.
Wether you are Free-will or reformed, one truth remains. God’s plan for spreading the gospel was not, nor will be, natural revelation. God’s plan entails preaching. When those in the church take a low view of preaching and teaching, they take a low view of God’s word; for it is God’s word that lays out God’s plan. (Matthew 28:19, Romans 10:17)
For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. (1 Corinthians 1:21)
With that in mind, let us begin.
Take heed therefore how ye hear…
When sitting under instruction, do not be careless in your listening. The teacher or preacher has been tasked by God to deliver God’s message to you. If you do not believe this, then ask yourself why exactly are you in church to listen to preaching and teaching?
If God himself stood before you and was talking, would you be able to control your ADD and ADHD? Would you whisper to your friends, check your voicemail, doodle on the hymn books that are rarely used?
for whosoever hath, to him shall be given;
Those that hear, bear a greater responsibility than those that have not heard. Those that hear are expected to ACT based upon the message. To those that hear, God will gift them in ways that allow them to share what they have heard. God will grant them opportunities to share what they have heard.
and whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he seemeth to have
Those that do not hear, God will not only NOT gift them and NOT send opportunities their way, God will take away the gifts the hearer THINKS they have and the opportunities they THINK they have.
Jesus makes a subtle distinction between merely being in the presence of an auditory source and actively hearing. While the speaker must be prepared, so must the hearer.
Come to a service or class prepared to hear God.