How to Get the Most Out of the Preaching of God’s Word

I fear that too many believers today are trying to live on religious fast-food dispensed for easy consumption (no chewing necessary) by entertaining teachers who give people what they want, not what they need.  Is it any wonder many churches aren’t experiencing God’s power at work in their ministries?[1]

The first way to get the most out of the preaching of God’s Word is to recognize with reverence and awe how vital, how critical the preaching of His Word is to Him and to us – for our growth (cf. Mt. 28:18-20; Luke 4:18-19; 2 Tim. 2:2; Rom. 1:16; 1 Cor. 9:16).

Secondly, we must interact with God in prayer before, during and after the message: Before the message, we should ask Him to help us to be hungry for Him and for His Word (Prov. 27:7; Mt. 5:6). 

The danger in not praying beforehand is that we’re unprepared to hear God’s Word preached.

During the message, we should thank Him for what He speaks to us; we should ask Him to help us to hear with faith (Heb. 4:2) and to help us to know how to apply and obey the message (don’t expect the preacher to give you every application). 

After the message we should meditate on what was said, seek to obey it (James 1:22-25) and be humble and careful to make sure that it was accurate (Acts 17:11). 

Finally, we should be ready and expect that the Lord will at some point in the week use the message we heard to help someone else through us.

Thirdly, pray for the preacher – before, during and after the message.  He or she needs the prayers of all of God’s people and when he gets those prayers, the preaching becomes a true, corporate effort – not a “one-man show.”

The more God’s people pray for the preacher and the message, the greater the anointing will be upon all.  By asking God to protect him from spiritual “counter-attack,” he may be spared the oppression that inevitably comes to preachers soon after the message.

Moreover, when we pray for those who preach, we are far less prone to “rate” or criticize the preacher. 

If you know that the person whose pulpit ministry you sit under works hard at preaching and teaching (that involves much prayer, study, preparation and the spiritual warfare that comes along with this high responsibility) and genuinely cares for those he has responsibility for, appreciate and honor him or her (1 Tim. 5:17).

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[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: Old Testament (Colorado Springs: CO, David C. Cook, 2007), 430.  Italics mine.