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 around us.

"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 akin, 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 flesh 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, 0h 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."

"I have treasured the words of his mouth more than the food I need to survive."

Job 23

This is listening! We live by that word spoken daily, hourly. We are drawn to others 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 same 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 own 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 perseverance...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."

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, 'Oh my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed 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 congregation, 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.

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 me 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 prophet suffers 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 themselves 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 listening 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.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love. Ephesians 4:15-16

We are "under the head"---who is Christ. Under the head isn't fusion where you lose 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 listening ...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, guarding 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 because we are bond slaves 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 (Lutheran, Baptist, Covenant)

to its teaching.

We will be able to point correctly because we are listening 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 lose 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.