When My Pastor Speaks

I've spent the last couple weeks going over my notes from the TGCW Conference, and as I've reread the passages and made a neater, more concise set of personal notes, I've gotten to thinking about how infrequently I do this on a regular week after my regular local church service. I mean, I used to take good notes every Sunday until the notebook and pen were replaced by wriggling babies. But the babies are older now, and I almost always have my hands free during the service. At some point I heard some defense of trading in note-taking for better, more attentive listening, and thought I'd give it a try. And then I just got lazy. Now it may be true that you miss a few things when you're busy taking notes. But whether you take notes or not (and from my own experience, note-taking does help concepts stick in your head, and you have the opportunity to review them later), when was the last time you spent Monday morning revisiting the Scripture passage from Sunday, meditating on it, praying for the Spirit's help to apply your pastor's sermon? These days, when many churches make the sermons available online, you can even go back and listen to it again for all those things you missed while you were taking notes. But while many people who've been to a conference with world-renowned preachers hang on their every word and spend time later meditating on the truths they've heard, those same people (myself admittedly included) often come distracted to church on Sunday and the sermon is out of their minds by the end of the day, never to be thought of again. My brothers and sisters, this should not be so!

Yes, it's been said before, but I need a refresher, so here are 6 reasons why it's actually MORE important to listen attentively to and meditate on your pastor's sermons than John Piper's or Tim Keller's (unless, of course, they are your local church pastor!):

1) Your pastor labours for you
C.J. Mahaney does not know you. He is not praying for you by name. Your burdens and joys are not his. But your pastor does know you, pray for you and share your life and that of the other members of your local church. So when he speaks, he is speaking to YOU--someone he cares for, someone whose trials and celebrations he knows and can speak directly into. And he puts in countless hours of study and preparation to bring God's Word to you. Listen to him. He is your God-given shepherd, and he is working for you. (1 Thess. 2:7-12, 5:12,13)

2) Your pastor is accountable for you
When he stands before the judgment seat of Christ on the last day, he will have to give an account for his leadership and care of the flock he was assigned. If he has not led faithfully, that will be his to answer for, but if he has been faithful and you have not listened, will you want to answer for that? And he knows that he carries the burden of care for your soul, so when he speaks, he speaks with that weight on his shoulders. Matt Chandler will not be asked about his care of you, but your pastor will. So your pastor's words should carry more weight with you. Labour to make his accounting a joy and not a sorrow! (Hebrews 3:17, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5)

3) Your pastor speaks the passions and visions of your local body
Every church has slightly different emphases and visions. Mars Hill looks different from Redeemer, which looks different from Bethlehem, which looks different from Covenant Life. They all look a little different from your church. And that's okay! They are led by different men with different styles and visions. As long as the gospel is central, we should seek to embrace the community and passions of our local church (as far as they are in accordance with Scripture, of course). And these passions are primarily caught from the pulpit. If we are not listening, or are listening more attentively to Mark Driscoll (or insert other big name here), we will have a vision that differs from our own church, and it will be very difficult for our leaders to take us in the direction they believe God has for our church. Which leads me to...

4) It brings unity to the body
If in a local church, we are all listening to the same man (or men) each week, and seeking to understand and apply the messages, we will all be on the same path together, learning together, working together, envisioning the future together, passionate about the same things. This makes for a glorious unity of purpose within the local church, better enables each member of the body to do its part for the whole, and often gives the church a more active, visible presence in the broader community. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

5) Your pastor speaks Christ to you
You would not ignore Christ if He spoke to you face-to-face. You would certainly run home and try to get it down on paper, and return to your notes often, seeking to diligently apply all that he had said. Well, when God's Word is faithfully preached, Christ is there by his Spirit, speaking to you. If we would not ignore Christ in the flesh, we should not ignore Him when He speaks through His servants. And yes, they may err. They may not preach perfectly. But if your pastor is a godly, faithful man, when he addresses you with the Word, you'd best believe that Christ is there in the bulk of it. And if there is error, how will you know unless you spend time poring over the same texts, revisiting and meditating on your notes? (2 Corinthians 4:1-6, 5:18-20, Acts 17:11)

6)You need food more than once a year!
A conference is a feast: piles of messages by articulate, charismatic speakers--so many, in fact, that you often feel like you're about to burst before it's even over. But just like you still need to eat the day after Thanksgiving (or at least by the second day!), you can't live on a once-a-year spiritual feast either. You need a regular diet of God-glorifying, Gospel-centred truth from the Scriptures. It's great to have a little growth spurt after a sermon by Don Carson, but it won't keep you alive for very long if you don't make use of the regular food source at your own church. Enjoy the conference, learn from it! But don't starve yourself when it's over! (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Have I convinced you yet? Because I've convinced myself :) I think this Sunday will find me with pen and paper in hand, ready to listen, learn and apply.