I grew up as a church kid. I was in the doors of the church building just as soon as my parents could bring me. Every time the doors were opened I was there, whether I wanted to be or not. I heard a lot of preaching. I heard a lot of Bible class teaching. I heard scripture, Bible stories, funny stories, good ideas, good theology, bad theology, and everything in between. When I was a young boy I loved it, but as time went on I began to despise going to church. I did not enjoy it and nothing was produced in me. I was blessed with parents who loved God and loved me, but I did not have and supernatural blessing of fruit springing forth from my life. I went to church and I did not cuss, drink, do drugs, or have sex. I thought I was being a doer of the word.
Something changed in my heart. I wish it was a fanciful story that happened in the midst of worship one night, but it did not happen like that. The first time I was awakened that there was more to God than church was in worship at a summer camp, but the road was longer than that. Jesus changed my heart and my actions. Deep inside I felt like I would never be able to be a good Christian because I could never measure to the perfection that I always heard about and that was portrayed by so many people I saw around me, but God taught me about a relationship with him. He showed me that true worship required more of me than singing a song in the correct form; it meant presenting myself as a living sacrifice before my king and singing with a heart full of love, joy, adoration, and praise during those times of corporate worship.
I thought I was being a doer of the word, but I did not know what being a doer of the word really meant. It means being quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, putting away filthiness and rampant wickedness, and receiving the word. When I began to receive the word and let it transform me, blessing began to flow out. When I step where God has spoken, blessing flows out. When I let anger and my ideas rise to the top, blessings are stopped up.
Many people who come to us with problems are those who are in church. They sit through all kinds of services and seminars and hear the word. These people still come to us because their lives are a mess. Often we blame the word they are hearing and try to develop more relevant curriculum for students and preach in a more engaging manner. The problem is not always presentation; the problem is often a failure to receive the word. We do not need to send people to read more books and hear more sermons. We need to teach people how to receive the word.
The people who come to us must learn to let God transform their hearts. When they read scripture, hear a sermon, or read from a book, they need to let those words penetrate their hearts. This happens when they take the word they have heard and meditate upon it. When hearts are transformed and the word is received, blessings can begin to flow. The blessing of Spirit-empowered transformation can happen. The angry person who explodes with rage can become a peaceful listener when the word is received.
Often times we hear a word from the Lord, we know it is from the Lord, and we still do not receive it. James reminds us that we are only deceiving ourselves. We cannot think ourselves to be Christians if we sit in church and hear great messages but continue in filthiness, rampant wickedness, and raging anger. We must learn to, through the blessing of the Spirit-empowered life, to sin longer and partake in the righteousness given to us in Christ Jesus.
God has transformed me. When I began to receive his word deep into my heart, I was able to give up my raging anger, secret pornography addiction, and live in the blessing of which James speaks. I went from despising church meetings to actively being a part. Fruit is now produced through my life because I am where he has told me to be and am living by the word he has spoken. The blessing still leaves me when I leave partnership with him and do not receive the word and do not participate in what he has said.
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