THE 4 LEVELS OF LISTENING: PASTOR, ARE YOU AT THE PRESCHOOL LEVEL?

Charles Stone publishes a superb blog called Charles Stone: Vintage Wisdom: Authentic Answers. This one of the blogs I read regularly.  Recently he wrote a post about listening, a key skill for those of us who would presume to preach. - Steve

BY CHARLES STONE

One of the greatest skills a pastor or leader can develop is to learn to listen well. Woodrow Wilson’s words below should cause every leader to evaluate his or her listening skills.

The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people.

We pay others a high compliment when we listen.
We affirm other’s God-given value when we listen.
We develop our own heart when we listen.
The father of the field of listening, Ralph Nichols, captures the essence of listening in these words.

The most basic of all human needs is the need to be understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.

Through my 15-week coaching I’ve learned that we listen at several levels. Often we get stuck on the first level, the most elementary one. As you read the four levels below, ask yourself at which level do you usually listen.

1. Level 1-Listening TO…Internal Listening. At this level when we listen to others we mostly listen to our inner dialogue, our thoughts, our feelings, and what we plan to say once the other person has finished speaking. We focus on ourselves, our conclusions, our thoughts about the person/subject of conversation, and what the subject means to me. Unfortunately most listening happens at this level where it’s all about me.
2. Level 2-Listening FOR…Focused Listening. At this level we begin to authentically listen as we focus on what the other person is saying. We lock onto their dialogue and suppress our temptation to correct, give our opinion, give advice, or offer another perspective as soon as they finish. We become truly present and give them the gift of being understood.
3. Level 3-Listening WITH… Intuitive Listening. At this level we pay attention to what is not being said through these cues:  inflection, pauses, changes in tone and energy, the eyes, and body language. We listen with our gut and allow intuition to speak to our soul.
4. Level 4-Listening to the Holy Spirit. This is the deepest level where we intersect what the person is saying/not saying with an openness to what the Spirit of God is saying to us. This level requires great discipline and focus, yet provides pastors and ministry leaders a way to become conduits of God’s grace to people.

So, at which level do you often listen? What tips have you discovered that help you listen at levels 2-4?
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FIVE SUBTLE WAYS SATAN SNEAKS INTO YOUR PEOPLE

One of my passions is evangelism and I am always on the lookout for resources for this vital ministry.  One of those is called EvanTell Inc. led by a gentlemen named Larry Moyer. He has written an excellent article for self-evaluation as the preaching pastor.

Larry Moyer: Effective ministry demands that we recognize the tactics of the enemy and then guard against them in our preaching.

 

Take five minutes out. Lean back in your chair at the office or put your feet up in your recliner. You might close your eyes to help you think and ponder. Now ask yourself a question that could determine if you'll still have an effective ministry 20 years from now: "If Satan were to sneak into your pulpit, how would he do it?" Keep in mind that you won't recognize him by his clothing or actions. He'll be kind, polite, winsome, and attractive. But he's ugly and deceptive underneath.

Effective ministry demands that we recognize the tactics of the enemy and then guard against them. Penetrating Satan's mind and knowing that "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world" are key (I John 4:4).

Criss-crossing the world as an evangelist, I've seen five prominent ways he sneaks in the pulpit. Let's examine what they are and how to avoid them.

1. Satan will convince you that you're not only someone, you are SOMETHING.

 God never uses one person or one ministry to touch everyone. It's together that we get the job done. It's the combination of spiritual gifts God uses to build up the body. That's why I Corinthians 12: 21 teaches, "And the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you'; nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.'"

You are one of the "someones." Uniquely gifted, God uses you and your giftedness to both reach the lost and build up those who are His. As people are helped and blessed, they let you know. They should! All of us need to be encouraged.

But one encouraging comment can become several comments, sometimes many comments. They come verbally through text messages and emails. Sometimes comments you make get repeated on a website or two, and then you might find people have referred to you on Twitter or Facebook.

That's when Satan causes you to think you're not only someone, you are SOMETHING. Pride creeps in—not overnight, just one Sunday at a time. In six months, you start to be a different person. You begin to ponder, "Where would the church be without me? Why don't other preachers develop the skills that I have? I never knew God was going to so abundantly use me."

The answer for this problem is two-fold. First, secure an accountability partner who is honest enough to tell you every time they see something prideful about you. But don't get defensive, since they are probably right and are trying to help (as you asked them to), not hurt. Secondly, every day remember something: Should you be wiped off the scene today, the work of Christ would go on pretty much unhindered. This fact is sobering to say the least and keeps you right where you need to be—feeling dependent, undeserving, and grateful.

2. Satan will suggest that instead of teaching something relevant, you need to teach something new.

The preacher's job is well defined. II Timothy 4:2 says, "Preach the word! " This means our message is confined to what He says. We are not teaching something new but truth as old as the Bible itself. We don't have to make it relevant; it is relevant. All we have to do is communicate effectively to the people. This is why the pressure we need to feel is not how to come up with a truth our people have never heard of. Instead, it's the pressure to take the truth God gave years ago and put it in words that are meaningful and applicable. Sometimes we teach the same truth 50 times. It's been accurately stated that effective communication is saying the same thing in different words.

But the longer you're in the ministry, the easier it can be for Satan to convince you that people are tired of hearing the same old thing. Therefore, instead of feeling the need to use sentences, illustrations, and analogies that drive truth home in a fresh way, you think that you need to come up with something new, period—something never thought of, never taught, and never heard. The subject may be the mind, marriage, relationships, spiritual growth, love, hate, or a myriad of things. Soon you have stepped outside the Scriptures, teaching your thoughts instead of His. Discerning people will appropriately begin to say, "I'm not sure that's what the Scriptures say." The difference is profound. God has never promised to bless your word; He's only promised to bless His.

The answer? Get down on your knees, open the Bible in front of you, and utter a simple prayer: "Don't let me stray outside this book, but help me teach whatever is in this book clearly and effectively." Then, approach someone in your church who is very knowledgeable in the Word and say to them, "If you hear me say something strange, don't just accept it. Ask me about it, and don't assume that because I'm the preacher I am right." That person should regard you highly for caring enough to make sure you're preaching His thoughts, not yours.

3. Satan will tell you that your people need an exhorter in evangelism.

A pastor who has spent any time in the Word knows II Timothy 4:5: "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." When Paul wrote that, he was not addressing Timothy as a gifted evangelist, but Timothy as a gifted pastor-teacher.
Unfortunately, Satan will try to define that verse for you. He can convince you that you have to stand before your people and say, "Evangelize, evangelize, and evangelize." That way, you feel that you have done your part.

It is what Satan doesn't tell you that matters. He doesn't tell you that people are most apt to do what you do, not what you say. If you talk about the lost, they will talk about the lost. If you talk to the lost, they will talk to the lost. Examples, not exhortation, change the hearts of people in evangelism.

As you show your church how you take advantage of opportunities to converse with the lost, soon you will have a church full of people who are not just "discussing" the work of an evangelist but are doing the work of an evangelist. How do you get there? It's simpler than you might think.

First, as Paul did in Ephesians 6:19–20, ask your people to pray that when you open your mouth, something will come out of it (utterance) and boldly. Secondly, once again, find an accountability partner. This may be the one you've asked to check your pride or maybe a different one. But once a month, have that person ask you, "What have you done to reach out this week to a lost person?" I assure you, I know pastors who have taken up that challenge, and it is changing their lives and—guess what—their churches.

4. Satan will convince you that you can grow spiritually through your sermon preparation.

I've heard of few sermons that benefited people much when they didn't first hit the preacher. Preachers who preach with passion are those who have been so deeply touched by a passage that they become a channel to transfer the blessing to others. It shows in the way they come across. Their whole demeanor is not, "This is what you need." Instead, it is, "This is what God showed me I need, and I know you're going to be blessed by it, too." Sometimes there's uncertainty as to whether it's a sermon or a testimonial.
But Satan uses the struggle every preacher faces: time. You can begin to think that you don't have time to get alone with God, so your sermon preparation, climaxed by a few moments of prayer, will suffice.
Since God is a God of grace, He obviously understands your time constraints and loves you, but He also desires your fellowship (I John 1:3). Those moments when you close your ear to everyone else's voice and just listen to His as it comes through devotional study of the Word—those uninterrupted moments with your best friend—are what keeps you fresh. Some of those times cause tears to run down your cheeks as He shows you areas in which you're flawed and need improvement, but you still come away feeling energized. Interestingly enough, preachers who have fallen away from the Lord have commented to me that where they made their mistake was neglecting their quiet time with Him.

Consider creating a hallowed spot. For me, it's my chair in the living room where God and I meet each morning. Always going through a book of the Bible, I may cover one verse or I may cover a chapter. I don't care. What I do care about is that I go from there into my day's activity with one truth to meditate on for that day. I also keep the requests I give Him carefully noted on a 3x5 card, so I'm careful not to forget. I come away fed, energized, helped, and encouraged—as only the One who saved me more than 40 years ago can do. Don't ask me why He would ever want to be with someone so depraved as you or me. But He can't wait to talk, and I can't wait to listen and respond.

5. Satan will convince you that "you're not getting the attention you deserve."

Frustrating, isn't it? You may be more faithful in your study and preparation of your message than many preachers you know, but somehow they get the recognition you don't. What follows is money. Increased recognition brings increased funds with it. So while you and your church struggle to make it, the other preacher's church and even the preacher are doing quite well.

Satan can convince you that you have a right to be frustrated. You are not getting half the attention you deserve. Soon your frustration turns to others whom you deem responsible—your people, a staff member, board member, denominational head, or perhaps your own mate. Tension builds, and Satan stands on the sideline smiling…correction: laughing.

The answer: Go back to the starting block. Don't memorize but master I Corinthians 4:2, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful." Note the word is "faithful," not "famous." Place it in front of you on the desk. Hang it in your office. But don't just memorize it; swallow it. Absorb it into your spiritual being so that it becomes a governing principle of your life.

Why? Because God is the keeper of the books. No good deed goes unrewarded. No amount of discipleship goes unnoticed. No mistakes are made in His bookkeeping. Everything due to you will come in terms of recognition, if not now, then later. He promises, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work" (Revelation 22:12). Think about it—who would you rather be rewarded by? Someone down here who only sees a lot of what you do, or someone "up there" who sees all of what you do?

Conclusion

Now that you know Satan's tactics and how to prevent them, ACT! Let Satan know in no uncertain terms that his tactics won't work with you. James 4:7 promises, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Your prayers and action will give him a not-so-subtle message: "I'm not interested in a truce; I'm only interested in victory. And victory will be mine."

DO WE TALK TOO MUCH?

"... it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe." I Corinthians 1:21
Preaching is an integral part to the ministry of reconciliation and life-transformation given to the church of Jesus Christ.  Some of us have the particular calling to fill that role within the Body, to be the preacher.
Preaching is sometimes considered out-dated or even a detriment.  "I appreciate that you don't preach to me," a man used to say to me often.  When I would protest that indeed, I was preaching to him, he would respond, "No, you're teaching me and there's a lot I need to learn."  He was playing a semantics game. I was preaching; but part of me understood where he was coming from.  There are a whole lot of preachers who have a lot to say, who do not say it well, and who do not say it out love. What they preach is foolishness.

But as a preacher by profession, I often find myself asking important evaluation questions.  One of them is, "Did I share God's Word today for God's people, or was a baptizing my own opinions by expressing them from a pulpit.'  I often precede the preaching event with a prayer, "LORD, I pray that today the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart are YOUR words from YOUR heart to the people YOU love."

But another question I often ask is, "Was this message too long or did it try to say too much?"  In seminary we used to be warned to preach the gospel in every message by not to preach the whole gospel in a single message.  The implication is clear -- too much preaching is unfocused and too many sermons are too long to be of genuine impact.

I once asked a group of sixty year old's how long a sermon should be.  "Twenty minutes" was the response.  It was a predictable response because these same people believed a worship service should only last sixty minutes. Their idea of a worship gathering was that it was a religious duty that they were obligated to be a part of--but it should be well-defined, predictable, and have boundaries.  My sermon should have plenty of Bible, not delve into too many difficult topics.  Three points and a good story made up a good sermon--and yo ought to be able to do that in 20 minutes.

I also asked one of my sons-in-law who was in his twenties and fairly new to his faith the same question.  His response, "If it has depth and substance, and is the real deal, I can listen to a sermon for 40 minutes; but if it's simple Sunday School stuff and not about my Christian life then ten minutes is too long."

He had heard too many preachers who spent a lot of time telling him from the pulpit what he had already heard in Sunday School and he craved something deeper.  He had also heard enough sermons where preachers weren't really focused on the Word of God or where the Word was sort of lost in a lot of personal anecdotes and insignificant comments that they had little application for the life he was trying to live as the real deal, an authentic disciple of Jesus Christ.

So here's the question - do we as preacher talk too much when we don't have anything to say?

(C) 2011 by Stephen L Dunn

IS YOUR PREACHING TOO DEEP OR TOO SHALLOW

Most of us who are conscientious about our preaching ask ourselves the question, "Is this too deep or to shallow?" If we don't ask the question of ourselves, someone, usually someone with a strong opinion, will ask the question for us.  It is not a question that can be asked in a vacuum. We must take into account the congregation with which we are communicating - their needs, their maturity, their biblical understanding. Craig Groeschel, writing for Sermon Central, has some helpful insights on this question:

Is Your Preaching Too Deep or Too Shallow?

by Craig Groeschel

Many of us were taught that to reach people today, we have to make our sermons simple, practical, and relevant. While I agree that all three qualities are important, we must never forget they all must be spiritual to change lives!

In our efforts to reach people far from God, some pastors with good intentions are perhaps making messages too shallow.

When people come to church today, I believe they truly want to know what the Bible says. There seems to be a genuine hunger for God’s Word. Even if a curious non-Christian attends church, most want to hear a biblical message rather than a self-help and feel-good sermonette.

Our American churches today are sadly filled with many biblically illiterate people. Many truly want to learn more. Most prefer to be challenged rather than babied.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what people want. If sin separates people from God, we can’t be afraid to preach about sin, the cross, and the resurrection.

The other extreme can also be dangerous. We have to equally guard against our sermons being too deep.

Some pastors are hypercritical of those who aren’t deep. But sometimes deep can equal boring or irrelevant.

I love studying the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words and find sharing some with the church to be very helpful. But an overuse of the original languages can become dull.

Similarly, the history and context of a chapter is also often important. Sometimes, though, a pastor can spend so much time in the deep end that people drown in unimportant facts.

Two years ago, a very intelligent pastor moved into my community. Many of my friends attend his church. His sermons are so intellectually deep that the average person can’t track with him. His church has lost about 40% of its weekend attendance.

Several people approached him and asked if he could make the messages easier for them to understand. He adamantly opposed, explaining that he’d never "dumb down" God’s word. While I admire his passion, I think he lacks wisdom.

Those who truly have the gift of teaching must guard against over-teaching a text.
Is your preaching too deep or too shallow? What do you struggle with the most?