Two People Listen to Paul
by Terry Wane Benton
You get out of a sermon or Bible lesson what you put into it. This is illustrated by two groups of people toward the same preacher. The first group was from Corinth. They were not “open” to Paul (II Corinthians 6:11-13) and justified their lack of interest in anything he said by ridiculing anything they could, even dismissing him as an apostle. There was carnality, spiritual immaturity (I Corinthians 3:1f) at the heart of why they chose to be cold and unaccepting of him. These brethren could have been made spiritually rich by Paul if they had taken a different attitude toward God, His word, and their brother in Christ. Corinth had members who lost a great spiritual opportunity for growth and unity simply by not opening their hearts to love Paul and respect the word of God he was preaching.
The second group heard Paul, but with a different attitude. To the Thessalonians, Paul wrote: “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (I Thessalonians 2:13). The same man, same style, same message, but two completely different responses. The first group is not open and treats his word as that of a mere man instead of the precious word of God. They missed out on a great opportunity to learn from an apostle of Jesus Christ. The second group was open and treated Paul's words with great respect, recognizing that he was preaching the word of God. This allowed his preaching to work effectively in them. The difference was all in the attitude they brought to the table when Paul preached the word of God. James said this problem can be solved. “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). The attitude one brings makes all the difference as to what you get out of sermons and Bible classes.
