The Indy Wilsons

Every now and then, as you guys know, I like to say something that many people think of as stomping on toes - keep in mind I’m aiming for the heart ;)
This post is no different, this post is for Christians - if you’re not one, this probably won’t effect you in any way.
I want to start with some history of the people around the time of Jesus. People during this time were not necessarily very educated especially in the ability to read and write. However, the Jews did not keep this as an excuse for not knowing the scriptures, they would memorize the scriptures by heart so that they would have them to guide their lives. In today’s society, we find that people know John 3:16 and can rehearse it by heart but have no idea what John 3:17 talks about. This is a serious issue especially in western culture. I think we should rectify this situation with two things, one of course is daily reading the Bible and knowing what is written, the other is a proactive approach to church.
I will give a demonstration of what we do now and what I think we should do, in western culture we’ve come accustomed to having things at our finger tips via the web and everything else. We also have learned how to not have to learn things. The young adults and children have probably heard it over and over again about how their parents had to do math, yes Dad, I know, you had to do the calculation by hand, look at the tables, etc, etc. For that seems like a very hard way to do it - it was indeed the better way to do it. Children are not taught how to think, how to make things work, and how to remember and repeat. They are taught how to answer, how to cut corners, and still get ahead.
Everyone knows I am a fan of technology and am not saying we shouldn’t have it, what I believe is we shouldn’t rely on it.
Here is the situation we are in, we are hungry, walking through a forest, when suddenly we see a deer. When we see that deer we run to the nearest tree and fashion a bow and arrow and then attempt to catch the deer.
The reason I allude this is because most of the time, we go to church unprepared for what we are about to experience. You are meeting with King Jesus our Lord and you are approaching him without preparation. (Please keep in mind this is more of a parable than an interpretable statement). If you were meeting your favorite president, you would want to know a little about what you were going to talk with him about. How much more should we come prepared with what we are going to learn in church? I think this is important, teachers have been getting this idea with Homework assignments for years - Yes, read ahead and then go to class, sounds like busy work but it’s genius!
The next illustration is that of a hunter, he has practice, he knows how his bow shoots, he knows the angles, he knows the proper way to handle it. The hunger grabs his bow, he places his arrow on it, grabs a hold of the arrow and bow and pulls it tight. Then he goes out into the woods and he’s in the moment, he’s not talking, he’s listening intently for the sound of rustling leaves. He hears them rumble then he readies his bow and pursues towards the sound in a way that won’t alert the prey he’s seeking. Suddenly he sees the prey streaking across the scene and with the flick of his wrist the arrow flies speedily towards the deer and immediately he grabs for a second arrow and chases towards the deer prepared for the next shot if needed. He continues until he has his prey at hand. Then he goes home prepares what he has made and thinks about how he can work to be better, quicker, and faster next time.
This is what I believe we should look like coming to church. Let me roll out an explanation. If you know what you’re pastor is going to talk about, you can read it in advance, prepare, take notes if you need to. Then look at what else it might entail - possibly cross-references, topics inside, etc. Know what you’re studying, know it fully and be prepared. Next, when you come to church, if the pastor has a sermon note sheet - read it in advance, know what he is going to cover. Next, be in the hunt, watch your pastor and don’t look away, you are meeting the guy who God chose to bring His Word to you today. Watch his facial expressions, see his hand jesters, listen to his tone, listen to his words. This isn’t a time for preparing, this is a time of action. Don’t fill in the note sheet, don’t talk to your neighbor, don’t update your twitter, don’t take a short nap because you’re tired. This is God’s Word. After you have heard him speak, take time to fill in your note sheet, answer any questions you may have had from your preparing, ask your pastor any questions you may have had. Look it over so that next time.. You’ll be better, quicker, and faster…

Here are those 3 to 4 steps again -
1. Prepare - meditate on the passage he is going to preach about, don’t know what it is? Ask him, he’ll know. 2ish - Read the note sheet if he has one, do this before he starts speaking and know what he is talking about
2. Focus - This will probably be the hardest part of the whole thing, don’t look away, If you believe it to be God’s Messenger, you should make sure and well that you don’t miss a thing. Don’t take notes during his sermon, don’t do anything but look and listen to him.
3. Followup - This can be the most crucial point in your learning and gathering. You are making sure you understood what the pastor said, making sure your questions are answered and making sure you are more prepared for the next time you may need that gathered knowledge of scripture, history, or whatever you learned.

I challenge you to do this for at least 2 weeks at your church. If you find this doesn’t help strengthen your relationship with Christ, let me know. I believe being proactive Christians is what we are called to be, don’t live life reacting to your pastor.